COLUMN: Tales from the Gravel Ridge – The joy of the garden

A few short months ago, leaves began to sprout with glorious abandon from every deciduous tree and shrub in our part of the world. As in other years, we welcomed the beauty and magnificence of this canopy of every shade of green erupting before our very eyes, thankful that the long cold months of winter were fast becoming a faint memory.

Living as we do in the northern hemisphere, this wonderful umbrella of flourishing foliage which has been a delight for all of us throughout spring and summer is slowly but inexorably beginning to hint of another seasonal change coming our way. At first it may be a small leaf or two from one of our amur maple trees falling to the ground that caught our attention. We can’t ignore these changes for long, because every time we take a walk through the freshly accumulated ground cover underneath our feet, the rustling sound becomes more and more apparent. The changing colours of these rustling leaves have, of course, not escaped our notice either.

We might also have observed the slightly changed behaviour of birds and squirrels that make their homes in our backyard. They might have provided us with reminders that nature all around us knew within their very being that a change in weather was on its way.

On the surface these changes may appear to be superficial. We know, of course, that in fact they are vital to the survival of plant life as it prepares itself for each changing season, and so do all manner of animals. For humans, these annual natural occurrences provide hope for the next growing season. In an agrarian society paying attention to these small and seemingly simple changes is vital to our own survival. Such is the nature of a climate consisting of four distinct seasons.

PHOTO GALLERY: Family fun at Fall On The Farm

COLUMN: Village News – Summer memories and autumn anticipation

As we look back on the summer of 2026, we are filled with gratitude. Our staff have planned and prepared events, programs, workshops, concerts, and festivals that engage our community in remembering, learning, and celebrating. We have experienced some very hot days, some wetter days, and many gorgeous summer days, but we are always thrilled to greet the thousands of guests who make MHV an important part of their summer plans.

Our guests remind us daily of the reasons for the museum’s existence. Many come from families who are connected to the story of the Mennonites who settled in Manitoba either in the 1870’s or the 1920’s, or they arrived during later migrations to Canada. Reconnecting with their past and providing a context for stories and experiences to be passed on to future generations is one of MHV’s goals. We also welcome many people who are newer to our community. They have chosen southern Manitoba as their home, and they want to learn about their community. MHV assists them in understanding our community practices, our values, and our history. For many people, visiting Mennonite Heritage Village with relatives or friends is an opportunity to reconnect with each other. We are a welcoming, gathering place where great food, a walk through the grounds, and a visit to our galleries or heritage buildings facilitate spending time together and sharing meaningful conversations. We are grateful for these reconnecting moments.

Volunteers are our biggest asset. Not only do we have individuals who value the personal connections made at MHV and the community benefits of a shared gathering place, but there are groups of volunteers who are dedicated to specific aspects of the museum and their contributions help MHV to be a popular tourist attraction and a leader of museums in Manitoba. The Steinbach and Area Garden Club prepare and water our flower beds and tend to our gardens and orchards throughout the growing season, creating a beautiful outdoor environment for all museum guests. The South East Manitoba Draft Horse Association are regular supporters of our education program, our day camp program and our festival events. Their many hours of providing horse-drawn wagon rides for visitors and demonstrating horse-powered pioneer demonstrations, create a lasting memory of animal/human cooperation in daily pioneer life. Antique tractor enthusiasts who are part of the Southeast Implement Collectors group host a Tractor Show at MHV each year and assist us in caring for the antique tractors on display at MHV. The Steam Club ensures that the steam engine is maintained and safe to operate each year, as they prepare to demonstrate threshing, plowing and sawmill operation. Our windmill team, blacksmith team, and printshop team all dedicate their time and expertise to maintaining the equipment in their area and providing valuable demonstrations for school groups and festival goers. Our MHV Auxiliary continues to support programming at the museum by planning extra events and fundraisers, by supporting our events with canteens, and by coordinating the quilters who faithfully interact with guests as they hand-quilt blankets throughout the year. Mennonite Heritage Village is very grateful for the hundreds of volunteers and thousands of hours given to the museum to enhance the visitor experience throughout the season.

