Thanksgiving traditionally has been a celebration of harvest time in our agricultural communities. I grew up in a church where a large percentage of families made their living on a farm, so the annual cycle of planting, growing, and harvesting was common to most church members. It was very natural to take time in October to give thanks to God for the successful harvesting of the crops.

Over the years, fewer of us are directly linked to agricultural activities, and we have shifted our gratitude to include the many ways that we are blessed, such as gratefulness for our jobs, our circle of friends and supports, and our family relations.

At Mennonite Heritage Village, we also share this attitude of thanksgiving. Here are six things that we count as blessings:

  • Our community values the heritage of our community, the determination of the first families who settled in southern Manitoba to create communities which care for each other. Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) is privileged to preserve and share this heritage.
  • Our museum is an outdoor village, and we depend on good weather to draw people to our festivals. In 2026, we experienced some very hot days, and a few days of threatening rain, but overall, we enjoyed excellent festival weather and strong levels of attendance.
  • Volunteers continue to make it possible for us to maintain our expansive 40-acre site, to offer educational programming for over 3000 students, and to serve thousands of people as interpreters, activity demonstrators, and food servers.
  • Many businesses support various aspects of the museum with cash donations and in-kind gifts that enable us to manage costs for the upkeep of our heritage buildings, and for the planning and operation of our programs and events.
  • Staff genuinely value the role that MHV plays in preserving our history and work hard to ensure that our guests have a meaningful and positive experience at the museum.
  • Supporters contribute to the museum financially because they believe that it is important for our present generation to remember where we have come from and it is integral that future generations learn the origins of our community and appreciate the ways that our past has shaped our current community.

The list of things to be thankful for is not limited to these six aspects, but these areas of gratitude do remind us that we are part of a caring community that values its heritage and welcomes newcomers and the next generation of citizens to participate.

Mennonite Heritage Village has much to be thankful for. Though our busiest tourist season is over, we continue to prepare workshops, exhibits, and events for everyone to enjoy throughout the fall and winter season. We continue to be thankful for donations that support the ongoing work of preserving the artefacts and stories that have shaped our community. We invite everyone to stop by to enjoy the fall colours of our Village Main Street, to watch the geese at the pond, and to be immersed in the stories that our galleries tell. And we ask that you continue to support our mission to preserve and exhibit, for present and future generations, the experience and story of the Russian Mennonites and their contributions to Manitoba. Thank you!