For 66 years, the members of carnival association ‘t Vosse-Ol are celebrating the most beautiful party of the year for them. That jubilee will be celebrated this weekend in their location Nieuw-Vossemeer in a big way. On Saturday, former members gather at a festival site for an activity afternoon full of games. “A nostalgic afternoon,” says one of them.
For many former members it is a reunion with acquaintances. The attendees have settled in a large tent on long tables and neighborhoods firmly. After a speech from the board, the elderly can start the activities.
Despite the summer weekend, the members of ‘t Vosse-Ol find plenty of reasons to turn it into a carnival party. “Our association has been in existence for 66 years this year, and that is very special,” says Marjolijn Oostvogels, the NAR of the association. “We celebrate an anniversary every eleven years. This is already the sixth time.”
The association wanted to unpack this year in a big way. “We put together a whole weekend program. Yesterday afternoon there was attention for the children, in the evening we organized a dart tournament, this afternoon the elderly are welcome and on Sunday we conclude with a beach festival. There is something to do for everyone.”
Remove memories
For the former members who are present on Saturday afternoon, it is one ‘Trip down memory lane. ‘ The association has put together an exhibition with all kinds of stories and events about the history of ‘t Vosse-Ol. “We use all kinds of photos, videos and we have even made a compilation of the parade of 1979. For example, we take the people along different highs and lows. For example, we will elaborate on the fire in the construction shed of 1988, where the carnival car burned down completely.”
Big fire
That fire in the construction shed is something that 82-year-old Mart Verhagen can still remember. As a member of the association, he was building the car on that day. “We had a break and were drinking coffee unsuspectingly,” he looks back. “When we returned to our great shock, the entire car was on fire.”
To this day, it is not completely clear how the fire started. However, Verhagen does have a suspicion. “I think it was a shot ciggle. At that time everyone still smoked everywhere, so also inside. At that moment we were working with polyester and a diluting agent. The cigarette was most likely ended up in that remedy, causing flames to arise.”
When the builders got a height of the fire, they immediately took action. “There were two fire extinguishers in the barn. We caught it and we were putting out, but that didn’t help.” The ten meter long car and the barn burned out completely. “In my opinion we shouted for three days. But yes, there was no time for that, because carnival came close. In the end we drove the parade with an old car from our association. Our carnival had to go on at all costs. That dedication makes this association so beautiful.”
The former members of ‘t Vosse-Ol conclude the jubilee on Saturday with a joint meal from the Frietkar. The old memories are picked up during dinner. Rian van Tilburg looks back on a beautiful period. “I have always had a lot of fun. After all these years, everyone is still there. It is nice to see that today’s board is still so active in organizing this kind of anniversaries. That is something we used to do. Very nice to see many old acquaintances again.”