It’s sometimes hard to fully appreciate the things that are closest to us. Often it takes visitors to tell us just how fortunate we are. I’m reminded of that by people who visit Steinbach and the southeast and remark what a unique and wonderful place it is. The same holds true for the Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) museum which routinely impresses visitors with its landmark windmill and well kept buildings and displays.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the MHV museum and it’s a great time to reacquaint ourselves with the wonderful Manitoba landmark that we have right in our own backyard. While I recently gave a statement in the Manitoba Legislature asking Manitobans and Canadians to visit the MHV during the 50th anniversary, the same invitation is extended to local residents as well, many who have perhaps never visited this local attraction.

My own connection to the Mennonite Heritage Village goes back a number of years. My mother has worked in the Livery Barn Restaurant, situated on the museum grounds, for many years. The convenient excuse of a good meal has made me a frequent visitor. Also on the grounds near the restaurant is the original Barkfield one room school house where my mother and some relatives went to school as children.

Many Steinbach residents will not have the same personal connection to the museum and others will have a much stronger connection. Regardless, we all have a common interest in celebrating the 50th anniversary and ensuring that the museum remains strong and vibrant.

The story that the museum tells is specifically of the Mennonite immigrants who came to Manitoba in the 1870s and from Russia in the 1920s and the 1950s. But it is also more generally a story that many other early Manitoba settlers would have lived as they made their lives by farming and very early commercial activities. It outlines the hardships of those early settlements and, through the housing and display of more than 16,000 artifacts, gives a very real and authentic experience to the visitor. It also gives local residents an understanding of how the current growing City developed and how it has become such a success.

Of course many Manitobans and Canadians know of the museum by its iconic windmill which is a replica of the original 1877 version that once graced the village of Steinbach. And while that is the most recognizable symbol, it is only one of the remarkable attractions on the 40 acres the MHV spans.

Many people from around the world have walked through the entrance of the Mennonite Heritage Village museum and strolled back into history. The 50th anniversary is a time to welcome more visitors but also to remind ourselves of how fortunate we are to be home to the MHV as we visit ourselves. It is also a year to pay special thanks to the many staff and volunteers who today and in the past have helped preserve the history of this important facility.