A project that highlights the life of seasonal workers through evocations, exhibitions, walks and bicycle tours, and connects the village community.
Bitter because of the heavy work in all weathers, the poor working conditions, the poor housing, such as sleeping in a cowshed, the not too good food. Sweet because of the sense of belonging in the village, the close friendships, with the occasional strong argument, the fair.
Rillaar in the mid-19th century until the 1960s was a real seasonal workers' village. Seasonal workers harvested and threshed grain, worked in the beet and picked peas and beans, but they also worked in canneries, sugar refineries, in brickworks and in the mines. This project in and around Rillaar with an evocation (theatre), expo, lecture, walking and cycling tours, aims not only to provide a vivid memory of the past, but also to be an opportunity for people to connect with their history and each other.
Initiator: Gidsenbond Aarschot (Guides Association of Aarschot) LEADER grants: € 3.030 Contact person: Kris Vuerinckx - kris.vuerinckx@aarschot.be - 016 63 02 80 Duration: 2024 Location: The expo will take place in the Kortakker hall in Rillaar (Aarschot). Walking and cycling tours with extension along neighbouring (sub)municipalities such as Tielt-Winge, Langdorp (Aarschot), Wolfsdonk (Aarschot).
