“An orange hat, scarf and orange pants,” exclaims Hilda Blokzijl from Emmen. She already has her royal clothes ready. Moreover, she has the perfect space to show off the royal outfit; namely from her own balcony.
Blokzijl lives with her husband in the Tax Flat. They overlook the Raadhuisplein, where the route ends on King’s Day and the festivities continue on the main stage. “We have a ringside seat!”
Her husband immediately received a call from family shortly after it became known that the king would visit Emmen. “Everyone wants to come and see us.” Wife Hilda agrees: “And then there are already fourteen of us. If friends also want to join us, then that really doesn’t fit anymore.”
Huize Blokzijl is therefore royal-minded, but that orange feeling is not present at all among three residents of the Holdert residential care center in Emmen. That building is also located right on Raadhuisplein. “I don’t really care for it,” says Annie Bosma. Fellow resident Korrie Wijnholds adds: “I like seeing it, but that’s all.”
The ladies meet in Renkje Zoer’s apartment. It overlooks the Raadhuisplein. Zoer is also sober during the royal visit. She does have, undoubtedly unintentionally, a bright orange walker.
Activities supervisor Anja Strijker from the residential care center wants to use the coming time to slowly warm up the residents for King’s Day. “April will be our orange month. We are going to play king’s bingo, we are going to make corsages and of course the orange tompouces should not be missing.”
And although resident Zoer has yet to achieve that intended orange feeling, she does have a very fervent wish: “I hope the king will come to visit us.”