St. Laurent, Manitoba

St. Laurent is a community in Manitoba located on the shore of Lake Manitoba on highway #6. The population is approximately 1,200, and many of the residents are Metis. St. Laurent is officially a bilingual community. The community is featured in an exhibit on Métis culture in the Smithsonian Institute.

In the summer the population of St. Laurent nearly triples as cottagers flock to the community to spend their summers along the Lake Manitoba shore.

Agriculture in St. Laurent

In St. Laurent, there is very rocky land, which is good for producing grass for pastures, hay or you can grow grain but it's not overly good land for this because of the lack of topsoil. There is a lot of low land that is too wet for working with machines; and a lot of land that is busn and marsh. A good indication as to the quality of the land in St. Laurent is to notice the trees that are growing there. If there are large trees or thick young poplar bluffs, it tells you that the land is productive. This could either be on low land or ridges. Oak trees are found on productive land on ridges and indicates that it could also be very rocky land, this type of land would be hard to cultivate and would therefore not be productive. Ridges in St. Laurent run south-east and north-west.Marshland is used only by wildlife; wooded areas are used as pasture for beef, horse or sheep. In St. Laurent, most farms or land is used for mixed farming; better land is used for tame hay or grain crops and poorer land is used to make hay or pasture for animals. If a farmer was to choose only one type of land the other would be wasted.The land in St. Laurent is quite different from the land in Southern Manitoba, which is higher quality prime land throughout.

St. Laurent School

There are many schools in St. Laurent, St. Laurent School, École Communautaire Aurèle-Lemoine and the Aboriginal Head Start. In St. Laurent school the main language of instruction is English. French classes are also taught. In É.C.A.L the main language is French. English classes are taught but the rest of the day the students are taught French. The Aboriginal Head Start isn't necessarily a school but is a program to get younger kids ready for school. There are people from all over the region that come to these schools, such as, St. Ambroise, Woodlands, Lake Francis etc. St. Laurent school and É.C.A.L are two schools in the same building. In the past it used to be one big school but now it is cut in half to make a French school and an English school. St. Laurent Schoold hosts kids from the age of kindergarten to grade twelve. É.C.A.L is the same age group. The Aboriginal Head Start hosts kids from the age of three to the age of four years old. There are many teachers and substitutes that work at these schools.

St. Laurent Beaches

There are eight sandy beaches in St.Laurent. They are Twin Beaches, Pioneer resort, Sandpiper, Laurentia beach, Johnson beach, Longbeach, Mckenzie Bay and Meindl park. The spectacular lingering sunsets over the lake are world renowned. Shallow waters and numerous sand bars make this area a safe and enjoyable location for young families. Ample deep and wide-open waters make this area a superior water sport venue in the summer for boaters, fishing, waterskiing, and are especially well-suited for paraboarding and windsurfing. In winter, once the lake freezes over, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing are popular activities. The area is probably best known in the winter for its icefishing for walleye, perch, pike and burbot.

Music

In St. Laurent, fiddling is the traditional music that comes from the Métis culture (traditional Métis fiddling). Throughout the year the music is played at the many festivals in St. Laurent as well as other venues. There is a fiddling program that goes on every Thursday of the school year for the people of the community that have the interest in learning or improving their fiddling skills. The lessons are taught by Mark Morriseau from Portage La Prairie, with the help of Lionel Vouriot who plays the acoustic guitar for Back 40. St. Laurent is also the hometown of the well known fiddler, Émile Lavallée.

St. Laurent has about six bands. Most of which play country and the Métis Fiddling. The bands are:

Coulée

[http://couleemusique.ca Coulée] whom like to compose their own music and play the traditional fiddling as well as French music. As of now they have two CDs released- “Coulée Lac Des Rêves” and “La Belles Tremblières”.

Back 40

Back 40 likes a various arrange of music such as-Métis fiddling, country music, French music and a little of the old rock. They now have self titled album that they had a release party for on July 25th 2008.

The Gaudry Boys And Friends

The Gaudry Boys and Friends is a newly structured band that plays the traditional fiddling with a few of them country songs. They are in the making of their first CD together. The Gaudry Boys also have an album - “The Barn Dance”.

Crossroads

Crossroads is a country music playing kind of band who also plays your fiddling tunes.

