The Swiss Mennonite Cultural & Historical Association

Events:

2024 Upcoming Events:

  • August 23-25 – Celebration of 150 years at Eden Mennonite Church, Moundridge
  • Friday, August 23 – 7:00 p.m. Keynote Address by Dr. Wynn Goering and Singing, 150 Years of Schweitzer Mennonite Heritage – Dr. Austin McCabe Juhnke and Dr. William Eash
  • Saturday, August 24
    • 8:00 a.m. Readers Theater
    • Seminars 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. , 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
    • 12:00 Lunch at Food Trucks at Eden 
    • 3:00 Turkey Red Wheat Threshing and Milling at the Moundridge (wheat site west of the museum)
    • 5:00-6:30 Ethnic Supper cafeteria style by reservation at Eden
    • 7:00 Menno Night Live: Schweitzers and Friends Edition
      • Six Swiss Sisters – This a cappella ensemble is made up of three sister pairs, all with Swiss Mennonite descent.
      • Chris Shaw, pipe organ soloist from Whitewater will play chorale preludes by three German composers and then hymn settings by two area composers.
      • Flannelbacks – This bluegrass and folk band was born in the dorm rooms of Bethel College.  With a mix of guitars, banjos, mandolin, upright bass, harmonica, and harmony voice, the Flannelbacks appeal to old and young alike.
      • September River – Doug and Jude have been performing together as a duet since 1980 and have recorded 10 albums of their original music under the name Road Less Travelled. They are joined here with daughter Stefanie Giffin.
    • Visit Mennonite Monument, Marker, and Hopefield Cemetery
    • Children’s Activities are being planned that will not only entertain but also educate youngsters about the lives their Great, Greats might have experienced.
  • Sunday, August 25 – 9:30 a.m. Dr. Nathan Stucky will bring the message. Choir.
Kneading dough on a kitchen counter top

Swiss Volhynian Recipe Book

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About Us

Centennial Memorial

The Swiss Mennonite Cultural and Historical Association (SMCHA) is a nonprofit organization comprising descendants of immigrant Mennonites who came to the USA in the 1870s from what is now the Ukraine. Their ancestors originated in Switzerland passing through many countries in Europe including France, Germany, Austria and Poland on their way to the Ukraine.

Major purposes of the SMCHA are to educate descendants of the Swiss Mennonites on the origin and culture of this group through various cultural events, research activities, maintenance of historic places, etc. There are several thousand of such descendants, many of them located in central Kansas, South Dakota, and other mid-western states.

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