Looking ahead to our fall programs, we continue to enjoy the beautiful fall weather, highlighting our outdoor village, and enjoying the company of friends and relatives at the Livery Barn Restaurant. Our school trip program begins again, with several options available five days a week for all grades. And our craft and story time, Exhibit Explorers, occurs each Thursday at 10 a.m., beginning on Sept. 17.

Providence’s Bhangu given Bill Wedlake award

For four seasons, Karan Bhangu has patrolled the back-line for the Providence Pilots soccer team, and the now senior was rewarded for his performances on and off the pitch this fall.

Bhangu was named one of two Bill Wedlake award winners for the 2025/2026 season. The award is given to a player who makes one of the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference’s TrueSport teams.

“It’s been a joy to coach Karan, and I look forward to his final year with us. He constantly pushes his teammates to enjoy every moment and be better on and off the pitch,” said Giovanni Benitez Friesen, Bhangu’s head coach at Providence University College.

“He takes school seriously and it shows. He is a disciplined man and is capable of doing many great things. He truly cares and is always looking for ways to serve and help his teammates whether that be through homework, rides to places, being considerate of people’s celebrations and wanting the best for them. Karan is a great example of what a true sport athlete is.”

Hanover school trustee not seeking re-election, states board was being retaliatory

After eight years on the Hanover School Division board, trustee Danielle Funk is not seeking re-election due to personal reasons.

“I just decided that I am just currently not in a place to be able to give what it needs to be, what I would need to be to be what I would consider a good trustee. It’s time to take some time for myself and my family,” said Funk after issuing a press release about her departure on Tuesday.

Included with Funk’s release was a copy of an email with her second request for medical leave to board chair Dallas Wiebe dated Dec. 31, 2025, where she outlined that she needed time off as she was attending to her dying grandfather, who was admitted to the hospital on Nov. 3, 2025, for hospice care.

“This is a request for a leave of absence. Since my last request to the board my situation has stayed similar if not worsened…,” stated Funk on the December email.

Pilots make cross country debut in South Dakota

The Providence Pilots road to a potential national championship began in South Dakota, as the school attended their first-ever cross country meet.

Nine runners competed at the Augustana Twilight 5K race in Sioux Falls, battling 30 degree temperatrues despite start times near 10 p.m. Sept. 4.

Amariah Zult was the best women’s finisher for the school at 22:14, with Owen Eisbrenner finishing in 18:22 to lead the way for the team on the men’s side.

“There were also multiple personal bests across the team, which made for an especially encouraging start to the season given the conditions,” a social media post from the Pilots reads.

Tolstoi Heritage Centre annex project hits first fundraising goal

Phase one of the Tolstoi Heritage Centre annex project is nearly completed, thanks to continued support and fundraising.

The board hosted the final day of a series of Sunday summer openings at the heritage centre for 2026. They hosted an end of summer barbecue to raise funds for the ongoing project, celebrate what had been done and look ahead to the future.

Board member Jo-Anne Drewniak said the first phase of the $650,000 project saw the foundation laid for the annex, which is awaiting the installation of a holding tank and other finishes before winter.

Phase two will see the construction of the façade, while phase three will see the completion of the facility.

SPORTS FLASHBACK 1983: Sultans swat Pacers in Hanover finals

The Steinbach A&W Pacers wanted to get the Hanover Fastball Association finals out of the way before they left for the nationals in PEI. The Friedensfeld Sultans were more than happy to oblige. The Sultans spotted the junior team a victory in the opening game of the series, then came back with three straight victories to capture the Hanover crown.

The Sultans held the edge in hitting in the four-game set and it was only fitting that the league’s slugging king accounted for the go-ahead run in the final game Sunday.

With one out and Doug Chornoboy on third base after a two-run triple, Randy Penner parked one over the right field fence to give the Sultans a 5-4 lead. John Liska reached base on an error after a Pacers’ pitching change, moved to second base on a single, and before the inning ended, scored to increase the lead to 6-4.

