Darp Days returns to Neubergthal Village

The ever popular Darp Days are returning to Neubergthal Village for the 11th year, and organizers have a lot planned to celebrate two milestones: The 150th anniversary of the Mennonites coming to the West Reserve and the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement.

“So many people ask over the years – have asked different questions related to Mennonites in coming here: When did they come? And where did they come from? And why were they here? And how has this village developed compared to others and so forth. People want to know,” said Joe Braun of the Neubergthal Heritage Foundation, a non-profit that looks after the village.

Neubergthal, near Altona, is one of the only remaining Mennonite single-street villages in Manitoba with original housebarns.

Neubergthal was settled in 1876 by a group of Mennonite families who fled Russia. In contrast to the East Reserve settlements such as Steinbach, the agricultural potential of the West Reserve was apparent, despite difficulties of settling on open tall grass prairie, the scarcity of wood, and its distance from a water source.

Neubergthal has been designated by Parks Canada as a national historic site.

Darp Days will run from Sept. 12 to 13. On Sept. 12 there will be a Sloppy Joe Supper followed by entertainment from Corny Rempel as he does his Elvis impersonation and skits by the Penner Theatre Troupe.

Organizers will have two speakers on Sept. 13. University of Manitoba professor Hans Werner will speak about the history of the Mennonites in the area and the 500th anniversary of the Anabaptist movement. Werner has written a local history of Winkler and most recently a book titled The Constructed Mennonite: History, Memory and the Second World War, which uses his father’s story to explore autobiographical memory, storytelling and history. He has also published a number of articles on the Mennonites in the Journal of Mennonite Studies, Journal of Agricultural History, and Preservings magazine.

The other speaker will be Al Schritt who will give a presentation titled, Plautdietsche Stories and Sayings. Schritt is a former teacher and a lover of Low German who enjoys playing with the language.

People who grew up in the surrounding villages in the West Reserve will also share their stories during the day.

“You hope that they’ll be entertained both by the Low German and informed by the people reading from these village history books, and we’ll also learn about these important events about 150 years (of settlement) and 500 years (of the Anabaptist movement),” said Braun.

Historical tours of the village will be given by Jolanda Schwartz Friesen, a native of Neubergthal.

Tickets to the Sept. 12 dinner or show are $25 each or a combo ticket can be purchased for $40. Children under 12 pay $5. The event starts at 5 p.m.

Tickets for Sept. 13 are $20 for adults and children over 12 years old and $5 for children under 12. The day starts at 9:45 a.m. and ends at 4:30 p.m.

All tickets can be purchased at the door.