COLUMN: Village News – Waffle booth success

This past weekend, the Steinbach community held its Summer in the City festival on Main Street in the heart of its downtown. Many thousands of people will have enjoyed the midway rides, the dozens of food vendors, and the various entertainment stages filled with music and dance.

Mennonite Heritage Village has been a participant every year since the festival’s beginning, as a contributor of community heritage. Over the years, we have displayed a variety of historical exhibits, offered heritage games, provided opportunities for genealogy research, and led historical walking tours of Steinbach. But the main attraction that the museum brings to downtown Steinbach is our Waffle Booth, where we sell flame baked waffles with vanilla white sauce. This tasty treat is only available a few times during our summer festivals at the museum, so this is a great opportunity for people to get their first waffle and white sauce of the season.

There are several ways to measure success at the waffle booth. If the weather is conducive to a street festival, not too hot and not too rainy, we are sure to have a line up of customers throughout the weekend. Last weekend we raised over $14,000 for the operations of our museum, which will assist us with our exhibits, our school programs, and our cultural events.

But our success relies on the generosity and support of local businesses who provide financial sponsorships and donations of waffle ingredients in order to reduce our costs in producing the food. We also rely on over 60 volunteers to mix the waffle batter, to heat the white sauce, to bake the waffles and to serve the meals. Without our dedicated volunteers, the museum staff would not be able to offer these delicious waffles to festival goers.

And of course, we are grateful to the many people who support MHV by purchasing a waffle for themselves, or for their family. We hear many customers tell us that they come to the MHV Waffle Booth each year as a tradition. It’s wonderful to see groups of people spending time together, eating waffles, and sharing stories with each other.

The Waffle Booth at Summer In The City was a success in 2025. Our staff appreciates everyone who contributed to a very good weekend. With the help of generous business partners, cheerful volunteers, and appreciative waffle customers, MHV was able to bring a taste of the museum to downtown Steinbach. Thank you!

Upcoming Events:

May to September – The museum, the Livery Barn Restaurant, the General Store, and Village Books and Gifts are open 7 days per week.

June 27 – 6 p.m. – MHV Gala Fundraiser: Remembering the Past, Embracing the Future. Tickets are available at reception. Call 204-326-9661.

July 1 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Canada Day celebrations. Free admission all day. Free birthday cake, Antique Tractor Show, music, food, and rides all day.

July 26 – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. – Country Classic Car Club – Show and Shine at MHV.