Belgian Heritage Center Hosted Events

It's never too soon to plan your next visit to the Belgian Heritage Center.  We will be open starting Memorial Weekend on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through October from 10:00 until 3:00.  We will also open by appointment - email contact@belgianheritagecenter.org for more information.

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Sue Havel will be presenting “Finding Your Belgian Roots” at the Belgian Heritage Center on Saturday, June 4 at 10:30. The presentation will provide helpful information to research your family tree, including a variety of online resources. Sue and Paul Neuville will be available after the presentation until 3:00 to answer questions and assist with your research. Bring your family photos to add to BHC's digital archive. Volunteers will scan your photo before you leave.

GREAT FIRE OF 1871 Virginia Johnson, local historian, who wrote the book “When the Night Rained Fire” will share with us how the fire affected the people of Kewaunee County both the tragedy and the positive effects.Open to PBAC members and the public.

Join us for a traditional Belgian lunch. The menu will include our famous booyah, bread, desserts, and a beverage for $12 for adults, $8 for children ages 4 to 12, and free for children 3 or under. Take-out booyah will be offered for $10 per quart after 12:00 pm. Details are in the poster at the link below. 

 

We invite you to bring any historic photographs from the Belgian community to be scanned. We are particularly interested in photos of people engaged in work or leisure activities as well as places or buildings in the settlement area. 

 

 

Kathleen Ernst, best-selling author of The Lacemaker’s Secret, will return to BHC on Saturday, July 9. The Lacemaker’s Secret is part of the award-winning Choe Ellefson mystery series. The story takes place in Belgium and in the Belgian settlements of Wisconsin, past and present, and features our history and traditions. Kathleen will share the artifacts and stories that inspired the book in a presentation at BHC on Saturday, July 9 at 3:30. The presentation is open to the public will be followed by a book signing event. You will not want to miss hearing about Kathleen’s fascinating research!

ORPHAN TRAIN Don Youniss presents this program of a social experiment that transported children from crowded eastern cities to the country’s Midwest for adoption. Wisconsin, being in the Midwest, was favored by the many of the child placing institutions due to the large number of families that had room to take a needy child into their home, with plenty of food from the farm for all. “The C. & N.W. train from the south early morning brought to Fort Howard about 30 orphaned children from the New York Orphan Asylum.” Per September 21, 1893 - Green Bay Press Gazette. Open to PBAC members and the public.

MILLIES’S STORY Marcia Kritzler-Egeland, Holocaust Educator, will share with us the story of her mother, Mildred Straahs Kritzler, beginning with her permanent separation from her parents at age 9, and her rescue by American Quakers resulting in her arrival in the United States in 1941 at age 12. Marcia's presentation includes detailed facts of her mother's escape as well as information about the fate of her parents and the escape of her brother Walter from the death camps. Open to PBAC members and the public.