The Country Pride Band

The Country Pride Band is your old time country band. They have two CDs released at the moment-“The Country Pride Band” and “Hommage A Tribute To Neil Gaudry”.

Ernie And The Poor Boys

Ernie and The Poor Boys are a rock and roll band.

Click [http://www.stlmb.ca/english/home.htm here] to listen to The Red River Jig by Émile Lavallée.Click [http://www.stlmb.ca/english/claimtofame/coulee.htm here] to listen to samples of music from Coulée.

Sports

There are a lot of sports played in St. Laurent.

Hockey

The team name is St. Laurent Sharks. The arena is looked after by Laurent and Barbara Kerbrat. The sports committee helps run the arena. By September 2008 there will be artificial ice for the kids to get an early start.

Soccer

In St. Laurent we don’t have a team names. Although there are usually about 5 - 6 teams each year which consists of kids from the two schools.

Basketball

The St. Laurent School has a team known as The St. Laurent Hawks but students from the É.C.A.L. school play on the team as there are so few from that school. There are about 30 basket-ball banners from the years 1986 - 2008.

Golf

Golf, The local golf course is called the Manipogo Golf + Country Club. There is also a summer golf camp named Golf Punks.

Volleyball

In volleyball there are two teams for grades 7 and 8, Junior Varsity as well as Varsity .

Badminton

In badminton we have grades the grades 7-12 trough the DSFM, we have tournaments with the other DSFM schools and their teams. There is also ids from the St. Laurent school from grades 9-12.

Bowling

Bowling, is a great pass time also for birthday party’s and gym classes. There is also bowling league for the seniors. The lanes are conneted to the Rec. Centre.

Track And Field

Track and field, is for the students schools É.C.A.L. and St. Laurent School with there own divisions.

The St. Laurent Archers & Bowhunters Association

St.Laurent Archers & Bowhunters Association has been been active since 2006 with a membership of 25+ We are affiliated with ABAM,Sports Manitoba.

Taekwondo

TaekwondoThe Taekwondo Master teaches Taekwondo classes in Winnipeg, Manitoba and travels to St. Laurent every Tuseday and Thursday for lessons. Students range from age 6 to adults. Once every three 3 months, students may test. If you pass your test you may advance to the next stage. Once you have achieved your red belt and red stripe you only test every six months. When you have achieved your black stripe, double black stripe and black belt, you test only once a year. To be able to test you have to show up to as many classes as needed, if you miss too many classes you may not be able to test to achieve your next belt. If you are doing very well in your classes then the Masters will discuss it and you may skip a belt, it is up to the Masters if they think you have done a great job!

There are 14 belts from beginning to end. They are white, yellow stripe, yellow, orange stripe, orange, green stripe, green, blue stripe, blue, red stripe, red, black stripe, double black stripe and black belt. It will take you two years to earn this degree. Taekwondo takes a lot of discipline, commitment and determination to succeed in any level. You can learn to do different types of punches, kicks, use nunchucks, learn how to block, learn different stands, different patterns, sparring and self defense techniques. You can also enter sparring competitions and win medals and also can enter competitions for patterns.

Class starts with different types of exercises, such as punch-ups, burpies, kicks, punching, punching jacks, jumping jacks, crunches,etc.

Taekwondo is a Korean martial arts. Some words you may hear during class include: "oui Monsieur" or "non Monsieur", (Yes Sir, No Sir) Kihap (a big yell used when kicking or punching) and count "hana" (one), "doule" (two), "set" (three).

Businesses

Aboriginal Services
* Interlake Metis Association INC 646-2706
* St.Laurent Aboriginal head start 646-2565
* Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) 646-4091

Automotive
* Alvins Muffler & General Repairs 646-2647
* B & B Auto Wrecking 646-2687

Beauty
* Belle Image 646-2270
Construction
* Dumont Bros Contracting LTD 646-2649
* Garry's Electic 646-2136
* Lakeside Decorating 646-2263
* Vern & Son Excavation Ent 646-2561
* David Hiebert Building & Renovating 739-3583
* Marcel's Carpentry 739-3407
* Jigger's Hardware 646-2221
* St.Laurent Building Centre 646-2022

