Belgian Kermiss At Heritage Center

A crowd gathers at the Belgian Heritage Center to enjoy Kermiss. File photo by Rachel Lukas.

The Belgian Heritage Center (BHC) is hosting its annual Belgian Kermiss on Aug. 20, 11 am – 4 pm. A kermiss is a traditional harvest festival that is open to the whole community featuring Belgian food, beer, raffles, music and camaraderie. 

Antique farm implement demonstrations will illustrate life on the farm in the past, while history buffs may view the BHC’s exhibits and take a guided tour of a historic 1894 schoolhouse. This year there will be a display honoring the first Belgian families who settled in this area 170 years ago. In addition, there will be a movie prop exhibit from the new film, Room 108: The Clearing, with a talk by the director at 1:30 pm. Scenes from the movie were filmed at the BHC. The variety band, Mad Cats, will provide their mix of country, rock and pop music, 11 am -3 pm.

The Belgian food served are booyah, trippe (a Belgian sausage similar to a bratwurst), hamburgers, jutt, Belgian pies, tortes and old-fashioned ice-cream made onsite using the power drive on a tractor. In addition to the regular selection of beer served, the kermiss features brews from two of the area’s craft breweries, Thumb Knuckle and Noble Roots. All proceeds benefit the BHC. 

The BHC is located at 1255 County Road DK in Brussels. For more information, visit belgianheritagecenter.org.