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Springfield celebrates the Queen's Birthday

  • Published
  • By Capt. Lindsay Logsdon
  • 178 FW Public Affairs
The Royal Netherlands Air Force squadron here hosted the Queen's Birthday Barty April 25 at Young's Jersey Dairy in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The QBP is traditionally held in Holland either April 30--or April 29 if the 30th falls on a Sunday. According to online sources, Queen's Day celebrates the birthday of the Queen of Netherlands and is supposed to be a day of national unity and togetherness.
"It is a comparable celebration to the Fourth of July," said Maj. Peter Borgman, the 306th Detachment director of operations. "It's an official national holiday for us."
The second annual celebration here had many components of the QBP celebrated overseas, although nowhere near the level of revelry as in Amsterdam. Festivities included a Dutch vs. USA soccer game, children's games and bounce houses, music, and a variety of Dutch-style fair food and drinks.
Nearly 450 people attended the party. Attendees ranged from Royal Netherlands Air Force personnel and their families to other Dutch native's from across the state. The Dutch contingent working out of an acquisition squadron at Wright-Patterson AFB also attended with other European co-workers. A good portion of attendees were also from the 178th Fighter Wing.
The soccer match was the highlight for many attendees. The windy weather was a significant factor. For a good portion of the first half, team USA was up by one goal, however, by half-time the Dutch had closed the gap. While battling it out in the second half, the Dutch took the lead to win the match 5-4.