February 19, 2026
Robert Goertzen
Mennonite Heritage Village held its annual Winter Carnival last Saturday. The mild winter day was conducive to many outdoor activities for all ages, and our volunteers and staff shared stories of the early Mennonite settler experiences of surviving Manitoba winters in the Semlin. Hundreds of families and extended families spent the day skating, snowshoeing, and pushing each other around on the kick sleds. The horse-drawn sleigh rides through the peaceful winter village setting and the experience of being pulled on a dog sled by 5 eager mushing dogs were added features to this day of interacting with nature at MHV.
As brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and grandmas and grandpas were enjoying these activities, I was reminded of winter days in my childhood. Growing up on a farm, our family enjoyed the outdoors on a daily basis. We had our regular farm chores of tending to the animals in our barn or in the outdoor shelter, but we also played outside whenever we could. After a fresh snowfall, we would make trails around the yard, following each other in games of tag, hide and seek, and duck-duck-goose. The snow piles on the yard served two purposes, first of all, these became wonderful sliding hills with our toboggan and sliding carpets, either taking turns with my sister and brothers, or piling on as a group to see how far we could travel with the added weight. Secondly, we would designate certain hills safe for creating tunnels and we spent many hours carving out tunnels or cutting out snow blocks to build little snow shelters. Many years, Dad would spend hours flooding an area near our well house to create an ice rink and with our hockey sticks and a puck, we would pretend to be our favourite Montreal Canadien or Toronto Maple Leaf player.
When it was finally time to be called inside by Mom, we would place our outdoor clothing near the wood-burning stove to dry off and be treated to hot cocoa or a home-baked cookie, as our rosy cheeks indicated that we had benefited from a ‘fresh air’ outdoor experience.
Last Saturday, at MHV, the outdoor firepit was a popular gathering space for warming up and enjoying roasted marshmallows. Some families even brought their own wieners and buns to have a roasted hotdog treat. Many people took time to visit the canteen for fresh waffles with white sauce and a cup of hot chocolate before they went back outside to try their hand at snow carving or crokicurl.
The MHV Winter Carnival was a successful day of recalling outdoor childhood memories for some and creating new memories with new generations of family and friends for others. We are thankful that Mennonite Heritage Village is part of your Manitoba winter experience, and we look forward to more weeks of activities as we enjoy the lengthening of daylight hours and the warmth of the afternoon sun. The ice rink and skating path continue to be available for your enjoyment from Tuesday to Saturday. Members get in free and winter admission is half our regular price for all others. Winter memories were made at the Winter Carnival, and they continue to be made every time you visit.
Upcoming Events:
February 20 – 7:00pm – Low German Evening – Enjoy a fun evening of music, reading, and skits in Low German! Featuring special music by Heischraitje & Willa Honich.
February 26 – 10:00am to 11:00am – Exhibit Explorers – Join us at the Mennonite Heritage Village for an engaging morning set among the fascinating artefacts in MHV’s Gallery! During Exhibit Explorers: Craft & Story Hour, children will enjoy lively stories and creative crafts that spark imagination and curiosity. Free Admission.
March 8 – 7:00pm – Community Vespers Service – A sacred evening with choral music and scripture readings.
March 21 – 10:00am to 11:30am – Pioneer Workshop Series: Seed Starting Workshop. Join MHV and Shari Pendergrast from the Steinbach and Area Garden Club for a Seed Starting Workshop.
March 28 – 10:00am to 12:00pm – Pioneer Workshop Series: Sourdough Workshop. Join MHV for a Sourdough Workshop led by the Staff at Old Church Bakery!