Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess,
is a Dutch
language term derived from 'kerk' (church) and 'mis' (mass) that became
incorporated in French and English. Its origins are originally
associated with the mass said on the
anniversary of the founding of a church (or the parish) and in honor of
the Patron Saint. Such religious celebrations were regularly held in
the Low Countries, in Central
Europe and also in Northern France, and were accompanied by feasting,
dancing, drinking
and sports. The
Dutch-American Village of Little Chute, Wisconsin, has celebrated Kermis
annually since 1981 with a street festival. The Wallonian settlements in
Door and Kewaunee Counties have celebrated Kermis with traditional
Belgian dishes and events for as long as anyone can remember.
Traditionally, Kermis around here stretched over several
calendar weeks as each small settlement - Namur, Brussels, Rosiere,
Little Sturgeon, Forestville, Lincoln, Duvall and Casco celebrated the harvest and the life-giving bounty of food.
The 2026 Belgian Kermiss Festival took place Sunday at the Belgian Heritage Center in Namur. This historic harvest festival dates all the way back to 1858. This event serves as the center's largest annual fundraiser; plus it's a terrific way to get your Booyah fix.
The historic church, school and convent serve as the repository preserving the history and culture of the largest Walloon Belgian settlement in the United States.
Anyway, there were demonstrations featuring old school mechanized farm machinery powered by early gasoline engines. Cool stuff.
But this caught my attention.
Driven by the power takeoff on a modern Deere tractor this is technically a diesel-powered ice cream maker.
Kermesse, or kermis, or kirmess,
is a Dutch
language term derived from 'kerk' (church) and 'mis' (mass) that became
incorporated in French and English. Its origins are originally
associated with the mass said on the
anniversary of the founding of a church (or the parish) and in honor of
the Patron Saint. Such religious celebrations were regularly held in
the Low Countries, in Central
Europe and also in Northern France, and were accompanied by feasting,
dancing, drinking
and sports. The
Dutch-American Village of Little Chute, Wisconsin, has celebrated Kermis
annually since 1981 with a street festival. The Wallonian settlements in
Door and Kewaunee Counties have celebrated Kermis with traditional
Belgian dishes and events for as long as anyone can remember.
Traditionally, Kermis around here stretched over several
calendar weeks as each small settlement - Namur, Brussels, Rosiere,
Little Sturgeon, Forestville, Lincoln, Duvall and Casco celebrated the harvest and the life-giving bounty of food.
I'm
not of Dutch or Belgian descent - but we're celebrating our own Kermis
here with With the last of our garden harvest and attending the annual Kermis festival at the local Belgian American Heritage Center in Namur. Nothing better on a late summer afternoon than friends, neighbors, a couple of Trappist-influenced craft beers and some Belgian Church Lady food.
Beginning in the mid-1800s and over three decades more
than 5000 Belgian immigrants settled in several
communities in the area. To this day it constitutes the largest
concentration of Walloon Belgians anywhere in the world outside of
Belgium. It's a national treasure. But I digress.
Getting
back to the subject of culinary traditions I happened-upon this short
video published only a few years ago. I'm sharing it as it is about the
tradition of hog butchering in both English and Walloon. Walloon is a national treasure around these parts as it's actually an endangered 'Romance Language' of the Langues d'oïl family - spoken primarily in the Wallonia region of Belgium.
One of the elements of the past that is alive and well is a local favorite called Belgian Trippe.
Trippe
(pronounced like: trip) is a sausage similar to a bratwurst but with a
not-so-secret ingredient. The thrifty Belgian settlers extended their
pork sausage with the inclusion of cabbage. Further seasoned with
onion, salt, pepper, thyme, nutmeg and ginger it is made locally by Marchant's.
It's pretty good stuff for breakfast, lunch or dinner and you won't find it anywhere outside of northeast Wisconsin.
Here's
a newspaper clipping from 1963 with a recipe for 60+ pounds of the
sausage for serving at a Kermis - or Belgian harvest festival....
In the 1800s Belgian immigrants settled in Wisconsin and brought with them culinary traditions that persist to today.
The largest wave of Belgians arrived between 1853 and 1858. They spoke a French-influenced patois and settled the wooded land extending from Green Bay to the southernmost extent of Door County. By the 1880s there were more than 5000 people of Belgian descent who had settled in several communities in the area. To this day it constitutes the largest concentration of Walloon Belgians anywhere in the world outside of Belgium. It's a national treasure. But I digress.
Getting back to the subject of culinary traditions I happened-upon this short video published only a few years ago. I'm sharing it as it is about the tradition of hog butchering in both English and the original lingua franca.
One of the elements of the past that is alive and well is a local favorite called Belgian Trippe.
Trippe (pronounced like trip) is a sausage similar to a bratwurst but with a not-so-secret ingredient. The thrifty Belgian settlers extended their pork sausage with the inclusion of cabbage. Further seasoned with onion, salt, pepper, thyme, nutmeg and ginger it is made locally by Marchant's.
It's pretty good stuff for breakfast, lunch or dinner and you won't find it anywhere outside of northeast Wisconsin.
Here's a newspaper clipping from 1963 with a recipe for 60+ pounds of the sausage for serving at a Kermis - or Belgian harvest festival....
This weekend featured Belgian Days.An annual celebration of Wisconsin's
Belgian-American heritage.This part of
Wisconsin hosts the largest collection of Walloon Belgians outside of Belgium.
Some pictures from this morning's parade...
Color Guard...
First Responders...
Antique Automobiles...
Miss Door County (been seeing a lot of her lately)...
This weekend
featured Belgian Days. An annual celebration of Wisconsin's
Belgian-American heritage right here in Brussels, Wisconsin. This part of Wisconsin hosts the largest
collection of Walloon Belgians outside of Belgium.
Some pictures from yesterday's parade...
The color guard and flags
A really big flag
The Lion's Club and first responders
Horses
Big equipment
Pink equipment
click on images to enlarge
Peninsula Belgian American Club Nice parade for a small town. Small town America is part of what makes America Great!
This weekend featured Belgian Days. An annual celebration of Wisconsin's Belgian-American heritage. This part of Wisconsin hosts the largest collection of Walloon Belgians outside of Belgium.
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