Millcreek Common was bright orange and loud the last weekend of April as many folks attended the Dutch Day Festival to celebrate Koningsdag or King's Day. King’s Day is a national holiday in the Netherlands where they celebrate the king’s birthday.

The color orange is the Netherlands country color and during the Dutch Day Festival, Millcreek Common was experiencing the “orange craze.”

Dutch heritage and culture was featured on the plaza while locals danced, drank beer, consumed stroopwafels and witnessed the competition of the best orange decorated bikes.

Sharon Wuolukka owns The Old Dutch Store in Holladay and was working the festival. “I am a Dutch girl born in America,” Wuolukka said. The Old Dutch Store has been around since 1978 and she purchased it in 2003.

“We do kroketten and it’s very Dutch and one of our top sellers. We have a deli counter and we do lunch with soup and salads along with several delicious sandwich offerings including one called the Bavarian with your choice of knackwurst or kielbasa.”

The Dutch Club of Utah was started by Wuolukka’s daughter, Katie Reid. “People would come into The Old Dutch Store and would ask, ‘Where is the Dutch club? I need a Dutch club!’ So I decided to create one,” Reid said.

“Some people in the club do speak Dutch,” Reid said. “We have two big events, Sinterklaas at the end of November or beginning of December and Koningsdag in April and we planted tulips at the Peach Gardens as a service project.”

Shelley Bullock and her daughter Sky were having a great time. “I just wanted to expose my family to their Dutch heritage and thought what better way to start than to attend the Dutch Day Festival,” Bullock said.

“It’s been a really good turnout,” Wuolukka said. To learn more or join the Utah Dutch Club visit www.dutchsocialclubutah.com.