Don’t be surprised if you see a rocket on the river trail.
Keegan and Cassidy Royce like to don their skates and put their two-year-old son, Seth, in a vehicle they call the Royce Rocket so that they can enjoy the Nestaweya River Trail as a family.
The motorized vehicle, which Keegan made himself, is mounted on two blades and a wheel. It features a plastic shield so that Seth is protected from the wind as the Royces make their way up and down the six-kilometre trail.
AARON EPP / FREE PRESS
Some of the people who have sponsored the Nestaweya River Trail gathered for a photo on Saturday.
“(It’s) probably one of our favourite winter activities,” said Keegan, 27. “At least once or twice every weekend we come down here (and) try to do the full trail if we can.”
The Royces were on hand Saturday as The Forks Foundation celebrated the hundreds of community members who have sponsored a metre of the river trail through the foundation’s Trail Together campaign. Nearly 1,000 metres have been sponsored so far.
For Keegan, “adopting” a metre of the trail with a $50 charitable gift to the foundation was a way to support an attraction he believes makes Winnipeg special.
“I think it’s something we’re really known for and something we can all enjoy,” he said.
Skating the trail is one of Maureen Peniuk’s regular winter activities, so the 57-year-old jumped at the chance to sponsor a metre.
“I think it’s fun because you feel like you’ve contributed towards a great endeavour,” she said. “When you see so many people out enjoying it, I just think (it’s) so good that we’re embracing winter.”
Husband and wife Chris and Nadine Peck sponsored a metre to support The Forks, even though they prefer to visit the historic meeting place in the summer when the weather is warm.
“I really, really enjoy seeing how people are just getting together and enjoying the whole atmosphere,” said Chris, 65. “It’s a wonderful facility and environment to be in.”
During his remarks, Rennie Zegalski, chair of The Forks Foundation, shared some of the stories behind the trail sponsorships.
They include a woman who sponsored a metre in honour of her aunt who turned 100 last month, a couple who sponsored a metre to celebrate the fact that all three of their children learned to skate on the trail, and a woman who sponsored a metre to mark the birth of her grandchild.
AARON EPP / FREE PRESS
Cassidy, Seth and Keegan Royce (from left) stand with the Royce Rocket on the Nestaweya River Trail at The Forks Saturday morning. The family is among the hundreds of people who have sponsored a metre of the trail.
Zegalski also mentioned a woman from Seattle, Wa., whose dream it was to skate on a frozen river. After doing some research online, she learned about the Nestaweya River Trail, sponsored a metre and booked a trip to visit Winnipeg for the first time and skate it herself.
“We’re honoured and humbled,” Zegalski said as he expressed his gratitude to the trail’s supporters. “It’s amazing what a community can do working together.”
As of Saturday afternoon, 878 metres of the trail had been sponsored.
It’s the first public-facing fundraising campaign for The Forks Foundation, which was established in 2006. The entity has mainly received grants from private donors and other foundations, using that money for projects like The Forks’ skatepark.
The Forks is pleased with the response so far, according to Zach Peters, communications and marketing manager.
“(We) knew that we could get people involved and there would be an appetite for it,” he said, adding that people are still welcome to sponsor a metre on the Forks website.
Money raised through the campaign will be used for the trail’s upkeep and to support winter activities at The Forks.
The full length of the trail was opened on Jan. 25. It now extends the six kilometres from Hugo Docks on the Assiniboine River to Churchill Drive on the Red River.
The first section of the trail opened on Dec. 31, marking just the fifth time since 2008 that the trail has opened in December.
AARON EPP / FREE PRESS
Rennie Zegalski (left), chair of The Forks Foundation, shared some of the stories behind the trail sponsorships. The event included a blessing from Mary Courchene.
“The trail has been getting great use,” Peters said. “We’re quite happy with this season.”
Weather conditions last year meant the trail did not open until late January, with only a small section of it open for nine days.
In 2023, approximately 220,000 people used the trail, which was open for 72 days — only three days shy of the longest season in 2019.
Earlier on Saturday, TriFactor Triathlon Club and 1JustCity hosted the seventh annual Beat the Cold race on the river trail. More than 115 people participated in the event, which raised over $20,000 for the latter organization’s Just a Warm Sleep shelter.
“It was amazing seeing so many people come out,” said Lara Thompson, a spokesperson for 1JustCity. “We’re happy that we’re able to raise some money to ensure that some people can stay warm at this time of year.”
aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca
Aaron Epp
Reporter
Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.