A touch of Dutch: Discover the ethnic appeal of Fulton, Illinois

The inevitable sound of street musicians banging drums along Chicago's Michigan Avenue and other big-city streets is no match for the joyful stomping of the klompen dancers of tiny Fulton, Ill. (population 3,500).

The sound of more than 200 wooden shoes pounding the pavement in unison makes an impression. Klompen dancing is a colorful part of Fulton's annual Dutch Days Festival held the first weekend in May. Costumed dancers young and old whirl and twirl through Fulton's scrubbed-clean streets in this rite of spring as they re-create several different Dutch folk dances.

The first permanent Dutch settler arrived at this Mississippi river town in 1835. By 1872, 59 Dutch families resided in town. Then came a massive migration and during the next two decades Fulton's Dutch community grew to almost 200 families. The number of new immigrants dwindled until after World War II, when a small number of families arrived from the Netherlands. Today, about 35 percent to 40 percent of the town's population is of Dutch descent.

Of course, during the Dutch Days Festival just about everyone goes Dutch, at least for the weekend, including about 15,000 visitors who head to Fulton for the festivities. You'll not only find them trying on klompen (wooden shoes), but also tasting the likes of snert and hutspot, and inspecting the local equivalent of the dikes of the Netherlands.

Arrive on Friday evening and you can sample an authentic Dutch dinner. It includes snert (pea soup), hutspot (potatoes and cabbage), soepenbrij (buttermilk soup), vlees (canned beef) and vlees bollen (meatballs). You also can try rode kool (red cabbage), boeskool (potatoes and cabbage), snijbonen (green beans) and vla (pudding).

You might hear one of the costumed women preparing the Dutch dinner urge diners with, quot;Neemt sat u kunt, naar ett wat u neemt!quot; This simply means, quot;Take all you want, but eat all you take.quot;

If you happen to be in Fulton at any other time of the year, check out the Dutch buffet served on Saturdays for lunch and dinner at the Fulton Family Restaurant on the east end of town. The buffet includes many of these specialties. Other locally popular eateries include Harbor Cafeacute; alongside the boat dock, known for its pizza, and Sunrise Cafeacute;, a family restaurant in town that occupies a former 7-Eleven.

Dutch Days festivities include an hour-long parade with marching bands, floats, antique cars and tractors, and marchers wearing authentic costumes from all of the provinces of the Netherlands. The Fulton Steamer Marching Band leads off the parade, looking sharp and stepping lively as it plays the national anthems of the United States and the Netherlands. Out of season or not, Sinterklaas, the Dutch Santa Claus, remains one of the parade's big attractions. He appears on his white horse with his companion and helper, Black Piet.

Before the parade, the mayor and town crier inspect the streets to see if they are clean enough for the parade. If not (and you've got to know they never measure up), street scrubbers with brooms and buckets clean them. Other events include a quilt show, a sale of distinctive blue Dutch Delftware, a 5K run/walk and an arts-and-crafts fair.

The creation of authentic costumes for porcelain dolls is a hobby for many Fulton residents. Local seamstresses spend many hours researching the dress of the Netherlands and then duplicate these clothes for the dolls. Dolls are judged for authenticity, workmanship and overall appearance and are later auctioned (at noon on Saturday) and can bring between $400 and $600 each.

No Dutch celebration would be complete without a klompen maker. Watch his skillful hands fashion pairs of shoes from blocks of wood. Buy a pair to take home.

Another Dutch art, hindenloopen painting, decorated furniture during the 17th century. Three colors, one bright and two dark, typically are used to paint small wooden pieces. The artist paints strictly by freehand, with flowers the most common subject, but also birds, scrolls, ships and biblical scenes. Shop for a one-of-a-kind hindenloopen jewelry tray or box.

This year's Dutch Days will include dedication of an authentic windmill built in Holland and being erected on a dike along the extensive levee system that protects Fulton from floods. The ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. May 6 and will be attended by the Dutch Consul General from Chicago and craftsmen from Holland who built the windmill.

In 1965, the spring thaw brought a record volume of water down the Mississippi, completely surrounding the town and making Fulton a temporary island. Today, the levee system not only helps keep the Mississippi at bay, but also provides a perfect path for the Great River Biking and Hiking Trail. At least 20 miles of this trail are now open for use.

Sights to see in Fulton include Heritage Canyon, a former quarry that contains a 12-acre historic village restored and furnished in the period of the mid-1800s. At various times during the year the Early American Crafters, attired in period costumes, demonstrate skills and activities of the 19th century. These re-enactors are out in full force during Dutch Days. Self-guided tours lead through a swinging bridge, a covered bridge, log cabin, country church, little red schoolhouse, mercantile building and blacksmith shop, among others. You'll find a total of more than 20 businesses, homes and other buildings from the 19th century here.

Two miles north of town is U.S. Lock and Dam 13, one of a series of dams that regulate the depth of the river allowing river traffic to continue from early spring to late fall. Boats of all kinds, from canoes to tugs shouldering huge strings of barges, pass through the locks and visitors can view the activities from only a few feet away. Scenic lookout, boat launching, fishing, picnic areas and public restrooms are available.

Sand Prairie, a conservation area that protects a natural sand prairie, provides a habitat for prickly pear cactus, extremely rare in Illinois.

Rich in heritage, Fulton at its zenith ranked as an important steamboating port and lumber town. Huge log rafts floated to Fulton sawmills from northern forests. Mountains of cut lumber stood piled along the riverbanks. The town, originally called Baker's Ferry after the first settler in 1835, changed to Fulton in honor of the famed engineer and inventor.

Around the Midwest appears Sundays in Going Places. Mike Michaelson is a travel writer based in Chicago and the author of the guidebook quot;Chicago's Best-Kept Secrets.quot;

If you go

Information: Fulton Chamber of Commerce, (815) 589-4545; Illinois Tourism, (800) 226-6632.

Mileage: Fulton is 150 miles west of Chicago.

Upcoming events: Dutch Days, Fulton, May 5 and 6; Riverboat Days, Clinton, Iowa, June 30 through July 4.

- Mike Michaelson

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