Racing ducks with wet feet and wet feathers

WARSTEIN –  Not a cloud was in the sky when “We Love Warstein” invited people to join the “colorful festivities” in the city center on Saturday afternoon as part of the City and Asparagus Festival. And the program, organized by the young people of Warstein, was quite impressive as well.

In the afternoon, however, the guests were slow to arrive; it wasn't until early evening that the area in front of the large stage at the foot of St. Pankratius Church began to fill up.

The “Wonnesamstag” program kicked off with a mini-Olympics, in which participants from all of Warstein’s neighborhoods competed against each other in various events. The town champions were crowned in crate climbing, bull riding, and archery.

Mostly young participants competed against each other and were rewarded by “We Love Warstein” for their efforts. Those who competed on behalf of their neighborhood received an invitation to the volunteers’ party, which will take place shortly in Belecke or Niederbergheim and where the awards ceremony is scheduled to be held. Meanwhile, a large inflatable play area awaited all the children on the market square, where they ran around and played to their hearts’ content.

The music school band kicked off the musical stage program. With a mix of current and well-known hits, the young musicians showcased their talent. At dusk, the Happy Ballooning Club set up three balloon baskets for the Candle Light Glow in front of the stage. Along with hits by Helene Fischer and Andreas Bourani, the glowing balloons—especially in harmony with John Miles’ “Music”—created an atmospheric ambiance in front of St. Pankratius Church. The highlight of the evening was then provided by the Pur cover band “Abenteuerland.” The hits by the famous pop band went over well with the audience, and so, after some initial difficulties in the afternoon, “Wonnesamstag” came to a successful close with a large crowd in attendance.

Of course, the duck race on the Wäster was back again, with the starting signal given at 5:30 p.m. However, it took place under the most adverse conditions since its premiere in 2003. Host Stefan Hötte had to juggle two things at once: holding the microphone in one hand and an umbrella in the other, he cheered on the audience, who were braving the steady rain at Bullerteich. This time, however, everything went faster than in previous years, when the Wäster had lower water levels: By 6:05 p.m., Leonard Kraß had already been declared the winner, as his duck headed alone toward the weir and was fished out by members of the youth fire department.

 His prize: a shopping gift certificate worth 250 euros. Ticket No. 1097 wins its owner a gift certificate worth 150 euros. The other winners and their prize amounts: Sergej Kizimin (120), Maya Fleischer (100), Ticket 1211 (90), Merle Arens (80), Nico Kneer (70), Jona Beckwermert (60), Ticket No. 0725 (50), Greta Post (30); and the following each won gift cards worth 25 euros: Erich Hoppe, Ticket No. 0839, Ricardo Meulewert, Leon Menzel, Lukas Wagner, Bärbel Tonnesen, Anna Brom, Beatrix Berle, Leonie Schulte, and a press team.

And then, among the 2,600 official green racing ducks, there were also ten yellow ones: CDU mayoral candidate Dr. Thomas Schöne had “sneaked” them into the race. Each one was worth two sundaes—as a reward for the 20 youth firefighters who always bring the racing fun to a close at the finish line. – pit/sw