Mennonite Heritage Village was incorporated in 1964 as the culmination of several years of dreaming, planning and preparation by the Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society. Their vision for a village museum that would tell the stories of Russian Mennonites coming to Canada was finally becoming a reality. In 2014 MHV will therefore be reaching a significant milestone – fifty years of incorporation.
This past November, the Board of Directors of MHV called and hosted an Advisory Council meeting to brainstorm ideas for a meaningful celebration of MHV’s 50th anniversary. Twenty-one people, including board members, staff and friends from the MHV constituency, gathered for this work session.
Participants were asked to address four questions relating to the anniversary celebrations: 1) Who is the target audience (i.e., whom do we wish to attract) for this event? 2) What will make this anniversary celebration memorable and attractive to our target audiences? 3) What should we try to achieve (i.e., what should the results be) with this event? 4) What steps need to be taken to obtain participation from related organizations such as Manitoba Mennonite Historical Society, City of Steinbach, Municipality of Hanover, etc.?
The fruitful discussions that evening generated a large number of ideas, which are currently being processed by the Board under the leadership of a Jubilee Committee, appointed specifically for this project. More information will be published as the planning evolves.
