‘To come home': Back to Batoche Days wraps up

3 days ago

Image shows 71-year-old Marion Gonneville in the jigging finals on Sunday. (CTV News/Stacey Hein)
After four days of celebrating Métis culture and community, Back to Batoche Days wrapped up Sunday evening.
Elder Norman Fleury described the festival as one big family reunion.
'We're bringing people home here,' said Fleury, a provincial elder with Métis Nation–Saskatchewan. 'This is a place to connect with your distinction, with your identity, your music, your stories, your dance, your languages.'
Fleury says roughly 40,000 people attended the event to reunite and connect with their community.
Back to Batoche Days features cultural music, dancing, entertainment and competitions.
Many Métis artists also set up shop during the festival.
Miguel Vielfaure owns Etchiboy, a Winnipeg-based business specializing in a variety of Métis items, including arrowed sashes.
'It's probably where there's the most amount of Métis people gathering in one weekend. So, for me, it's my biggest weekend of the year,' Vielfaure said.
Back to Batoche Days is internationally recognized as a significant Métis cultural celebration, welcoming people from across Canada and beyond.
Marion Gonneville, 71, travelled from Vancouver to attend the festival and take part in the jigging competitions.
'To come home and to be among your own people, you feel really good,' Gonneville said.
Ron DesJarlais travelled 710 kilometres from Rocky Mountain House, Alta., to attend the festival for the second time.
'Everybody's just so friendly and gives you that welcome feeling,' he said.

Hashtags

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Thunderbird Entertainment and tokidoki Unveil Limited Edition Mermicorno Collectible at San Diego Comic-Con

National Post

19 minutes ago

National Post

Thunderbird Entertainment and tokidoki Unveil Limited Edition Mermicorno Collectible at San Diego Comic-Con

