Clayton Swanton and Carla Wolfenden were in Winnipeg at the Fort Garry Hotel on Thursday night for the 3rd Annual Tourism Awards, and what a night it was.
Hundreds gathered, and it was a night for Clayton and Carla to remember. They were in attendance because the 2024 Manitoba Summer Games (MSG) held in Dauphin were nominated for the Rural Event of the Year.
"It was swanky, it was really nice, and neat," said Wolfenden. "The lineup was pretty impressive. To be honest, Clayton and I didn't think we would win because they brought up annual events that bring in more economic impact, and we were a one-off."
One of the events the Manitoba Summer Games were going up against was the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba. It's held in Gimli annually and is attended by thousands. However, the impact from the MSG was undeniable, and because of that, Clayton and Carla were invited to the stage to receive the award.
The 2024 MSG, powered by Manitoba Hydro, is the Rural Event of the Year.
"We were quite surprised; we were up against some heavy hitter events," offered Wolfenden. "We were shocked. It was a huge honour, and it was nice to hear some cheers from the crowd. The support was there, it was an incredible night."
More than 700 amazing volunteers came together to make the event happen in Dauphin and the surrounding area. People are still talking about what an incredible week it was! Carla wants to say a big thank you to everyone who helped make it all possible.
"Clayton and I were the ones accepting the word, but this award goes to Dauphin," ended Wolfenden. "We couldn't have done it without our incredible executive group and amazing volunteers. This award is a huge hats-off to Dauphin and everyone who helped us pull it off. It was a major success."
