The pavilion at Mennonite Heritage Village officially opened after a ribbon cutting ceremony during Fall on the Farm on Monday.

Executive Director Barry Dyck says the vision for the pavilion started about four years ago and it's a great venue to be utilized by many community members.

"We're just delighted to have this facility. When the forecast is for wind now, we don't worry too much," notes Dyck about the thunderstorm which rolled through the Steinbach area late Monday morning and early afternoon. "We used to worry about the tent, the tent would blow away on us, well, that is not a concern to us anymore."

He adds the pavilion has already been utilized for staff picnics, family gatherings, weddings, class reunions, and more. 

Dyck says Fall on the Farm usually sees around 2,000 visitors come through the gates to enjoy the variety of events.

"We do some butchering demonstrations. We do a hog butchering demonstration, we do a chicken butchering demonstration and these things are really popular with a lot of tourists," notes Dyck. "We also serve apple fritters. We're planning on doing some threshing, and we hope the steamer will make its way out into the field to do some plowing."