Center for Belgian Culture

06/05/2026

Please join us tomorrow ( June 6th) for a delicious Belgian waffle and sausages.
Breakfast as always at the Friends Circle (701 18th Ave Moline) from 8am to 11am.
Also come and enjoy the delightful music provided by The Happy Belgians!

04/20/2026

Since we have so many eagles here in the Quad City area in the winter, I wondered if there were eagles in Belgium. Here is our answer

White-tailed eagles breed in Belgium for first time. This pair of white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) first took up residence in the De Blankaart nature reserve in West Flanders in April 2023 and their first egg hatched April 19, 2024.

From https://www.discoveringbelgium.com/white-tailed-eagles-in-belgium/ #:~:text=This%20pair%20of%20white%2Dtailed,in%20West%20Flanders%20last%20April.

A pair of white-tailed eagles (also known as sea eagles) is breeding in De Blankaart nature reserve in Woumen: a first for Belgium, which is great news.

04/08/2026

Did you know?

The term "spa" for a mineral spring or resort originates from the Belgian town of Spa. The town has a population of about 10,000.

03/29/2026

There will be NO waffle breakfast on April 4 due to Easter being Sunday, April 5. Happy Easter to everyone!

03/20/2026

02/28/2026

Don't forget next Saturday, March 7, is our waffle breakfast at the
Friends Circle Club
701 18th Ave in Moline IL
Time: 8-11 AM
Cost is $9 for adults ($2 off if you are a member of the Center for Belgian Culture.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

02/24/2026

Congratulations to the US Women’s and Men’s Hockey teams! They brought the excitement with their heart stopper OT wins! All the US athletes were tremendous.
Special congrats to Connor Hellebuyck- the goaltender with an amazing record number of saves- and Belgian roots as well. Connor’s great-great-grandparents emigrated separately in the 1880s to Michigan. August Hellebuyck was born in Wingene in 1859. Connor’s great great grandmother- Emerentiana Dinneweth was a native of Zwevezele- born in 1867. Many of us have inherited the determination and tenacity of our immigrant ancestors- and it was wonderful to see it on display at the Games.

02/16/2026

DID YOU KNOW

The United States was first introduced as a country to our wonderful Belgian Waffles in 1962 at the World’s Fair in Seattle, Washington.

02/08/2026

The Hallerbos – also known as the Blue forest — is a forest in Belgium, which covers an area of 1,360 acres. This mighty forest gets covered with bluebells between late April and May.

01/29/2026

An ideal weekend is spent shopping or at the coast

One of Belgium’s favorite pastimes is shopping. Another is going to the seaside. Ideally, both. A dream weekend plan involves a shopping trip to Knokke, the upscale resort on the Belgian coast.

In all seriousness, once the weekend starts, Belgians head en masse to major shopping areas and – if the weather is nice – to coastal towns.

If crowds aren’t your thing, it’s best to avoid major shopping areas and main coastal towns on weekends and public holidays. And if you can’t avoid it, do yourself a favor and go early in the morning – that way, you beat the worst traffic and get a head start before everyone else shows up.

Information from Fullsuitcase.com - belgium-facts