Luxembourg Fest turns 35

Belgium’s annual Luxembourg Fest started 35 years ago, and a number of people remember the celebration before it became a staple of the community’s culture.

Richard Uselding, former owner of Belgium Hardware, was on the planning committee for the first Luxembourg Fest. He recalled it being dubbed, “Luxembourg Fest of Belgium,” and consisted of an antique tractor parade on Saturday followed by a Catholic Mass on Sunday.

The committee was a small but passionate group of locals with an interest in preserving Belgium’s Luxembourgish heritage.

 “Bea Krier was very inspirational with ideas and came up with the idea that we should have a Luxembourg fest. Credit should go to her,” Uselding said.

“As we became more enthused for it, it just kept growing.”

Uselding added that the event is now known as Luxembourg Fest of America since the festival’s culture is shared and enjoyed by visitors from around the nation, and even draws visitors from Luxembourg.

 Luxembourg is the world’s only Grand Duchy — a state ruled by a Grand Duke or Duchess — so the planning committee found it appropriate to name a festival duke and duchess. The first duke and duchess were Emil and Martha Ries.

The tradition continues today — this year’s duke and duchess, Pat and Rhonda Krier, were crowned following Sunday’s Mass.

 Music and Mass have always been a large part of Luxembourg Fest. The Mass was originally a collaborative effort of parishes in three local communities: Holy Cross, Lake Church and Dacada, and the Catholic churches took turns providing the music for Mass.

Denise Dimmer’s first memory of Luxembourg Fest was “playing piano for them when St. Nicholas Church (in Dacada) was in charge.”

Dimmer was swept into the excitement of the fest and serves on the Luxembourg fest’s planning committee today.

 Since the beginning, a band would play after Mass as guests danced the afternoon away. For the last 15 years, Luxembourg has sent over a Luxembourgish band to play at the fest. Groups would range from 10 to 30 members in size and are hosted by local families, creating relationships that often span a lifetime.

Uselding recalls hosting fellow Useldings from Luxembourg who he had never met before. He and his wife later traveled to Luxembourg, where the Luxembourgish Useldings hosted them for two weeks yet refused to take a penny in payment.

Fred Krier, a Belgium resident and Luxembourg dual citizen, also hosted members of this group. He fondly recalls his friendship with Luxembourger Roger Biever, a former police officer who traveled to Luxembourg Fest with his son and stayed with the Kriers six times. The Kriers would take the pair all over to show them the sights.   

“They knew how to party,” he laughs.

“One night after eating at No-Nos, they brought in instruments and moved tables and people started dancing. We left at 2 a.m. I don’t know when they came in.”

When Krier later called Biever for help booking a hotel and car for an upcoming trip to Luxembourg, he responded “No, no, no — you stay with us.”

Similar to Uselding’s experience, Biever hosted the Kriers on two trips to Luxembourg, once taking them on an excursion to Paris.

The visiting Luxembourgers were overjoyed to see that the Belgium descendants often learned Luxembourgish from their parents and grandparents, and they were amused to find the vocabulary they were learning was dated since language quickly evolves.

“They were just so proud that we were maintaining our roots of our Luxembourgish heritage,” Uselding said.

While Covid-19 uncertainties prevented a Luxembourgish band from traveling to Fest this year, the LACS worked with Luxembourgish band Zero Point Five to produce a virtual concert on Luxembourg’s National Day in 2020, and hope to bring Zero Point Five to perform on Saturday of Luxembourg Fest next year.   

 In 2011, the newly formed Luxembourg American Cultural Society took on a larger role in the planning of Luxembourg Fest, as the relationship between Luxembourg and Belgium continued to strengthen.

Sandy Hubing, whose late husband Melvin served on the original fest committee, remembered the fest’s early years.

“Not being a Luxembourger, I was really pleased that they decided to honor their heritage, she said. “When you look at the population of Belgium at that point, for them to do something like this was really amazing.”

Uselding knows the secret to Luxembourg Fest’s success over the past three and a half decades.

“It’s the pride of the community. It helps maintain relationships, heritage and culture. People enjoy it,” he said.