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Chris Funk, known on stage as The Wonderist, is bringing his signature mix of magic and music to the Southeast Event Centre this Friday, and for the Manitoba-born performer, it feels like a heartfelt return.

“I spent most of my life in Winnipeg with roots near Steinbach – my parents are from the Grunthal area and the Arnaud area – and I went to school in Gretna,” Funk says. “So this really is a homecoming.”

His upcoming performance is part of the opening lineup at the brand-new Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach. “I’m very pumped to be there,” Funk adds. “I’ve heard it’s a phenomenal space, and I’m honoured to help kick things off.”

Get ready to experience the magic! Chris Funk, The Wonderist, is bringing his mind-blowing show ‘Redefining Wonder’ to the Southeast Event Centre on June 27, and we want to send you and a friend!

Chris has amazed audiences around the world and appeared on America’s Got Talent, Penn & Teller: Fool Us, and Masters of Illusion. His high-energy performance is perfect for the whole family.

Tune in to MIX 96, Country 107, and AM1250 for your chance to win free tickets!

Want to guarantee your spot? Grab your tickets now at tickets.southeasteventcentre.ca.

The Southeast Event Centre is getting closer to the full grand opening and progress continues on completing the facility.

While the building has been in use for several months, several key amenities remain under construction. That includes the children’s play zone, the walking track, and the gymnasium — all of which are now expected to open before the end of summer.

Providence University College and Theological Seminary is inviting southern Manitoba to help them celebrate 100 years in the community with a concert featuring Zach Williams and opener Jordan St. Cyr.

“It’s amazing to represent 100 years of legacy and 100 years of service to the Manitoba community, the church, and our alumni students,” says Kent Anderson, President of Providence in Otterburne, MB. “I’ve been a part of this for four years. I can’t take too much credit, but I’m very grateful to steward this school at this particularly significant moment.”

Steinbach’s brand-new multipurpose facility is partially open and is anticipating a full year of bringing the community together for events.

“We’re so excited about this building and it’s not even completely open yet,” says the Director of Communications, Marketing, and Sales at the Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach, Michelle Sawatzky-Koop. “March 14, we got the arena bowl open for that very first Steinbach Piston game. We got the occupancy granted a mere 12-24 hours before we let 2,400 people into the building.”

The reason for the centre is to offer many different opportunities and aspects for the community in Steinbach, including the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, to play their home games.

“There were sell-out crowds, yummy concessions,” says Sawatzky-Koop. “What I think I noticed the most about that opening was that people didn’t just come for the hockey. They came to see the place, and then they realized what a community gathering place it was.”

When the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce called it the Taste of Steinbach they meant it.
  The sold out event was held at the Southeast Event Centre for the first time in its third year. There were 624 mouths to feed and chef, JP Charpentier had 15 local food producers from which to source his five-course meals. 
  As each piece of carrot cake from Old Church Bakery was getting its own daisy flower placed on top from some of the 15 kitchen staff, event centre and HyLife corporate chef Charpentier explained the months of preparation that goes into making such a masterful spread. 

Floral arrangements sit artfully in green nests, with the golden glow of candlelight spilling onto white-clothed tables. Music from a string quartet wafts on warm air, accompanied by the happy hum of good company.
Then a mouthwatering burst of aroma peels into the room, and eager eyes scan the space in anticipation of a hearty community meal.
This was the scene at the third annual Taste of Steinbach on Tuesday, which was a delicious success, as hundreds gathered at the Southeast Event Centre (SEC) to savour local flavours.

Fans inside the Southeast Event Centre cheer as Mark Scheifele gives the Winnipeg Jets a 1-0 lead during game two of their series against the St. Louis Blues. The SEC is hosting viewing parties for Jets playoff games, with over 300 people in attendance for game two April 21. The large screens showing the game didn’t stop rec hockey league action from continuing, with players on the ice pausing to watch the NHL game at key moments. Tickets for the viewing parties are $10, with $5 going to local charities. During games one and two the SEC also handed out a box of popcorn to everyone in attendance. 

On hand to be a part of Tuesday’s announcement that the Grand Slam of Curling will be held at the Southeast Event Centre were curling royalty, Jennifer Jones and Reid Carruthers, both of whom were over the moon that the event was coming to Steinbach.

“We’re so excited to come to Manitoba,” Jones said with a big smile. “It’s been a few years since the Grand Slam has come to Manitoba. It’s going to bring International curlers, we get to show off this beautiful Events Centre, which is jaw dropping, it’s so impressive. We’re so excited to come and showcase what southeastern Manitoba is all about.”

THE countdown is officially on for Steinbach to host the Grand Slam of Curling’s Players’ Championship.

