Village News

Monday, May 20, is Victoria Day. It’s also the day we celebrate Spring on the Farm at Mennonite Heritage Village and collaborate with the Southeast Implement Collectors in staging their annual Tractor Show. The gates will be open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

As with all MHV festival events, this is a great family activity. There will be a variety of pioneer demonstrations, music under the tent, and food options for all ages, as well as entertainment specifically designed for small children. This is also a good time to check out our current gallery exhibits. The Silent Contribution features paintings by Lynda Toews, and 160 Acres: The Geography of Home is a multimedia exhibit by Darlene Derksen. Both of these will be replaced with new exhibits shortly, so this may be your last opportunity to view them.

For anyone interested in old farm machinery, the Tractor Show is a fine opportunity to enjoy up to 100 old tractors and other old farm equipment. The tractors will be on display on our Main Street. Some will participate in a variety of tractor games, and most will participate in the annual tractor parade.

The Steinbach and Area Garden Club will be providing information about planting a garden and, weather permitting, will actually plant our MHV vegetable garden. This will be a fine learning opportunity for many novice gardeners, no matter what age.

Livery Barn Restaurant

The Livery Barn Restaurant is off to a busy start this season. Our Sunday Lunch Buffet on Mother’s Day was a huge success with more than 350 people coming to enjoy the food. Last Saturday our brand-new Saturday Brunch attracted about 50 guests. Both of these events will be happening weekly. The Saturday Bruch is available from 10:00 to 2:00, and the Sunday Lunch Buffet is served from 11:30 to 2:00.

Thursdays are again “Soup and Bread Day” in the LBR. Dora and her staff always make three different kinds of soup and at least two different kinds of bread, and it’s “all you can eat” for $6.99. Every Friday the restaurant will be serving a fish fry with potatoes, a vegetable and lemon pie for $9.95.

Of course the traditional menu of kielke, vereniki, farmer sausage, cabbage borscht and rhubarb plautz will always be available as well. The Livery Barn Restaurant is open 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Saturday, and 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Sunday. Guests who come only to eat at the restaurant are not charged admission.

Manitoba Day

May 12 is officially designated “Manitoba Day,” the day we celebrate our province’s birthday. Since May 12 fell on a Sunday this year, MHV chose to celebrate Manitoba’s 143rd birthday on Friday, May 10. About 50 Grade Two students from South Oaks School in Grunthal came for an interpretive tour and a horse-drawn wagon ride. We started the day with a flag-raising ceremony, which included some facts about the Golden Boy, words from Steinbach’s Mayor Chris Goertzen and local MLA Kelvin Goertzen, challenging the children to make Manitoba a better place to live, even better than it already is today. After the flag was raised by Devon Guenther and several students, Christie Penner sang ”The Manitoba Song.” The rain held off almost long enough to allow the group to finish their interpretive tour and wagon rides.