Article content The Jazwares exclusive collector edition Astra plush captures the spirit and strength of Mermicorno: Starfall's standout hero Article content A Mermicorno poster signed by tokidoki co-founder and artist Simone Legno will also be available at the Jazwares SDCC booth Article content Article content Publishing partner Abrams Books will also be offering a Mermicorno sticker book and sticker sheets at their SDCC booth Article content VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Thunderbird Distribution and Thunderbird Brands, the distribution and consumer products arms of Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD, OTC – THBRF) ('Thunderbird' or the 'Company'), together with global lifestyle brand tokidoki, are thrilled to unveil the Mermicorno: Starfall 12″ Powered Up Astra Collector Edition, an exclusive plush from Jazwares inspired by the original animated series Mermicorno: Starfall. The collector's item will be available for purchase at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 (SDCC), July 24- 27, 2025, exclusively at the Jazwares booth (#3513) for $30US. Thunderbird Brands previously appointed Jazwares as the global master toy licensee for Mermicorno: Starfall. tokidoki co-founder and artist Simone Legno will also be signing a Mermicorno poster at the Jazwares booth. In addition, publishing partner Abrams Books will have the official Mermicorno: Starfall sticker book available at their booth (#1216) for $14.99US, along with sticker sheets for giveaway. Article content 'We are so excited for the fans of tokidoki and Mermicorno: Starfall to have the opportunity to meet creator and artist Simone Legno and see all the amazing new collectibles from our partner toy company Jazwares at San Diego Comic-Con,' said Thunderbird President of Global Distribution & Consumer Products, Richard Goldsmith. Article content 'We are so proud to see the Mermicorno universe expand beyond the screen with such incredible partners,' added Pooneh Mohajer, tokidoki's CEO & Co-Founder. 'From Jazwares' beautifully crafted Astra plush to Abrams Books' whimsical sticker book, these special items let fans dive deeper into the world of Mermicorno: Starfall. San Diego Comic-Con is the perfect venue to celebrate these creative collaborations.' Article content Created and produced by Thunderbird's Atomic Cartoons in partnership with global tastemaker tokidoki, Mermicorno: Starfall is a vibrant original animated adventure-comedy inspired by tokidoki's beloved Mermicorno character family. Set in a fantastical undersea world, the series follows a team of magical creatures as they band together to save the ocean from an evil threat. Along the way, they explore the magic of creative self-expression, forge deep friendships, and even search for the best bowl of ramen in the sea. Showcasing the wonders of the natural world, this is the first animated series to bring tokidoki's underwater universe to life. Article content The first season of the series debuted in the US on Max in January 2025, ranking #11 in the Kids & Family category of the streamer shortly thereafter. Subsequently, the series premiered on YTV and STACKTV's Teletoon+ (Canada), Max and Discovery Kids (LATAM), and POP (UK), and most recently on Cartoon Network in Southeast Asia. Following the success of the first release, the second drop of episodes became available on Max in May 2025. Article content The Thunderbird Distribution team continues to secure deals to bring Mermicorno: Starfall to new audiences around the world. Earlier this year, it was also announced that ejunior had licensed the series in the Middle East. In addition, tokidoki launched the Mermicorno: Starfall game on Roblox in collaboration with Space Junk Studios. Article content In addition to the Jazwares partnership, Thunderbird Brands has also appointed Corus Entertainment's Nelvana, a renowned international producer, distributor, and licensor of children's animated and live-action content, to represent Mermicorno: Starfall in the Canadian market, covering all major categories outside of toys and publishing. Article content About Thunderbird Entertainment Group Article content Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a global award-winning, full-service production, distribution and rights management company, headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Los Angeles and Ottawa. Thunderbird creates award-winning scripted, unscripted, and animated programming for the world's leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters. The Company develops, produces, and distributes animated, factual, and scripted content through its various content arms, including Thunderbird Kids and Family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird Unscripted (Great Pacific Media) and Thunderbird Scripted. Productions under the Thunderbird umbrella include Article content Mermicorno: Starfall, Super Team Canada, Molly of Denali, Kim's Convenience, Highway Thru Hell, Boot Camp Article content and Article content Sidelined: The QB and Me Article content . Thunderbird Distribution and Thunderbird Brands manage global media and consumer products rights, respectively, for the Company and select third parties. Thunderbird is on Facebook, X, and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more information, visit: Article content Article content . Article content About Atomic Cartoons Article content Atomic Cartoons is an internationally renowned, award-winning animation studio with offices located in Vancouver, Ottawa and Los Angeles. Known for an artist-driven culture that attracts, retains and promotes the best talent in the business, Atomic develops and produces high-end animated content that spans preschool, comedy, action-adventure, adult and commercial genres, and everything in between. The animation studio has developed a stellar global reputation for its ability to translate big brands like LEGO, Star Wars, My Little Pony, Cocomelon and many more into top-notch animation, while also developing high-quality original Atomic productions like Article content The Last Kids on Earth, Rocket Saves the Day Article content and Article content Mermicorno: Starfall. Article content . Article content About tokidoki Article content tokidoki, which translates to 'sometimes' in Japanese, is an internationally recognized and iconic lifestyle brand based on the vision of Italian artist Simone Legno and his partners, serial entrepreneurs Pooneh Mohajer and Ivan Arnold. Since debuting in 2005, tokidoki has amassed a cult-like following for its larger-than-life characters and emerged as a sought-after global lifestyle brand. tokidoki offers an extensive range of products which include apparel, handbags, cosmetics, accessories, toys and more. Simone Legno, tokidoki's Chief Creative Officer, was born in Rome, Italy, and from a very young age developed a deep love of Japan and a fascination with world cultures. Combining Legno's unique talent and creativity with Mohajer's business acumen, tokidoki has grown exponentially. As an innovative company, tokidoki is known not only for its eye-popping aesthetic and criminally cute characters but also its megawatt partnerships. tokidoki is on Facebook and Twitter at @tokidoki and on Instagram at @tokidokibrand. For more information visit: Article content Article content About Abrams Article content Founded in 1949, ABRAMS was the first company in the United States to specialize in publishing art and illustrated books. The company publishes works in art, photography, cooking, craft, comics, interior and garden design, entertainment, fashion, and popular culture as well as narrative nonfiction and fiction for adults; children's books ranging from middle grade to young adult fiction to picture books to board books. ABRAMS creates and distributes books under the following imprints: Abrams; Abrams ComicArts; Megascope; Surely Books; Kana; Abrams Press; Cernunnos; Taunton Books; Abrams Books for Young Readers; Abrams Fanfare; Amulet Books; Abrams Appleseed; and Magic Cat. ABRAMS also distributes books for Booth-Clibborn Editions, Bungie, Alain Ducasse Édition, Éditions de La Martiniére, Editions BPI, Enchanted Lion Books, Familius, Getty Publications, Global Golf Group, Lucky Spool, Milky Way Picture Books, Red Comet Press, The Museum of Modern Art, SelfMadeHero, Skittledog, Tate Publishing, V&A Publishing, and The Vendome Press. Article content About Jazwares Article content Jazwares, a Berkshire Hathaway company, is a leading global toy manufacturer with a robust portfolio of owned and licensed brands. Founded in 1997, Jazwares celebrates imaginative play with a progressive focus on identifying new and relevant trends to transform into high-quality products for consumers of all ages. Jazwares engages consumers through innovative play experiences with popular brands such as Squishmallows™, Pokémon™, Hello Kitty™, Star Wars™, Disney™, BumBumz™, and Adopt Me™. In addition to toys, offerings include virtual games, costumes, and pet products. Headquartered in Plantation, Florida, Jazwares has offices worldwide and sells its products in over 100 countries. For more information, visit Article content , Article content X Article content , Article content Instagram Article content , and Article content Facebook Article content . Article content Source: Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release, which has been prepared by management. Article content Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information Article content Certain statements contained in this news release may contain forward-looking information or may be forward-looking statements (collectively, 'forward-looking statements') within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Article content Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as 'anticipate', 'continue', 'estimate', 'expect', 'forecast', 'may', 'will', 'plan', 'project', 'should', 'believe', 'intend', or similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding timing for the release of Mermicorno: Starfall merchandise, anticipated launch dates and success of the Mermicorno: Starfall series in territories throughout the world, and the performance, results and outcomes related to this title. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; product capability and acceptance; international risk and currency exchange rates; and technology changes. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this document represent our views as of the date hereof and as such information should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this document. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contact Article content Article content Julia Smith, Finch Media Article content Article content Email: Article content julia@ Article content