COLUMN: Village News – Making ends meet: Now and in the future

It isn’t easy to understand how a not-for-profit museum can afford to operate a facility that includes nearly 40 acres of land, 17 heritage buildings, a substantial Village Centre and numerous other display and storage buildings. Not to mention, we prepare year-round programming that includes special events, homesteading workshops, day camps for kids, hosting over 3,000 students for school field trips and planning half a dozen community festivals in winter, spring and summer.

Just like a person’s home and their vehicle, there are many standard expenses involved in keeping the museum operating. There are utility bills every month, insurance, taxes, repair bills for equipment breakdowns and building upkeep costs to repair leaky roofs, to paint fading heritage buildings, and to renew aging buildings made of wood.

When Mennonite Heritage Village was started 62 years ago, most of the work was done by volunteers and the programming was limited to whatever was possible with donated resources of time and supplies. As the museum developed, permanent and seasonal staff became necessary to bring professional standards to the work of preserving our artifacts and buildings and to develop programs for the community’s benefit. We continue to rely on faithful volunteers to assist us with many aspects of operating a world-class museum and tourist attraction. But we require a core of permanent staff and numerous seasonal staff to plan and coordinate our events, programs and festivals which benefit our local economy and the community we serve.

So how do we pay for all of this? Fortunately, MHV can generate approximately 55 percent of its needed revenue in four ways. We sell memberships (it’s like an annual pass) and charge admission to all museum visitors. We operate the Livery Barn Restaurant seasonally, which not only enriches each visit with authentic Russian Mennonite cuisine, but also generates revenue. Village Books and Gifts and the General Store are important ways to provide souvenir opportunities for all visitors who attend, and these stores also add to museum revenue. And MHV is an attractive location for celebrations like birthday parties, anniversaries, family reunions, and weddings. Our private events department offers space for company meetings and picnics, and all these rental bookings contribute to museum revenue as well.

National fundraiser coming to Steinbach for the first time

A nation-wide walk, run, cycle fundraiser is coming to the Southeast and organizers are hoping people will join in the fun.

The Joy Smith Foundation’s Joy in Action has been cheering on walkers and runners across Canada for five years, but for the first time it’s moving from its usual Manitoba location at Bird’s Hill Park to Brandon, Selkirk, with the kick-off happening in Steinbach on July 25.

“We really want to bring that spirit of joyfulness in being able to make a difference, because even one person, an ordinary person, can really make an extraordinary difference in the fight against human trafficking,” said event director Natasha Smith, who is also one of founder Joy Smith’s daughters.

The foundation’s mandate is to help trafficked individuals find support and educate the public by raising awareness about human trafficking.

Council candidate ready for city growth

After a decade of living in Steinbach, Mitesh Kumar wants to give back by becoming a city councillor.

Kumar made the announcement of his candidacy in a Facebook post, where he shared a variety of issues he’d like to focus on.

“Steinbach is growing fast,” he said. “My vision is to respect the heritage, values that built this community while welcoming new opportunities and planning for the future.”

This is Kumar’s second attempt at winning a council seat.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow – Kinsmen projects helped meet Steinbach’s greatest needs

The wading pool has been replaced by a splash pad, the city’s swimming pool has been moved to A.D. Penner Park, and the popular downtown park next to the Jake Epp Library has been renamed in honour of a former mayor. A plaque on a stone near the entrance of E.A. Friesen Park recognized the role of the Steinbach Kinsmen in early development of this wonderful downtown green space, only part of the club’s legacy of 40 years of community service, which began in 1951.

Compiling a list of every good thing the Steinbach Kinsmen and Kinettes did in the more than four decades from their organizational meeting, Feb. 28, 1951, until the club disbanded in 1992, would be a daunting task indeed. Looking around the community, evidence of the club’s active response to community needs and participation in fundraising for community projects is everywhere.

While the Kinsmen found there was no lack of worthy causes, the task was to find those that met the Kinsmen motto “serving the community’s greatest need.”