Dining
* Beach Shack 646-4051
* BeachSide Delights 646-2233
* MTT 646-2801
* Manipogo golf & Country Club Inc 646-2100
* Hwy 6 Hotel 646-2470

Education
* Ecole Communautaire Aurele-Lemoine 646-2392
* La Pre Maternelle de St.Laurent (pre School) 646-4125
* St.Laurent Aboriginal Head start 646-2565
* St.Laurent School 646-2209

Fisheries
* Lake Manitoba Co-op Fisheries 646-2129
* St.Laurent Fish Shed 646-2440

Government
* Fire 911
* RCMP 762-5678
* Western Interlake Planning District Board 646-2615
* Rural Municipality of St. Laurent 646-2259
* RCMP office 646-4220

Hardware & Building Supplies
* Jigger's Hardware 646-2221
* St.Laurent Building Centre 646-2022

Health & Safety
* Ambulance 911
* Police 911
* Dr. Niel Burnet 646-2504
* Community Health office 646-2504
* St.Laurent Assisted Living Centre Centre 646-2160

Hospitality
* Echo Bay Bed & Breakfast 646-2299
* Hwy 6 Hotel 646-2470
* Hogan's Haven Campground 646-2977

Orginisations
* Interlake Local Management Board 646-4091
* St.Laurent Legion 646-2236
* St.Laurent RC Church 646-2249
* St.Laurent Parish Hall 646-4157
* St.Laurent RCMP Community Office 646-4220
* St.Laurent Recreation Center 646-2467
* St.Laurent Sports Committee 646-2597

Recreational
* Manipogo Golf & Country Club Inc 646-2100
* St.Laurent Bowling Alley 646-2253
* Shallow Point Campgrounds 646-2511
* Paintball Paradise 646-2977

Retail
* Evi's flowers & Gifts 646-2263
* Gratton's General Store 646-2378
* Interlake Packers LTD 646-2172
* Sears Canada Inc 646-2351
* Interlake Depanneur 646-2071

Services
* Caisse Populaire D'Elie 646-2382
* Cliff & Son Hardwood Flooring 646-2078
* Flo's Septic Service 646-2333
* Kirton Donn Promotional Planning Services 646-2830
* EK Home Studio 646-2915
* Chatterbox 646-2959

Festivals

The Manipogo Festival

The Manipogo Festival is a festival during the winter. It is usually held on the first week of March. The location of this Festival is at Sandpiper Beach. This Festival is held annually. It is about 5-10 minutes from number 6 high-way. The types of activities you can find there are snowshoeing, ice-fishing, bombadiering, boot hockey, socials, music and much much more.

Metis Days

St.Laurent has a few festivals year-round but the most popular is Metis Days. Metis Days is celebrated to promote the Metis culture. Last year's festival money made at Metis Days was donated to St.Laurents Arena for Artificial Ice that will be made in 2008.

Metis Days is usually held August long weekend. The festival starts with a parade through town. Saturday there is a slowpitch baseball tournament that ends with a dance at the local Rec Centre. Sunday is a day for the family with a social at the end of the day.

Oak Point Rodeo And Music Festival

Every year in June or July we have the Oak Point Rodeo and Music Festival. It takes place in the small town of Oak Point and continues throughout the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There is space devoted tents, campers and horse trailers. People also put up their fences to keep their horses over the weekend.

On the Friday there is a trail ride in the afternoon that starts in St. Laurent and continues to Oak Point. There is also a Cowboy Supper and social with a live band to finish off the day. Saturday there are activities during the day for little kids such as a train, petting zoo, bounceroos, etc. The five event ranch rodeo also takes place as well as music to follow with a social and live band till Sunday comes around. Then there is your five event rodeo and live music.

Fishing

Ice fishing is a trade for many people. The season begins November 1st throughout March 15.

