July 17, 2025
Jo-Ann Friesen
Village Books and Gifts continues to offer a wide variety of historically relevant books as well as unique hard-to-find assortments of unique souvenirs, such as very intricate petit point jewelry, perfect for adding to your collection or for gift giving. Novel items arrive daily, and you are sure to find that hidden gem on your next visit. The Mennonite Treasury Cookbook as well as Mennonite Girls Can Cook continue to fly off the shelves to a new generation of households wanting to keep traditional dishes alive through their very own unique culinary skills. These books continue to be on our bestsellers list. The recent huge shipment of the much sought after Historical Atlas of the East Reserve, as well as Jack Thiessen’s Low German Dictionary were of great satisfaction to those on the long waiting list for these publications. The Gift Shop offers local artwork, puzzles, toys, jewelry, clothing, jams, quilts, our very own wind-powered milled stoneground flour, and so very much more. MHV continues to sleuth and shelve those hard-to-find items. Village Books and Gifts is full of unique merchandise. Stop by today and see what treasures you can find.
As local writers look for a place to launch their autobiography/memoir, fiction, non-fiction, family history, or period relevant books, MHV endeavors to be a viable venue to help them reach their goal. Village Books and Gifts believes in supporting the local community and has created a free-to-the-public event for local authors to feature their manuscript(s) to the public. This event happens a few times a year and is planned by the Visitor Experience Administrator. MHV recently hosted an Author Reading Evening, on Monday, July 7th. Presenters Bill Massey (Under Italian Skies – Memoir), Jane Hebden (Manitoba Musings – Poetry) and Susanne Funk (Kaboom, the Kluz & Friends – Children’s), talked about their writings with enthusiasm and heartwarming detail. All in attendance were delighted to experience the art of shared stories.
Village Books and Gifts presents “Writing Your Story” Workshop being held on Saturday, September 27th, 9:00am – 4:00pm. This new workshop is designed for that hidden writer inside of you. What is in a story? From the making of a story, structural engineering, research and development, editorial expertise, and finding the right publisher. This is your opportunity to participate in an exciting new event with celebrated local authors MaryLou Driedger, Betty Barkman, Doris Penner, and Sheila Braun. These distinguished authors will be heading sessions on how to enhance drafting your story, or any story, from mind to page to publisher. Each writer brings a wealth of wisdom to the platform and has a plethora of life experiences that will undoubtedly take you on a journey to storied places. Registration is now open for this event. Contact Jo-Ann Friesen joannf@mhv.ca for more information. If you wish to get a form via email or have more questions, please do contact us.
