Village News

As it was announced in a Village News post a few weeks back, I am leaving Mennonite Heritage in just a couple weeks, and moving to Calgary for new opportunities.

This may sound like a funny role for a museum, but it did not take long for me as director at Mennonite Heritage Village to do the math. Many of our volunteers are retired and as soon as they met me they would often tell me how they love being at our museum.

All year long we have people coming to the Mennonite Heritage Village for some ‘good old schooling’. Schools from as far south as Winkler to as far north as Winnipeg come to us for their hands-on agriculture lesson.

Knowing how to be a peacemaker does not come naturally. It doesn’t just happen. As an individual who witnessed the beginning of a genocide, it didn’t take long before I realized I had a lot to learn.

You may have heard of the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing” written by Marie Kondo. The book is filled with tips and tricks to show you not only how to organize your home, but how to enjoy organizing your home.

Last week it was Winnipeg’s turn to host the National Heritage Trust Conference. I heard many amazing stories of how developers with a passion for heritage have helped maintain the beautiful early 1900’s core of Winnipeg.

People often think of museums that provide good social and educational benefit, but did you know that museums also provide good economic benefits?

In June my family enjoyed a beautiful evening of ‘Shakespeare in the Ruins’ at St. Norbert’s former Trappist Monastery. A group of us moved from spot to spot to see the actors play out their story.

In last week’s post we looked at what relevancy means to Mennonite Heritage Village today, when most of our visitors no longer have the personal links to our content because our audience is younger and more diverse than it was fifty years ago.

Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) was established in 1964 as a project to preserve Mennonite history.