While in many villages of Easter fires in smoke this year, a new bump is burning in Oosterhesselen this year. In the same place where the original pile was shredded earlier this week, a new Easter bump has been built up in just a day and a half. “We certainly have something to be proud of,” says organizer Gido Lugies.
The Easter fire in Oosterhesselen seemed to be written off at the beginning of this week. Due to the persistent drought, phase 2 of the natural fire risk was prohibited, prohibiting municipalities of Easter fires. Also in Coevorden, which includes Oosterhesselen, all the bumps built up had to be destroyed. In Oosterhesselen the stack went through the fragmenter on Monday.
When the weather struck later this week and the Drenthe Security Region decided to scales the risk to phase 1, several municipalities still reversed the prohibition. In many villages, however, it was too late: building a new bump in a few days seemed unfeasible for many. Not for the group of young people in Oosterhesselen. “When I looked at my phone on Thursday, I had 150 apps. Then I knew: there will be something going on,” says Lugies. “When it turned out that the fire could continue, we said: then we try to ride something together in a day.”
In addition, help came from different angles. Friends, members of the youth box and acquaintances from the village responded en masse to a call on Facebook. With agricultural vehicles and the help of a contracting company of a comrade, a new bump was built up within a day and a half. “It’s not about who you are, but who you know,” laughs Lugies. “We were able to move large bumps with the tap, pull smaller stuff on the cart by hand. And we make sure that we leave it neat for the farmers.”
The new bump is almost in the same place as the previous one. “The old one was about ten meters wider, but we hadn’t printed it yet. The new one is about as large as that from before fragmentation.”
The place is less than a kilometer away from both the built -up area and the forest. As a result, no fire was allowed to heat. Lugies: “That is the rule, and we have resigned ourselves to that. But that afterwards it was suddenly allowed, well … then you will switch.”
Tonight at eight o’clock the Easter fire will be lit. Lugies expects between five hundred and a thousand visitors, but finds it difficult to estimate. “You don’t know exactly what people are going to do when things don’t go on at first and then suddenly again. But most of the time there are young people and northern Sleen. We’ll see.”
One thing is certain: the atmosphere will be good. “Beer will certainly go in. Also more than one.”