August 7, 2025
Robert Goertzen
This past weekend, Mennonite Heritage Village hosted the annual Pioneer Days festival and along with the great weather, came thousands of guests. The festival provided opportunities to connect with family traditions, church traditions, and community activities from the past. The pioneer demonstrations, the commemorative church service, the reflections on 500 years of Anabaptism and the feature film, ‘Where The Cottonwoods Grow’, all encouraged conversations between generations and between neighbours about past experiences that have shaped our community. Thank you to all who participated as guests and volunteers!
MHV continues its programming in August with our next event, Peace Trek. From the moment Mennonite settlers set foot on Manitoba soil, they faced challenges of many kinds. Upon encountering the Indigenous and Métis people of this land, together they were able to navigate a path around marshes, forest and across the prairie land, to eventually settle into their own villages. Today, we recognize the deep history of this partnership and this path – the Peace Trail.
The Mennonite Heritage Village, in collaboration with Eden Foundation, is running the 4th annual Peace Trek cyclathon on August 16th. This peer-to-peer fundraiser supports the ongoing work of the Mennonite Heritage Village and Eden Foundation. MHV aims to tell the Mennonite story and provide meaningful community events and a space to gather and share.
Eden Health Care Services is a faith-based health care organization providing vital mental health services in Winkler, Steinbach, and Winnipeg, including inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care, community mental health, employment assistance, counselling, and supportive housing.
The route is approximately 46 kilometres with three waystations that include washrooms and refreshments. The starting point is Hespeler Park in Niverville and the endpoint brings us to the Dirk Willems Peace Garden at MHV. Refreshments are provided throughout the trail, swag items and a meal at the end will be provided to all participants.
Registration is $40 and our hope is that each participant will set a fundraising goal of $1000, to help us reach our fundraising goal of $30,000. This peer-fundraising event seeks to enhance recreational, social, and community well-being by trekking the historic Peace Trail; a route that resembles the one taken by the first Mennonites in southeastern Manitoba.
So, get your bicycle ready for the Peace Trek on August 16th! All funds will be going towards supporting the ongoing mission and work of the Mennonite Heritage Village and the Eden Foundation.
Register or donate online at https://mennoniteheritagevillage.com/event/peace-trek-9/.
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