Museum ends successful winter with one more day of Winter in the Village

Even though we still have some winter weather in forecast, the Mennonite Heritage Village is getting ready to switch over to spring programming. 

Winter in the Village wraps up this evening and Program Manager Robert Goertzen says it was quite an interesting season with warmer weather than we normally get. 

“Manitoba winters, you have to prepare for whatever is there. We were able to get the colored light display up before Christmas, so people were able to enjoy that.” 

Fridays included entertainment from local musicians while Saturdays were filled with children’s crafts and outdoor activities. 

“We want people to be outdoors at the museum,” says Goertzen. “There were opportunities for snowshoeing and kick sledding and tobogganing. And if you didn't have some of those supplies, we had those available for rent. And then after Christmas we managed to get the ice rink going. So, there were several weeks of skating on the ice rink.” 

While Winter in the Festival served as a main attraction during the winter months, Goertzen says their Winter Carnival in February was really a key event with great weather, family entertainment, delicious food and plenty of fun outdoor activities. 

With a bit of extra work, the ice rink was in good shape for the event. 

Goertzen notes the museum sits on 40 acres which makes for a great space to also enjoy the peaceful scenery. 

The Mennonite Heritage Village is now preparing for a busy spring with a variety of special events including school trips. 

“We’re talking to teachers and planning school trips. Some of them are coming before the main outdoor village opens, but many of them will be planning to come in May and June. And so that's what we're looking forward to. We’re also looking forward to meeting with our volunteers and inviting new people to volunteer. There's lots of opportunities to participate, either with school groups or with interpreting during festivals or various ways of just helping out when we do run our programs and events.” 

-With files from Michelle Sawatzky.