The Neubergthal Heritage Foundation (NHF) is marking 150 years of Mennonite settlement in Manitoba’s West Reserve and 500 years of Anabaptism with its annual Darp Days festivities next weekend.
The Sept. 12-13 event is meant to be a celebration of the rich history of the Mennonite people who came to call southern Manitoba home, explains events committee member Joe Braun.
“That’s always our aim,” he says. “It’s a little taste of our culture.”
Darp Days 2025 runs from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12 and 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 13 at the Neubergthal national historic site (5013 Road 1W), offering a bit of food, music, history, and fun for everyone.
The Friday night line-up includes a meal of soup, sloppy joes, and pie from 5-6:30 p.m. followed by skits from the Penner Theatre Group at 7 p.m. and then a performance from Elvis tribute artist Corny Rempel at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, then, is a packed-full day that includes coffee and muffins at 9 a.m., guided village street tours led by Jolanda Schwartz Friesen at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., lunch featuring a build-your-own-sandwich bar at noon, and a watermelon and rollkuchen faspa at 3:45 p.m. There will also be the opportunity to check out an open house at the Century House Barn owned by Marilyn and Ray Hamm all day long.
There are also several educational presentations on the schedule. “Darp” means village in Low German, Braun explains, and so, fittingly, the history of several local villages will share the spotlight in the Tales from the Darpa discussions.
“We’ve got talks by individuals who have written books about their villages,” he says of the two sessions. Part 1 at 11:15 a.m. will focus on the villages of Albergthal, Gretna, Schoenthal, and Neubergthal. Part two at 2:15 p.m. shares stories from Rosenfeld, Sibergeld, Sommefeld, and Kleinstadt.
Braun himself will be joined by fellow authors and longtime area residents Lois Braun, Graham Schellenberg, Sharon Goertzen, Mary Neufeld, Ray Hamm, Mary Loewen, and David “Doft” Wiebe to share stories and memories.
Also taking the stage on the Saturday will be Dr. Hans Werner, an accomplished author and historian specializing in Mennonite history. He will be speaking at 10 a.m. and again at 1 p.m.
Finally, rounding out the education and entertainment line-up is Al Schritt, who will share Plautdietsche Stories+Sayings at 3:15 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door.
It’s $25 for just supper or just the stage entertainment on Friday, or $40 for both. Kids 12 and under are a flat $5.
Saturday’s tickets are $20 for an adult day pass or $5 for kids.
For more information, go online to neubergthalheritagefoundation.com or call 204-304-6253.