Organizers, politicians and curling stars were in attendance at the newly built Southeast Event Centre (SEC) in downtown Steinbach May 13 to promote and officially kick off the event, which will take place Jan. 6-11 in 2026.

Manitoba hasn’t hosted a Grand Slam since 2018.

The Centre’s general manager, Jeff Bannon, said the Players’ Championship will be the SEC’s chance to make a strong first impression on the national stage.

“This is our Neil Armstrong moment,” Bannon said.

“What I mean by that is this is when we’re going to put our flag in the ground and let the entire world know how great Steinbach and southeast Manitoba is. This facility was built by the community for the community and we can’t wait to share our community with the world.”

Excitement is building as the Winnipeg Jets enter the playoffs, and the Southeast Event Centre is bringing people together to watch hockey on the big screen. Well, actually, big screens.

Director of Communications at the Southeast Event Centre, Michelle Sawatzky-Koop, says their screens are 15 feet tall and 45 feet wide so you can really see every pass, every check, every goal!

“We’re all about community and we love watching hockey, so we want to do that here,” says Sawatzky-Koop. “And it’s in collaboration with the Jets – they’re excited to have us to do this for them. We’re going to do it for every home and every away game!”

James Fuchs knows the physical toll that a long playoff run in junior hockey can have on the body.

The Surrey, B.C.-born forward has lived through it twice, reaching the Superior International Junior Hockey League final with the Thunder Bay North Stars in 2023 and qualifying for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship series with the Steinbach Pistons last season.

Fuchs and the Pistons have designs on making another run deep into April this year, and that means the 20-year-old, who prides himself on playing a hard-nosed game in the dirty areas of the ice, will need to maintain a rigid recovery schedule.

This past Friday marked a historic moment for Steinbach as the highly anticipated Southeast Event Centre (SEC) officially opened its doors.

The brand-new facility welcomed its first visitors for the Steinbach Pistons game, and among them was Kelvin Goertzen, MLA for Steinbach, who was a huge advocate for this project and shares his thoughts on the experience.

“It felt really great, of course,” he says. “As a young person, I spent many years in the old Centennial Arena and had many great memories there. The Steinbach Huskies, the Allan Cup. But I really feel good about the fact that a new generation of Steinbach and southeast residents can now make new memories in their building. I think that’s really important.”

He says that letting go of the past can be difficult, but it is necessary to provide future generations with a space that will last for years to come.

Steinbach hockey fans had their first look inside the new Southeast Event Centre over the weekend as the Steinbach Pistons played their first games in the state-of-the-art facility.

The Pistons’ debut at their new home on Friday night was met with awe and excitement from those in attendance. While the team suffered a 3-2 shootout loss, the evening was filled with enthusiasm for the future of hockey and events in the city.

Bart Zwiep was among the first to step inside and was immediately impressed. “First thing I said was wow. I’ve been to the arena in Portage and this is much better,” he said. “It’s a really good addition for the city, and I can see a lot of stuff happening here, from concerts to championship banners being lifted.”

On again, off again and now… open. This is the ongoing story of a potential multiplex, new arena or performing arts centre in Steinbach that has finally come to be known as the Southeast Events Centre.

We have followed all city council resolutions, motions and voting as well as budgets, planning and construction. Here’s a chronological look at how we got to where we are today.

When the Steinbach Pistons hit the ice on Friday night, the hockey team ushered in a new era for the southeast Manitoba city.

The Pistons’ MJHL game against the Selkirk Steelers marked the unofficial grand opening of the Southeast Event Centre (SEC) in front of a sell-out crowd.

“It was so exciting,” Michelle Sawatzky-Koop, SEC’s communications and marketing director, told CTV News. “There’s been so much work going into this, and so much anticipation for those front doors of the Southeast Event Centre to open.”

The Steinbach Pistons opened things up at their new home, the Southeast Event Centre in an evening filled with magic, hope, memories and awe, that was only slightly dampened by a 3-2 shootout loss.

It was a magical night with an energy that has been years in the making.

Cheers echoed through the facility right from the moment people set foot in the building and kept building through warm-ups.

The players and staff of the Pistons were introduced and saluted the home town fans.

The highly anticipated Southeast Event Centre in downtown Steinbach is opening its doors for the first time tonight with a special event featuring its main tenant, the Steinbach Pistons.

Michelle Sawatzky-Koop from the Southeast Event Centre (SEC) says this is an exciting moment for the community.

