Winnipeg Beach began as “the Coney Island of the Prairies,” offering a huge wooden rollercoaster, expanses of sandy beach and dance hall. Every summer weekend, hundreds of people from Winnipeg would take the train ride to the beach.
The amusement park has long since disappeared, but remnants still remain. The old water tower acts as a beacon for people driving into town. The provincial park, recently rejuvenated, offers both an ecological experience as well as a chance to enjoy the myriad beaches along the west shore of the lake.
Winnipeg Beach has not remained rooted in the past. Its shoreline streets have numerous restaurants and stores, along with an arcade, but several businesses also have offices in the town.
In 2010, Winnipeg Beach built an affordable housing complex for seniors that now is one of the most sought-after residences in the region. Its harbor offers haven for the hundreds of boaters that operate in the south part of the south basin of Lake Winnipeg.
While many homes are used seasonally, Winnipeg Beach also has a sizeable year-round population, as does its larger neighbour to the north, Gimli. But Winnipeg Beach has more to offer in one area than most other towns: characters. Former town mayors Don Pepe and Tony Pimental, for instance, owned businesses in the town and contributed much to the day-to-day personality of the community.
Its icon, standing at the head of the town park, appears to be a totem pole, only found in the First Nations communities on BC’s coast, but it actually is a statue of an Anishinaabe chief.
Winnipeg Beach is a little quirky, a little celebrating its past, a lot looking to the future, but a fun community living in the now.