COLUMN: Village News – The Russlaender migration

Mennonite Heritage Village Auxiliary is hosting a film night on March 26 at 7 p.m., showing the new film, The Russlaender Migration: From Revolution to Reflection. This is a documentary about the 1920’s migration of Mennonites who left the Soviet Union to come to Canada. Several years ago, Mennonite Historical Society of Canada created a cross-Canada train tour to commemorate this event in various Canadian provinces. This film uses the train tour and the accompanying events in each province to tell the story of the thousands of Mennonites who had experienced the First World War, the Russian Revolution and Civil War, and a state of anarchy, before moving to Canada to start a new life.

I have a personal connection to this story, since both sets of my grandparents came from the Soviet Union in the 1920’s to settle in Canada. As a child, I heard stories at family gatherings, of life before the Russian Revolution, as experienced by my relatives. I also heard stories of starting a new life in Canada, including the hardships of starting over in a new country. As a young person, the stories held a sense of adventure, but later on, I began to wonder about the difficult experiences that my grandparents held inside and did not talk about: the family members who died by violence, or those who were taken away, never to be seen or heard from again.

This film is not only for people with direct family connections to the Russlaender story. In our growing and diverse community, we all know someone in our neighbourhood, in our church, or at our workplace who has been uprooted from an established life in another country. They have had to start over in Canada. Remembering the 1920s experience of the Russlaender Mennonites will help us to understand our neighbours and friends who are creating a new home in our community. Although newcomers are assisted by communities and individuals, starting over continues to have many challenges.

Please join us on Thursday, March 26, to watch this relevant and interesting film. Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted. The MHV Auxiliary will serve fresh coffee and dainties, so enjoy an evening of listening, learning and conversations.

Upcoming events

March 26 – 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. – Exhibit Explorers – Join us at the Mennonite Heritage Village for an engaging morning set among the fascinating artifacts in MHV’s gallery! During Exhibit Explorers: Craft & Story Hour, children will enjoy lively stories and creative crafts that spark imagination and curiosity. Free Admission.

March 26 – 7 p.m. – The Russlaender Migration: From Revolution to Reflection – A film documentary about the 1920s migration of Mennonites from the Soviet Union to Canada, and its commemoration a century later. Free admission, coffee & cookies included, donations gratefully accepted.

March 28 – 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. – Pioneer Workshop Series: Sourdough workshop – Join MHV for a sourdough workshop led by the staff at Old Church Bakery!

April 4 – 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – The Great Easter Egg Scramble – This fun-filled community event brings together families for a day of Easter excitement including 65,000 chocolate eggs, root beer suckers, free Pret Coffee and tons of great family activities like crafts, face painting and games. Bring your Easter baskets and your little explorers for a morning of fun as they roam the MHV grounds in search of chocolate eggs.

April 9 at 7 p.m. – Local Authors’ Night Join us for the MHV Local Author’s Night, featuring: a children’s book – Honk Honk by Millicent Brake, a memoir – Prairie Roots and Wings by Philippe Sabourin, a biography – Prayers from the Back Pew by Don Hoeppner, and a novel – Every Season Under Heaven by Harold Neufeld. Free evening with complementary refreshments.

April 14 – 7 p.m. – MHV Annual General Meeting – Hear reports from the MHV board and management, receive the auditor’s report, and participate in the election of directors. Coffee and refreshments will be served.