HAL STATEMENT: Will Manitoba have wildfires this summer?

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It's official! Summer is going on. May Long Weekend is here for another year. And while I'm hoping for the best, I'm honestly worried that there will be wildfires in the next few months. Last summer, we dodged a bullet in Manitoba as fires raged across the country. It wasn't too bad here, but I'm not sure we'll ever be so lucky again. Despite the rains of the past few days, everything is dry. Farmers who are planting this year's crops are also worried about the drought. But it's still early, and we'll say the glass is half full for now. We're coming off of an El Nino, which means it's likely to be a wetter than normal spring and summer. Here is the hope. I hope you have a wonderful summer.

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SLOW RUN IN SUMMER

Bee enthusiasts have changed their mantra from No Mow May to a slow mowing summer. Instead of not mowing your lawn at all during the month of May, they ask you to mow less throughout the summer. The Bee Squad at the University of Minnesota says you'll be helping all the pollinators forage for flowering plants like dandelions and clover. A packet of pollinator flowers is also a great idea to find at your favorite garden center, says Mark Friesen at Friesen Prairie Ball in Morden.

Wayne Walker Ave

Great to see Wayne Walker's name on the march again. McRae Avenue, between Main Street and Emsley Street, where Wayne lived, was respectfully renamed Wayne Walker Avenue. I didn't know Wayne at the height of his career in the 1960s when he was known as Winnipeg's Mr. Rock and Roll, but I have many fond memories of nights with him at the Norwood Hotel in the 90s. entertainment director. He began playing school dances and eventually performed with and influenced some of the biggest names in music, including Randy Bachman, Roy Orbison, Neil Young, Buddy Knox, Ronnie Hawkins and Johnny Rivers.

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KILLER MEN

Remember the killer gnomes? They are still going after 40 years! I spoke with the band's founder, Darrell Millar, on my radio show this week. He joined me to talk about organizing a local music festival this summer. Email me at [email protected] if you'd like to be at Fall Jam in St. Andrews on August 10th and 11th, as I'll be giving away a pair over the weekend. Make sure you put Killer Dwarfs in the subject line. I look forward to seeing Darrell and the other gnomes again. The last time I saw them live many years ago, they shared the stage with Lee Aaron. Darrell says they're rocking hard like the early 1980s.

BIDEN/TRUMP BATTLE

I don't necessarily want to see it, but if I were a betting man, I think the two men will wipe the floor with Joe Biden during a debate this summer. I was surprised that Biden invited Trump to discuss the issues before the US presidential election in November. Both men are too old to be leaders of the free world, but let's face it, Biden has lost a step. Plus, Trump is a dirty debater. It won't be pretty.

T-REX ACT OF WRITING

Three thousand people dressed in Tyrannosaurus Rex costumes failed to set a new Guinness World Record in the Alberta Badlands, where I began my radio career 40 years ago. They had enough people dressed as dinosaurs to break the old record, but unfortunately they couldn't get organized and stay in one place for a minute. Yes, it looks like a drum as I remember it.

— Hal has written columns for years. He is also the host of Connecting Winnipeg weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon at 680 CJOB. You can email him at [email protected].

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