Village News

The opening of Mennonite Heritage Village (MHV) grounds begins May 1st! We are pleased to report that Jared Nickel has again accepted the role of Facilities Manager for the upcoming season. He has been here several years and knows his way around the grounds and through the season. There has been a lot of change (including myself as the new director), so it is nice to have someone who is familiar with what needs to be done out there. Jared is responsible for the care of the yard, buildings, animals and crops. We will welcome volunteer help in all these areas. Please feel free to drop in and see where you could be helpful.

Yuliya Asraf is also returning as our Food Services Manager. For this year MHV and the Livery Barn Restaurant will also be open Thursday evenings! If we get enough people coming in to eat supper on Thursday evenings in May and June we will keep it open in July and August as well. So bring your friends and those who can’t make it during the day. Yuliya as well as our program manager, facilities rental manager, gift shop and office manager have many positions to hire for and I think they are almost all filled!

There is a lot of preparation necessary to run our busy summers at the MHV. Like farmers, we are looking at how well our ground has drained from its snow, checking our tractors to see if they still can drive out from the sheds, shingling our barns so that everything and everyone inside can stay dry and making sure we have enough hands (hired and volunteer) to make the summer a success!

Currently we are looking to fill one of our most important positions – Development Coordinator. This person manages our fundraising, PR and sponsorships. This person has the privilege of connecting with our constituency and nurture those relationships that help MHV keep growing. We need to hire someone who can exude the value of MHV to our community and funders.

Having the right people is important for growth. Even museums need people to keep thinking about how it should be developing. As scientist Dan Shechtman said, “Sustainable development requires human ingenuity. People are the most important resource.” I am so thankful for the ingenuity I see around me at MHV and in our community. There are a lot of good ideas out there, and much good being done. I hope to see you this summer and hear some new ideas!