Commercial ice fishing has been a trade in St_Laurent Manitoba for many generations. There are still many people that still work at at this trade. The season opens November 1st until March 15th. It is a busy season with hard labour and long hours. At the beginning of the season the ice is very thin so the fishermen usually begin their season on foot while towing a small boat in case the ice breaks. A flotation device is usually worn due to the danger of falling through the ice. After the ice gets thicker skidoos and quads are the mode of transportation. The ice usually has to be 8 to 10 inches thick before the bombadier is allowed to travel on the ice. The nets measure 90 yards and 3 inch holes some 3 38 inch. Some tools used are ice auger, hook and jigger. The nets are set and you got to check them every 3 days so that the fish are fresh. Most people now have GPS system and marine land radio. These have been life savers for some people. There are many different types of fish caught. Pickerel and perch are primarily the fish that the fishermen want. These are then brought to the fish co_op in the town . The fish is then shipped to freshwater fish in Winnipeg. We have a celebration at the end of every fishing season in March. The celebration is called manipogo festival (festival du manipogo). Summer fishing is also a favourite pastime in the community. Boat launching is located on the north side of twin lake beach.

Duck hunting

Duck hunting is a North American sport. Especially true in St. Laurent, St. Ambroise and Lake Francis. The best places to hunt around St. Laurent are in Lake Francis and St. Ambroise. There are several guides around the three towns. Every duck hunting season there are Americans that come from: Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota and Michigan. There are many species of ducks to hunt from around the three locations: Mallard, Canvasback, Bluebill, Blue and Green wing Teals, Redheads, Woodducks and Shovelers (spoonbill)

Culture

Traditional Dances:
*Square dance
*Red River Jig
*Crochet Dance
*Handkerchief Dance
*Broom Dance

Lucille Ducharme is known for teaching other students these traditional dances. A fiddle song accompanies the dances.

She says that she can dance them all but not professionally.

Languages:

In St. Laurent there are only three languages known as:
*Michif
*French
*English

Michif is our cultural language. It is a mix of French and Cree. For example: Haule l'trigger pi hope for the best.

English translation: Haul the trigger and hope for the best.

What a Metis person is:

A Metis person is a mix of First Nation people and people from France.

traditional Food:

*Pemmican: Dried buffalo meat with berries and boiled fat
*Rabbaboo: a stew with meat and vegetables
*Bannock: Baked bread with lard
*Les Tortière: Meat pie
*Les baigne: fried Bread
*Le Flaon: Custard
*Poutine au Sal: Steamed Pudding

The fish shed

The ice fisherman bring fresh fish to the fish co-op. The co-op remove heads and pack the fish in ice and ship them to the (Fresh Water Fish Marketing) company processes fish and ships them around the world. The fish co-op opened 1969. Our fisherman usually fish in winter. But sometimes in spring too. We have different types of fish. We have Pickerel, Northern Pike, Perch in winter but in spring we have fish called mullet but everyone calls them suckers. The ice fisherman enjoy fishing. It's very interesting.

Laurent Kerbrat

Laurent Kerbrat is the ice maker and a local resident in St.laurent. He is dedicated to his work, he has worked in the arena for over twenty years. He is one of the most respected men in the whole town of St.Laurent. Laurent Kerbrat won the RBC (Royal Bank Of Canada) local hockey award. He won a trip to Toronto to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and 10,000 dollars for the local hockey arena.

Manipogo

The Manipogo was first discovered by fishermen and beach residents like Jules Charttrand and Florent Beaudin. The Manipogo is a serpent-like creature. Olive green in colour. The Manipogo lives in Lake Manitoba. We celebrate a festival called ``Le Festival du Manipogo`` in March. In British Columbia there is a lake monster they call OGOPOGO which is the cousin of MANIPOGO.

Yvon Dumont

Yvon Dumont was born in St.Laurent, Manitoba, January 21 1951.

In 1967 (age 16) he was a secretary treasurer of St.Laurent for the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF), he was the Director of Interlake Region in 1972(age 21). He was also Executive Vice-President of the Native Council of Canada from 1972-73 and president of the Metis National Council in 1988 (age 37) - 93 (age 42). He was also a member of the Municipal Council, Rural Municipality of St.Laurent. (Member of Board of Governors, University of Manitoba). He`s active in several small businesses and served on national division of Aboriginal Economic Development Board. He`s the Vice Prior and knight of Justice of Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St.John of Jerusalem. He received the MMF Award in 1993 for dedicated service to Metis people of Canada and National Aboriginal Achievement Award in 1996(age 45) for public service. He was awarded Honourary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Manitoba in 1996. Appointed to Order of Manitoba in 2001(age 50).