BELGIUM, Wis. — Passing through Belgium, Wisconsin you'll see American flag-lined streets and baseball fields in community parks. Sights typical of small town U.S.A.
But, what sets the village apart, is that every other flag hanging from a lamppost is the Luxembourg flag.
"Belgium, Wisconsin was settled by Luxembourg immigrants back in the 1800s," explained Tara Williams with the Luxembourg American Cultural Society.
It's said that America is a country of immigrants, and that will be on full display this weekend as the village celebrates Luxembourg Fest this weekend.
"We've really held onto the culture of Luxembourg and we've maintained ties to the country of Luxembourg and that's something the people around here are very proud of," Williams said. "It's just so exciting to share a culture that not everyone is familiar with and teach people a little bit more about what it means to be a Luxemburger."
The festival kicks off on Saturday at 11 a.m. with a parade down Main Street. The parade's finale will feature the Wisconsin Diamond Dancers.
"They have actually learned Luxembourgish folk dances that they learned via some of the connections in Luxembourg via Zoom... and at the end of the parade everyone can come out onto the street and they can also learn the Luxembourgish folk dances," Williams shared.
A unique food-eating contest will also take center stage during the festival weekend at Community Park.
"We boast the world's largest treipen eating contest. So, it is definitely a sight to see, you should all put it on your bucket list to see our treipen eating contest," Williams said with a laugh.
Wondering what treipen is? Blood sausage.
If blood sausage isn't your thing, there will be plenty of other Luxembourgish food for you to try, like Gromperekichelcher. Williams describes Gromperekichelcher as a potato pancake.
"It's a very popular festival food in Luxembourg and I think it will be a big hit," she said.
Admission to the Luxembourg American Cultural Society Center is also free all weekend long.
For more information on Luxembourg Fest, click here.
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