COLUMN: Carillon Flashback August 4, 2016 – MHV fundraising getting $600,000 boost from feds

Just days after welcoming visitors to its annual showcase at Pioneer Days, the Mennonite Heritage Village welcomes news that the federal government is providing a boost to its capital fundraising campaign efforts.

The federal government has committed $600,000 to the museum through its Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, museum execute director Barry Dyck told The Carillon on Wednesday.

The support will help to fund two major projects currently underway at the museum, including the summer pavilion, which is to be completed next year and will replace the current outdoor tent. This new three-season auditorium will serve as a high quality meeting space for concerts, picnics, receptions, family gatherings, and the like.

Some funds will also be dedicated to supporting the replacement of the entire heating, ventilation and air conditioning system in the 26-year-old Village Centre. Dyck noted the necessity of having a system that ensures the museum’s artifacts are appropriately preserved.

Three units have already been installed and four more will be replaced in the coming years.

With this federal contribution, the museum is just over half way to completing its goal of raising $3 million in its Foundations for a Strong Future campaign.

Support has been positive thus far, Dyck notes, adding that many have impressed upon the idea that the museum is an important community meeting place for Steinbach. It’s a notion he agrees with wholeheartedly, pointing to the museum’s use as a venue for family gatherings, school groups and the public at large.

Dyck expects the new pavilion will only add to the museum’s appeal.

It is expected that construction will begin on the pavilion shortly after this September’s Fall on the Farm on Sept. 5, with the venue open in time for the start of opening of the museum’s 2017 season, next May.

Though work on the pavilion will be most noticeable, other existing MHV buildings and structures are being improved as well, including work on the Waldheim House, Old Colony Church and the windmill.

Though he feels good about the fundraising efforts so far, Dyck notes they still must work hard to meet their total goal.

“Certainly to raise $3 million is a daunting task, but when you see people, organizations and, in this case, governments step up, that’s incredibly gratifying,” he said.

– with files from Grant Burr