Despite the moody weather, a steady stream of more than 250 people--including Robert Mandell, the US ambassador to Luxembourg--attended the event on Sunday afternoon, which celebrated America’s July 4 national day.
“We had several people new to Luxembourg who came by and it was nice to meet the new members of the community,” said Connie Gomez, president of the American Women’s Club Luxembourg, one of the event organisers. Just as important, “we were able to register a lot of people to vote in the presidential election in November via absentee ballot.”
The fête featured face-painting, funfair games, hamburgers, hotdogs and other BBQ fare, and big raffle. Among the other items, Mandall donated one of his own paintings as a raffle prize.
In addition to the AWCL, the event--held at the Conterstuff restaurant--was organised by the American Chamber of Commerce, American Luxembourg Society, Democrats Abroad Luxembourg, Goodrich, NAMSA and Republicans Abroad Luxembourg.
AWCL this summer
Gomez also noted that, in a shift from previous years, the AWCL clubhouse will remain open over the summer. It will, however, operate on a reduced schedule and only be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, until September.
Gomez hopes the summer hours will help the AWCL reach out to international families who move to Luxembourg in the coming months and help them connect with the community.