Pioneer Days arrives

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This article was published 02/08/2018 (2086 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Steinbach’s signature celebration of Mennonite heritage returns this weekend, bringing a wide array of activities and entertainment for all ages.

Pioneer Days runs Friday through Monday at Mennonite Heritage Village.

The weekend gets underway Friday at 10 a.m., when the Steinbach Chamber of Commerce presents the annual Pioneer Days Parade with a special golden theme to mark its 50th incarnation. Float entries will be judged in a variety of categories.

Parade street closures will be in effect from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Hespeler Avenue, westbound Main Street, and northbound Brandt Street from Main Street to Stone Bridge Crossing.

Pioneer demonstrations, including bread baking, wheat milling, and blacksmithing, begin at 1 p.m. on Friday and Sunday, while guided tours of the museum’s outdoor village run Friday through Sunday.

Helicopter rides take off near the agricultural building on Saturday and Monday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

But don’t stay in the air too long, lest you miss City of Steinbach councillor Jac Siemens recount Mennonite history during two special storytelling sessions Saturday and Monday at 11 a.m. at the Old Colony Church.

Under the thatched roof of Waldheim House, a butter churning workshop starts Saturday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Sweetness and Sorrow on the Silk Road, a 15-minute dramatic presentation on Mennonite migration from Russia to central Asia, will be presented in the auditorium Friday at 10:30 a.m., and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Sunday’s Old Colony Worship Service begins at 11 a.m., followed by a horse show from the Southeast Manitoba Draft Horse Association.

Children’s activities, a family history station, special museum exhibits, and live entertainment also run all weekend long, while the Livery Barn Restaurant will serve up traditional Russian Mennonite cuisine.

Museum admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $6 for children ages 6-13.