The area’s biggest and best celebration of Belgian heritage is back in the Quad Cities! Take a trip to the heart of Moline Illinois, for some Olde Towne Flemish fun this weekend at the Fall Belgian Fest!

The 10th Annual Fall Belgian Fest returns to Stephens Park (7th Street and 15th Avenue Moline) this Sunday Sep 17 from 12 – 4 p.m. Admission is free to all!

The Fall Belgian Fest, formerly known as the Fall Flemish Fest, is sponsored and organized by the Center for Belgian Culture. Bill Cornelis, Festival Chairman of the Fall Belgian Fest shares, “Many of the Belgian Community came to Moline, after World War II to begin a new life.  They came here with nothing but a dream.  They didn’t ask for much.  They only asked for an opportunity to work hard, raise a family, and thank the good Lord in Church.  This is our heritage.  We owe it to them to preserve it.”

This year’s Fall Belgian Fest is filled to brim with fun and exciting cultural activities, music, food, drinks and more!

It wouldn’t be a Belgian celebration without a Rolle Bolle Tournament now, would it? Rolle Bolle, a favored past time in the Belgian community consists of a beveled bolle rolled between stakes (30 feet apart). As the bolle slows down, it turns into the stake and comes to rest. The bolle(s) that are closest to the stake scores!

The Fall Belgian Fest Rolle Bolle Tournament will begin at 11 a.m. As many players as possible are welcome! If you are interested in participating, simply show up prior to 11 a.m. with your bolle, and teams will be drawn. If you’re curious about the game but not feeling competitive, the first two courts of Rolle Bolle will be open and available to anyone who would like to pick up a bolle and try it out.

The Happy Belgians will kick off the festivities at 12 p.m. Immediately following their performance, The Gray Wolf Band will take the stage for your listening and dancing pleasure.

Connect with your inner Belgian with a famous Center for Belgium Culture Waffle (with all the fixins), Belgian Brat, Hot Dog or a Pork Chop Sandwich – and wash it down with a Stella Artois, Belgian Wheat or Bud Light! Belgian Village Inn will also be selling their famous steamy VandeRuebens.

The real MVP’s of the Fall Belgian Fest, the Belgian Draft Horses, will also be in attendance. These majestic creatures, provided by Doug and Dianne Smith of Fairfield Iowa, steal the show and also provide carriage rides! Riders are $5 per person or $15 per family.

Belgian Lace Makers will also be available, showing off their amazing talent.

Don’t forget to purchase your annual Fall Belgian Fest t-shirt, with a new design and look for only $20 each!

The Center for Belgian Culture, established to preserve and share the proud Belgian heritage, began this Fall Belgian Fest to keep the Belgian culture alive in future generations. “Many people involved with the Center for Belgian Culture are getting older.  We need younger people that have Belgian ancestry to step up to the plate and get involved with preserving their heritage,” Cornelis states. The organization has been greatly increasing their footprint in the community – through not only this festival, but the monthly Belgian Waffle Breakfast, scholarships to local students and more. They plan to add more events throughout the year as well. If community members are interested in joining the CBC’s mission, it only cost $35 a year to be a member. For more information, visit www.belgianmuseumquadcities.org/.

For more information on the festival, including upcoming events, visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/FallFlemishFest/.

The sun will be shining, and the Flemish fun will be flowing this Sunday, at Stephens Park in Moline. Don’t miss out on this experience!

Moline’s Mercado On Fifth is back!

Bringing Back Mexican Cuisine, Culture And More Fridays through Sept. 10 from 5 to 10 p.m. at 432 12th Street in Moline, everyone can get the weekend started right with Mercado! There will be a variety of children’s activities, delicious Mexican cuisine, and unique retail stands selling everything from jewelry to hand-sewn blouses and imported ceramics. 

Mercado on Fifth is not just a market; it serves as a resource and catalyst for aspiring entrepreneurs. The weekly events bring Quad Citizens together to celebrate culture and community in an inclusive way. Educational programming at Mercado provides enrichment hours for children, and free nonprofit booth space gets helpful information to adults.

By addressing the specific needs of small businesses in the area, Mercado on Fifth and its partners have helped create and/or provide a platform for 30 new minority-owned businesses in the Quad Cities region. Most vendors have taken advantage of our free small business workshops (in Spanish and English) in partnership with the Illinois Small Business Development Center at Western Illinois University (SBDC). Through the management of the SBDC, we also started a micro-grant program for minority entrepreneurs to purchase equipment for their businesses. Over the past two years, Mercado founder Bob Ontiveros has given away over $62,000 to over 40 minority-owned businesses to purchase anything from food warmers to an industrial sewing machine.

Black Hawk College, another valued partner, also began offering the Food Sanitation Management class in Spanish at the request of Mercado leadership. Previously, Spanish speakers interested in becoming a kitchen manager or starting a food business had to drive to Chicago to take the class. Finally, Mercado on Fifth supported the creation of a commercial kitchen located within St. John’s Lutheran Church just blocks away from the Moline event space, thus completing the entrepreneurial eco-system. Mercado vendors and other small businesses now rent the kitchen for a small hourly fee.

Go ahead and block out your Fridays because Mercado On Fifth is where you are going to want to be this summer.