COLUMN: Village News – Steam engines, outdoor ovens, horse-powered fieldwork, and more

Pioneer Days has been an annual celebration in Steinbach since Mennonite Heritage Village opened as a museum over 60 years ago. Demonstrating pioneer activities has always been important, like threshing grain using the steam engine, or doing fieldwork using horses to pull the farm equipment, or baking bread in an outdoor oven and spinning wool in a heritage home. These activities remind us of the way our communities began and developed in the early years of settlement in Manitoba.

Gathering as a community to share these experiences, to recall stories of our grandparents, our great grandparents, and our great great grandparents, and to eat waffles with white sauce or Vereneke (perogies) with Schmauntfat and Rhubarb Plautz, provides the foundation for understanding our roots and for building a growing, caring community. Pioneer Days encourages conversations between older and younger generations, passing on stories, values and traditions.

The program this year has all the usual features, including an Old Colony Worship Service on Sunday at 10 a.m. and a Sunday afternoon horse show where drivers and horse teams demonstrate skills needed to accomplish the work in a pioneer community. We will also host a Saengerfest Service on Sunday afternoon in the auditorium at 3 p.m, featuring a choir and congregational hymn singing. But we have some added features as well.

For the kids, Pioneer Days is loaded with interactive experiences. The petting zoo is a favourite area to interact with farm animals, and the Kids Carnival Corner offers face painting and fun games to play. Barrel train rides and horse-drawn wagon rides offer a fun way to see the village. Each afternoon features a kids and family show in the Peter Barkman Summer Pavilion including Sleepy the Clown on Saturday, Dave and Friends on Sunday, and Ken Sky Magic Show on Monday.

Our feature film on Monday is And When They Shall Ask, the award-winning docudrama of the Mennonites’ sojourn in Russia from 1788 to the present. Our genealogy team will also be on hand each day to assist you in tracing your Mennonite family history. And be sure to stop by the Gerhard Ens Gallery to visit the new exhibit, Mennonite Medicine: Cures and Curiosities – 1800-1950.

This year, we have added the Mid-Summer Market on Saturday to complement our artisans in the general store. Be sure to stop by to shop for locally hand-crafted gifts, toys, and unique items.

And of course, the food is fabulous! Nothing beats fluffy, fresh Roll Kuchen with watermelon on a summer afternoon, or hot-off-the-grill crispy waffles with white Sauce. Take your treats to the Peter Barkman Summer Pavilion as you enjoy live music each day, including Anola Jam Group and Matt Zimmerman on Saturday, the New Covenant Quartet on Sunday, and The Cracked Eggshell and Cold Hard Cash on Monday.

Whether you attend Pioneer Days every year, or whether it has been a while since you attended, MHV program staff and volunteers are ready to welcome you with traditional activities, mouth-watering food and thought-provoking programs. We look forward to seeing you this weekend!

Visit www.mhv.ca for full Pioneer Days weekend details!

Upcoming events

May to September – The museum, the Livery Barn Restaurant, the General Store, and Village Books and Gifts are open seven days per week.

Open daily until 5 p.m. – Gerhard Ens Gallery new exhibit is open: Mennonite Medicine: Cures and Curiosities – 1800 to 1950.

Aug. 1 to 3 – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Annual Pioneer Days Festival. Celebrate the 152nd anniversary of Mennonites arriving in Manitoba this summer during the August long weekend at our Pioneer Days festival! Immerse yourself in the life of early Mennonites in Manitoba and explore their rich history through hands-on demonstrations, steam-powered threshing, live music, and delicious food. Experience the stories that shaped the beginnings of the Mennonite community in Manitoba.

Aug. 15 – Peace Trek 5km Community Walk – The Mennonite Heritage Village and the Eden Foundation are excited to announce the new Peace Trek 5K Community Fundraising Walk. Join the community and walk to support hope, healing, and heritage.

Registration is free, and all funds that you raise go directly to the mission of MHV and Eden Foundation. Be a part of this brand-new event, reimagined for our community. Register or donate here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/mennonite-heritage-village-canada-inc/p2p/peacetrek-26/

Sept. 3 – 5:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m. – Books, Borscht and Blues – Enjoy a soup buffet from the Livery Barn Restaurant and enjoy the sound of Manitoba-grown artists; the award-winning Ollee Owens, and the dynamic duo of Big Dave McLean and Dan Thiessen.