
Luxembourg Fest Mass & Pageantry
Sunday, August 13, 2023
10AM – 1PM
Community Park – 106 Beech Street, Belgium, WI
Join us for a special Mass at Luxembourg Fest Grounds. Following Mass will be the Luxembourg Fest Pageantry, crowning this year’s Duke and Duchess Dennis and Denise Dimmer and honoring the families Birnbaum and Medinger.
Plan to stick around after the Mass and Pageantry as Luxembourg Fest wraps up on a high note with live polka music by the Goodtime Dutchmen. Enjoy lunch with food and beverages sold by Belgium’s American Legion – Melvin Wester Post #412 – and dessert by the Jay Road 4-H Club.
Mass chairs will be set up as they have in the past. Our guests are more than welcome to bring their own chairs to spread out throughout the fest grounds if they prefer.
Schedule of Events:
10AM: Luxembourg Fest Mass & Pageantry
11AM-1PM: Food and Music
Meet your 2023 Luxembourg Fest Duke and Duchess, Dennis and Denise Dimmer!
Both Dennis and Denise grew up near Belgium, WI and are both Luxembourg dual citizens. Dennis reclaimed it through Article 89 using his Great-Great Grandmother, Anna (Steines) Katheiser of Mammer, Luxembourg. Denise reclaimed it through Article 89 using her great-great grandfather, Franz Jacoby of Hassel, Luxembourg. Both of our parents were proud Luxembourgers and they passed that pride on to us so we are passing it on to our children and grandchildren. It felt right to reclaim our Luxembourg heritage in this manner. Denise has been involved with Luxembourg Fest for many years as a Mass musician/coordinator and overseeing the Treipen Eating Contest. Dennis helps with Luxembourg Fest in different areas as needed and has been a Treipen Eating Contest Champ. As always, we look forward to Luxembourg Fest as a great social event to renew our friendships with neighbors here and the wonderful people we have met over the years from Luxembourg.

This year, Luxembourg Fest will be honoring the Medinger and Birnbaum families. These families hail from Canach, Rameldingen, Lenningen and Grevenmacher, Luxembourg. Nicholas Birnbaum was born in Bous, Luxembourg, and Margaretha Gehlen was born in Lenningen, Luxembourg. They immigrated to La Crosse, WI in 1880, later followed by their daughter Anna and her husband John Medinger (who was born in Lenningen, Luxembourg). The honored family efforts at Fest will be led by family descendent Sandy Hammes of La Crosse,Wisconsin, who invites all Medinger and Birnbaum families to participate. Hammes invites all families interested in participating to contact her for more info at sandyhammes@outlook.com.
Photo: Hotel Luxembourg, first owned by Nic & Margaretha then by son Ben. Home, hotel, bar, and barbershop. | Photo courtesy of Sandy Hammes.

Click below to see all Luxembourg Fest Week events!
Questions? Contact the LACS Office at info@lacs.lu or 262-476-5086.