Brewery Ommegang owners Wendy Littlefield and Don Feinberg are bringing their favorite culture to life on foreign soil for the third time on Saturday. The day will be punctuated with a sandbox treasure hunt for children while adults enjoy a dance performance by the Belgian Alkuone Dance Group.

Everyone will be able to appreciate the majestic pageant featuring the Emperor Charles V and his royal entourage in "magnificent period costume."

At 2 and 4 p.m., spectators will be treated to the ancient art of flag-throwing. Eight Belgians will be flown in expressly for the purpose. Throughout the day there will be exhibitions of falconry, the sport of kings. Master falconer John Wood and his bird recently appeared on The Today Show alongside author J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame, according to Littlefield.

Another elite sport is the racing of greyhounds, said Littlefield, and Suzanne Root of Brewery Ommegang has arranged for a display of the animals to encourage their adoption once they have outlived their racy usefulness.

An addition to this year's festival is that an admission fee charged at the gate will benefit The Lions Club, which shares Brewery Ommegang's symbolic lion.

"We always think of this as a family event, not a beer event," said Feinberg.

Two Gilles de Binche from the famous Binche carnival and a life sized Belgian cartoon character Happy Smurf will be making special appearances throughout the day. Children can participate in an afternoon of flower making and hunting for sandbox shells with numbers painted on them to correspond with special prizes.

And then, of course, there's all the Belgian food and drink you can handle, from French fries and waffles to rich chocolates, grilled sausages, Looza fruit drinks, Ommegang beers, cheese and almond cookies.

Sal Salvaggio of Cooperstown Central School will put on a musical performance and Bob Beckman, winner of the bratwurst competition at the Slow Food Ballpark Frank Tasting, will be on hand with his prizewinning products.

You can win prizes too, including a trip for two to Belgium and "other great stuff," said Littlefield, will be given away during the event.

Festivities begin at one at the Brewery on River Road, midway between Cooperstown and Milford, from noon to 5. There will be free tours of the Brewery. Feinberg and Littlefield are the only Americans ever inducted into the Belgian Brewers Guild in its 500 year history. Belgium Comes to Cooperstown is the largest Belgian festival on foreign soil.