“We are so excited. This has been a long time coming,” she says. “I think our dream is to open the whole thing, and we will be doing that, but we are still dreaming. I think we’ll always be dreaming at the Southeast Event Centre. But this is our very first event, it’s for our main tenants, the Steinbach Pistons, and I know they’re especially excited about it.”

It’s been decades of preparing, talking and building. But now, a highly anticipated building now stands tall, wide and bold in Steinbach’s core.

The city’s mayor, Earl Funk, says, he couldn’t be more excited as the final touches are put on the Southeast Event Centre (SEC), and starts getting used — including for the first Steinbach Piston’s game on Friday night.

“I was there on Monday, and the Pistons were practicing. Wow, that was just so exciting to see someone playing in that big event centre,” he says.

“The amount of work that’s getting done is just phenomenal, and how wonderful the building on the inside looks. It’s actually breathtaking. It’s majestic, and I do believe it’ll be the diamond of the southeast area.”

On again, off again. It’s the ongoing saga of a potential multiplex, new arena or performing arts centre in Steinbach. We have followed all city council resolutions, motions and voting as well as budgets, planning and construction. Here’s a chronological look at the last many years of this hot button issue in our city.

The Steinbach Chamber of Commerce has announced that this year’s Taste of Steinbach event will take place at the newly opened Southeast Event Centre. The annual event, which celebrates local food and community, is scheduled for May 27.

Taste of Steinbach expands to new venue

Tessa Masi, executive director of the chamber, shared the update during a recent presentation to Steinbach city council.

“Last year we were at the airport, we had 500 guests there,” said Masi. “This year, because the Southeast Event Centre is so brand new, we are going to be hosted in there. We’ve upped our number of tickets to be just over 600, so more people are able to attend. Tickets are going to go on sale shortly.”

Tickets for the event will be available through the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce website. Masi said the chamber is focused on continuing to elevate the event each year.

An “ice-ential” part of the Southeast Event Centre is ready to go, bringing it one step closer to opening.

Mike Pries, the senior arena and parks maintenance manager with the City of Steinbach, says ice making in the building is complete — thanks to the help of some new equipment, including a new ice plant.

“We’re running at 325 horsepower instead of the old one which was 155 (horsepower). So, our cooling capacity is really good right now,” he says.

Despite the newness of the facility and some equipment, he says the process stays the same.

Well, except for the fact that this year, they had to prep the concrete for the ice.

After a decade of dreaming, years of planning, countless months fundraising, and day after day of hard work, the Steinbach Pistons proudly opened their space in the Southeast Event Centre.

Head Coach and GM Paul Dyck has been right there every step of the way, alongside his brother Russ, and he had to pause when asked to talk about the space that to him, is more than just an area for hockey players.

“Took me a moment there, that’s a big question, there’s a lot,” he said with a laugh. “I needed a second to get my thoughts together. Depending where you start, you just walk into the locker room, there’s a lot of nice touches. We wanted to create something that would be around for a long, long time.

You may assume, and rightly so, that the Southeast Event Centre will have concessions selling arena favourites such as hot dogs and popcorn. However, culinary offerings, even in the concessions area, will go well beyond – with an onsite restaurant for those seeking a more elevated dining experience.

Led by Hylife Corporate Chef JP Charpentier, Forum & Bistro will be a casual French bistro, where people can come to enjoy a good meal and have a good time.

The Steinbach Pistons are counting down the days until they can finally call the Southeast Event Centre home. 

With lines and logos getting painted on the ice and the video boards nearly completely installed, excitement is building. A booth promoting season tickets and multi-game packs was a popular destination during Steinbach’s 5-4 win over Dauphin inside their temporary La Broquerie home Feb. 21. 

Steinbach residents have been waiting for almost two decades for this moment: the Southeast Event Centre is finally going to open its doors this spring.
The $75-million, multi-purpose downtown hub was slated to open in fall 2024, and then in December — but this time, it’s for sure, organizers say.
“If it doesn’t open in March, it will open in April, but it’s opening,” said Grant Lazaruk, president of Southeast Events Group, the volunteer organization that will run the facility on behalf of owner City of Steinbach.

Steinbach’s Southeast Event Centre is on track for completion, with ice making to start in a couple of weeks and occupancy expected by March. That is according to City Manager Troy Warkentin. He provided a detailed construction update to city council during a public meeting on Tuesday evening, highlighting progress on both the exterior and interior of the facility.

For Ken Dyck, hockey has always been more than just a game – it’s a tradition, a way to bring family together, and a cherished part of the Steinbach community. What started as a love for the sport has blossomed into a family tradition that has…

The Southeast Event Group is a volunteer group, non-profit organization whose sole focus is to enrich the lives of those in the southeast through community events, sports, recreation, social and cultural activities.