Cottage North has published its last edition. The magazine, which serves north-central Manitoba and Saskatchewan, has been published by The Reminder for the past 13 years.
“We regret to announce that Cottage North has run its course,” said Valerie Durnin, publisher of The Reminder and Cottage North. “It has been a valuable addition to the region and it will be missed.”
Cottage North’s next scheduled publishing date would have been September 2015.
The magazine was created by former Reminder publisher Randy Daneliuk as a newsprint magazine targeted to cottage life. The first edition, published in May 2003, told stories about gardening, fishing and bears. Focus was on the Flin Flon area.
Over the years the content expanded, as did the coverage area. By its final edition, Cottage North was a full-colour glossy magazine that reached over 7,000 readers from Prince Albert to Thompson, as far north as La Ronge and as far south as Winnipeg.
Libby Stoker-Lavelle has been editor of the magazine for the past two-and-a-half years.
“It has been an honour to be a part of Cottage North, and to be able to tell the stories of northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan,” she said. “I was able to interview fascinating personalities, discover little-known pieces of history, and work with dedicated, passionate writers. I worked with a talented team, and we poured our hearts into developing a publication that would be engaging, informative and inspiring.
She said the folding of Cottage North is a sad occasion.
“But I know our skilled team here at The Reminder will find a way to tell the many stories still waiting to be uncovered,” added Stoker-Lavelle.
Julian Kolt was Cottage North’s contributing editor from 2010 to 2013.
Under Kolt’s editorship, there was an emphasis on artists and musicians that had been experiencing a boom in popularity and local support in the Flin Flon/Creighton area. The opening of the NorVA Centre and the start of Flin Flon’s Culture Days activities were both documented on the magazine’s pages during Kolt’s years.
He pointed out that Cottage North magazine had subscribers all over Canada.
“It was requested by people from far-flung communities who wished to recapture some portion of the region they once called home,” he said.
Kolt called the magazine a community scrapbook filled with memories and facts about a region that is harsh and beautiful, empty and filled with the industrious activity of its people.
“It tried to represent that small, well-kept secret that everyone who has dwelt in the North has held — that there is nowhere else like it, and that no matter how far you might go from it, its wonder, beauty, and mystery is always carried with you.”
Stoker-Lavelle remains on staff as a writer and website manager for The Reminder. “I look forward to working on future projects, and continuing to share the voices and experiences of those living in our community and region,” she said.
