Steinbach is the place to be this weekend, as many festivities are happening for the 55th Annual Pioneer Days Weekend.
To kick off celebrations, the parade will be back on Steinbach’s Main St., on Friday, August 4. Attendees are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items for Southeast Helping Hands’ Tin for the Bin.
We will give away candy and goodies with Wendy’s, so don’t miss our float! The parade kicks off at 10 AM.
A three-day celebration is happening at the Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) from Saturday, August 5, to Monday, August 7.
We will be there with Wendy’s Show Us Your Summer on Saturday and Monday from 10 AM to 2 PM.
The weekend is packed with activities that range from food experiences to demonstrations.
Program Manager Robert Goertzen says the festival has been happening since the mid-1960s and celebrates the city’s heritage.
“We celebrate because we know that the community that we all love came from somewhere. Some of it is remembering where we've come from and some of it is thankfulness for the hard work and perseverance that our parents, grandparents, great grandparents endured in order to make Steinbach and southern Manitoba a wonderful community and place to live,” Goertzen explains.
He says there will be plenty of pioneer skills demonstrations which are an opportunity to showcase what life in the southeast looked like years back.
"We also enjoy passing things on from generation to generation,” he says. “So, we love to see parents and grandparents spending time with their kids and their grandkids and telling them stories about things they grew up with and also learning new skills, old skills that may be new to them.”
On Sunday, they will have an old colony worship service, a reenactment of an 1800s church service. If you want to experience a hymn singing session in the community, they will have a Saengerfest. Goertzen says the auditorium will be filled with singers and visitors singing “long-beloved hymn” together.
For food options, multiple places have you covered.
"The Livery Barn restaurant serves traditional Russian Mennonite ethnic food. The famous waffles and vanilla sauce will be served. And then in our summer kitchen, there's an outdoor oven, they'll be baking some stone-ground whole-wheat bread there and serving that with jam. So, lots of great food to experience as well,” he says.
They will also have local music and family entertainment at the Pavillon. Performers include Young and Haggard and Matt Zimmerman.
The Village Centre is showcasing an exhibit commemorating the arrival of Mennonites from the Soviet Union. It also includes the Exodus photo essays by Steinbach Regional Secondary School (SRSS) photography students.
"Our 100th-anniversary Russlander exhibit is also on display in the Gerhard Ens Gallery, and that's another feature that will be around for another few months, but this would be a wonderful time to take that in,” he says.
Goertzen says they expect anywhere between 6,000 and 8,000 visitors for their weekend festivities.
‘We see a lot of visitors from Winnipeg, from other parts of Manitoba. There are people who make plans for their summer vacation, they’re travelling across Canada or Western Canada, and they say, ‘One of the places we want to go on the August long weekend is the Mennonite Heritage Village Pioneer Day,’” he adds.
General museum admission applies for the weekend. It is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 65 and up and students aged 13 to 22, $6 for children six to 13 and free for five and under.
Find the full list of activities and schedule on the MHV website.
Don’t forget about all the great prizes you can win with Wendy’s Show Us Your Summer!
This week, show us you dancing to or enjoying your favourite summer music for a chance to win two weekend passes plus camping for Luke Combs at Country Thunder 2024.
We are still giving away golden tickets, your entry to win the brand-new trailer from Steinbach Trailers and RV! Find the trailer, or us at events, take a selfie and scan the QR code to be entered.
Keep checking the Wendy’s Show Us Your Summer page on SteinbachOnline and listening to our radio stations so you don’t miss any chances to win big!
