It has only happened seven times in the history of Westerbork: the famous and infamous Pot and Pan Race. Participants slide down an ice ramp specially built by volunteers in the village. The tradition provides a lot of fun.
“The first time was in 1979. After that it has not been every year,” says a happy Wilfred Zeewuster of the organization, pointing to the last edition in 2010. “It is unique that it is happening again, a really great event again!”
75 participants appear at the start in the most diverse outfits. From lederhosen to glitter suits, there is nothing crazy enough for the participants. Some choose a colander, others choose a huge soup pot or small saucepan, resulting in painful bibs. It shouldn’t spoil the fun.
In the afternoon, only one of the participants manages to ring the bell at the end of the course. That Tamara Gils-Boer. “Very nice,” she laughs. “But I hope there will be more who succeed.”
She goes down the ramp in an old frying pan from her father. A large size that in the past even had two people sitting on it. The pan has survived the 16 years of absence from the event. “When I heard about this event, I immediately thought: I have to participate in it. And perhaps my father, who made the pan at the time (ed.), thought so even more. He had already dusted it off before I even signed up.”
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