Following the successful restoration of Brandon’s iconic Display Building Number II, better known as the Dome Building, the Provincial Exhibition of Manitoba has now set its sights on its next ambitious phase – Maintain the Glory.
“Maintain the Glory will hopefully be the final step in paying off the mortgage on our beautiful Dome Building,” says President Greg Crisanti. “Although we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, we’re definitely going to need some help to get there.”
The Dome Building is the only known surviving building built for the Dominion Exhibition (1879-1914) and was designated as a provincial heritage site in 1984 and a national historic site in 1999. Recognized as one of Canada’s most endangered structures by the Heritage Canada Foundation, a massive restoration and redevelopment project was initiated that saw the building restored to its 21st century version of its former glory.
With the support of the Provincial Government, Maintain the Glory will continue by way of providing funds to establish an endowment fund. For every $2 of capital contributions donated to the fund, the Province of Manitoba will contribute an additional $1. The Dome Sustainability Fund will be managed in collaboration with the Brandon Area Community Foundation (BACF), with contributions from the provincial government to a maximum of $500,000.
“This building is an iconic structure and has a long and proud history of bringing people together from across our province to showcase agriculture, connect our urban and rural communities and provide a source of entertainment, community pride and economic activity,” says Crisanti, who has served as President of the Provincial Exhibition Board since January 2020. “As we hope to move past this pandemic, I see the Provincial Ex playing a key role in the economic recovery of our community.”
Thanks to significant renovations, the Dome Building has been used as a gathering space, housing Provincial Exhibition staff and volunteers, an Agriculture Learning Centre and more.
Following the earlier success of Restoring the Glory, Crisanti is confident that Western Manitobans will continue to step up as they have so generously done in the past.
“We have always had strong community supporters,” says the Exhibition Board President, “and because of that, we’re looking forward to what lies ahead with this campaign.”
For those interested in more information about the campaign and how to contribute, be sure to visit Maintain the Glory page on our website.
For more information and to arrange an interview contact:
Rick Dillabough – Operations Manager and Sponsorship Lead 204-726-3590