190704 - MICKEMOOSE

This Manitoba summer is starting to heat up! I've been doing a lot of swimming to keep cool - also a favourite activity for me and my moose friends back in Sandilands. But the weather is not the only thing heating up; there has been a ton going on and I've been visiting many festivals and events in our great province.

A few weeks ago I made a bunch of new friends at the fifth annual Ronald McDonald Red Shoe Crew Walk at the University of Manitoba campus. If you thought my hooves were big, you should see the size of Ronald McDonald's shoes! Not only did I get to meet and walk with lots of great people, but it was all for a good cause! The walk, along with four other Red Shoe Crew Walks held throughout Manitoba in June, raised a total of $70,578 for Ronald McDonald House Charities Manitoba, which helps families stay together during times of childhood injuries or illness while they need to make their many hospital visits.
June 21 was like Christmas in summer for me! NHL Draft day is always a summer highlight that gets me excited for the upcoming season, and going to the annual Winnipeg Jets Draft Party is a must. I got to see my buddies Nelson Nogier and Logan Stanley there, along with former Jets Thomas Steen, Randy Gilhen, and Perry Miller, so it was good to catch up with them! It was even more exciting to have a selection in the first round again, and the Jets Rewards members who attended the party at Boston Pizza Cityplace seemed to agree based on their excitement about our pick (and the prizes I was giving out!). I don't know about you, but I'm pretty pumped about this Ville Heinola guy that we picked. I didn't get a chance to watch him at Development Camp, but I can't wait to meet him and the rest of our draft picks in the fall at training camp!
What better way to kick off July than by celebrating this great country we live in? Canada Day was once again an absolute blast for me! I didn't have to travel far from Bell MTS Place to find the festivities at the Osborne Street Festival. There is always so much to do and everyone is so friendly - it sure makes me proud to wear the maple leaf that sits on the Jets crest.
July and August will be busy too, and will have me putting a few more kilometers on these hooves as I travel to some of our neighbouring Manitoba communities. Here's all the places you can find me in July and early August:
- Carman Country Fair Parade - Saturday, July 13 - Manitoba Stampede (Morris) - Saturday, July 20 - Icelandic Festival (Gimli) - Monday, August 5 - Winkler Harvest Festival - Saturday, August 10