The Sultans held that lead until the top of the sixth, when James Loewen scored after being hit by a pitch and Rick Comeau reached second base on an error in the outfield.

COLUMN: Carillon Flashback September 12, 2002 – Steinbach student joins in ‘Ground Zero’ relief

Like many people, Greg Penner knows exactly where he was Sept. 11, 2001. What he didn’t know at the time was that three months later he would be at “Ground Zero” in New York City, helping with relief efforts at the site of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre.

The 24-year-old Steinbach native, who was studying at a mission school in Kelowna, B.C., had just finished breakfast with a group of friends when a woman rushed in with news of planes crashing into the World Trade Centre.

After they saw the horrific events on television, a collective feeling of trepidation came over them.

For the next few weeks thinking about, and praying for New York City was all Penner and his classmates would do, because they were still planning on a mission trip to South America.

Steinbach Pistons draw big crowd for pre-season action

If fans had wandered into the Southeast Event Centre Sept. 5 for the Steinbach Pistons pre-season game against the Winkler Flyers, you couldn’t have blamed them if they thought it was a regular season contest.

Despite taking place on the long weekend, the Pistons were the hottest ticket in town, drawing 1,300 fans, including more than 750 paid to watch teams of mostly prospects battle for roster spots.

“It’s pretty impressive the type of support we got here today,” head coach and general manager Paul Dyck said after the 6-5 shootout loss to Winkler.

“For some of the players playing their first game here, I think they were pretty impressed too.”

Morris School robotics team holding first VEX robotics competition in the province

Morris School robotics team can start the year off with pride as their move to be the only VEX robotics team in the province has not only influenced other schools to take up VEX, but they will hold the province’s first VEX robotics competition later this year.

“It’s certainly exciting and I think it’s also fitting, we are the first Manitoba VEX team, so it makes sense for us to host the first competition,” said technology teacher and Morris VEX robotics coach Joey Tiede. “We’re really looking forward to having some local competition.”

Morris School has been involved with VEX robots for almost two years. Its robotics team started under the guidance of then technology teacher J.P. Jamieson in 2023, who also started a robotics team in Carman as a teacher there. Jamieson is currently at St. James Collegiate in Winnipeg where he is working with students on drones, but hopes to introduce VEX there too.

Jamieson started Morris students off with small mini-Sumo robots, which were designed to push other robots out of a ring. Last year, Jamieson added VEX robots (which push and complete tasks), from a kit and a ring donated by the Manitoba Association of Education Technology Leaders (MAETL). The kit is shared annually with schools across the province if they request them as part of the association’s lending library.

1946 – 2026 Watching Steinbach Grow: Concrete could become newest building material

APRIL 11, 1973— Just about everybody in the Southeast knows that a large plant on Highway 12 in Steinbach turns out truckloads of septic tanks, sidewalk blocks and steps; what may be less well known is the size and scope of the entire precast concrete operation, which employs nearly 60 people and sells its finished product to every part of Manitoba, western Ontario and several northern American states. In fact, Barkman Concrete is the largest manufacturer of its kind in Western Canada.

The company’s main operation, in principle, hasn’t changed much in the past few years, but greatly increased production and numerous technical refinements have taken place. For the past few weeks, even with part of the factory working on a nearly round-the-clock basis, they simply can’t keep up.

Two sidewalk block machines, with a combined production of about 1,000 blocks per shift, are working a frantic 19 hours a day to supply what is likely to be the best construction season in many years.

Last year was a very good year and 1973 was shaping up to be a much better year, the Barkmans forecast.

Fall suppers funding boost for communities

The annual tradition of fall suppers has arrived and for one Southeast community meal, the funds raised are very important.

Pansy has traditionally been the first fall supper in the Southeast, though this year Woodridge gets that honour and La Broquerie shares Sept. 13 with Pansy.

Organizer Leanne Germain said this year’s event will raise money for a new well.

The community centre in the village that boasted 144 residents as of last census, requires the new well estimated at more than $15,000.