Considerable Kinsmen support went to the Association of Community Living (later rebranded as EnVision) in Steinbach. With the Kinsmen’s help, Kindale Manor and Kindale Occupational Centre were built and the Kinsmen provided a van, which provided transportation for residents and clients of ACL.

Retail, car thieves arrested by Steinbach RCMP

RCMP have arrested three people for two retail thefts and a stolen car in Steinbach.

On July 9, at 5:40 p.m., police received a report of shoplifting at a retail store located at the 100 block on the east side of Highway 12 in the city. The caller said two men and one woman stole valuable items from the store and left in a black Ford Bronco.

Following the call, officers began looking for the car, which had been reported stolen from Winnipeg. Police found the vehicle parked at another retail store on the 100 block west side of Highway 12 in Steinbach.

Officers entered the store to look for the suspects and were told that one of the men and the woman had left the store through the back door fire exit and into the field adjacent to the store.

PHOTO GALLERY: Mitchell Fun Days were hot, hot, hot!

Gardenton Ukrainian Festival a success despite heatwave conditions

The Ukrainian Museum Village Society in Gardenton held its annual festival on July 11. The Ukrainian community came together and enjoyed traditional entertainment, food, and old-country traditions all day and well into the night.

Old Tom Backyard Ultra draws nation-wide attention

The eyes of the endurance running world were on Blumenort last week, as the Old Tom Backyard Ultramarathon exceeded all expectations.

The event, in just its third year of existence, saw a pair of runners battle for 55 hours to set a new season-best for Canadian events. Backyard ultramarathons feature runners completing a 4.1 mile lap every hour, with participants starting a new lap at the top of every hour. The winner is the runner who completes a lap on their own.

Race director Stephan Reimer said he didn’t expect the event to develop into such a competitive one so soon. The first year’s winner completed just 26 laps, with last year’s champion finishing 35 to win.

“When you organize this, the goal right away is to become the top backyard in Canada,” Reimer said.

Carillon Sports Second Shots: July 9th edition

Featuring a Carillon Sultans MJBL game in Steinbach July 3, Winnipeg Jets Development Camp July 3 and Hanover Kickers games July 2 and 6 at the Steinbach Soccer Park.

Quarry Oaks steps up to host provincial Mid-Amateur after flooding

Torrential rainfall meant the scheduled Manitoba Women’s Amateur and the Men’s Mid-Amateur provincial championships had to be scrapped last week. The tournaments were scheduled for Gilbert Plains Country Club, just West of Dauphin, July 1-3.

The re-scheduled men’s mid-amateur is coming to Quarry Oaks in late-July. The women’s amateur was quickly re-scheduled to be at St Charles as nationals are right around the corner. Flooding at Gilbert Plains nearly reached the roof of their storage sheds that weekend.

“I’ve never seen something like this in 20 years,” Gilbert Plains golf professional and general manager Scott McCallum told the Brandon Sun. McCallum was unable to drive into the property on the day of the tournament.

“I’m looking for a boat to try and get there… It’s certainly disheartening, especially in a year when you’re trying to empower your grounds crew to be detail-oriented all the way up to this event, and we were two days away or one rain away, essentially, from hosting the event.

Local players make the cut for Hockey Manitoba

It’s likely the Team Manitoba hockey roster at the upcoming 2027 Canada Winter Games will have some Eastman flair.

Four players from the region were named to the U16 Boys Program of Excellence summer roster. The named 28 players were born in 2011 and 2012.

Goaltender Haize Brightnose (Ste Anne), defenseman Brady Piec and forwards Reed Sherry (St Malo) and Nixon Gaudet (Ile des Chenes) were named to the roster. Brightnose and Piec suit up for the Rink Hockey Academy in Winnipeg while Sherry and Gaudet play for the Eastman Selects AAA program.

The U16 Program of Excellence team will play a series of exhibition games against AAA and prep school programs Oct. 2-4 in Winnipge.