Village News

From the moment Mennonite settlers set foot on Manitoba soil, they faced challenges of many kinds. Some logistical, but also mental health hurdles. Upon encountering the Indigenous and Métis people of this land, together they were able to navigate a path around marshes, over berms, and across the prairie land, to eventually settle into their own villages. Today, we recognize the deep spiritual history of this partnership and the Peace Trail that is being developed.

Glen Klassen is one of the founding members of the Peace Trail. Glen writes in the June 2021 Heritage Posting: “The Peace Trail is a designated route from the Mennonite Landing Site at the junction of the Red and Rat Rivers near Niverville to the Dirk Willems Peace Garden at Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) in Steinbach. If all the suggested waypoints are visited the trail is about 52km long. It is suitable for long-distance trekkers or pilgrims, bikes, or motor vehicles… The waypoints include significant historical, ecological, or spiritual sites.”

In August 2022 Eden Foundation and the Mennonite Heritage Village co-hosted the first-ever Peace Trek cyclathon using most of the Peace Trail. With 35 participants, and $12,000 raised in 2022, we are moving forward into year two! The next one is on August 19, 2023.

The route is approximately 45 kilometers with three waystations that include washrooms and refreshments. Refreshments are provided throughout the trail, swag items and a classic Livery Barn Restaurant meal at the end will be provided to all participants.

So, get your bicycle and legs ready for Peace Trek 2023! Registration is only $30, and our hope is that each participant will set a fundraising goal of $600, to support the vital work of Eden Foundation, providing financial means to Eden’s mental health programs, and to the MHV for the preservation and development of Mennonite history and programs.

Our peer-to-peer fundraising app and MHV website portal makes it easy for you to register, form a team if you like, and send out our ready-made emails/texts to friends and potential donors, who with a couple of clicks can make their contributions to you or your team. If you don’t think you can cycle the whole 45 kilometers, you are welcome to join us from the mid-point (Tourond Creek Discovery Centre) which is only 21 kilometers.