This week Drenthe was all about a mix of special achievements, traditions and looking back. From international sports ambitions to local solidarity and a mainly quiet New Year’s Eve. This was Drenthe’s week.
The week started sportily with Eelco de Groot, who ran all the World Major Marathons this year: Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Seven marathons on four continents. He himself calls it “madness”. “It’s more about living your own dream and an empty wallet,” he said.
“You can’t gain anything from it. It’s just fun to do and really enriching.”
On Tuesday, ice art attracted attention on the Brink in Orvelte. While chainsaws whizzed through large blocks of ice, two artists worked on a sculpture.
Dozens of spectators tried to guess what it would be. “I can’t make anything of it yet,” he said. Only after more than an hour of sawing did the work of art become recognizable to most people. It became a bird of prey.
Wednesday was all about New Year’s Eve traditions. This year, New Year’s Eve association De Oliebol from Vledder brought Harry Muskee to the village to draw attention to obedience. “Music connects,” said secretary Daan Pit.
The TT images from Rolde Grolloo, Borger, Hooghalen, Schoonloo and Assen are also correct again. These were owned by the Frisian New Year’s Eve association De Nachtdravers from Donkerbroek. The statues were removed from the pedestals in honor of the 100th anniversary of the TT.
On Thursday, emergency services looked back on the New Year. Fire brigade and police spoke of a normal night in Drenthe. “In general, it went well and we had a good time with the residents,” he said, despite a few incidents.
Drenthe thus deviated from the national picture, where the Dutch Police Association spoke of a lot of violence against emergency workers.
The day ended on Friday with a look into the past. More than a thousand files were made public during Public Access Day at the National Archives in The Hague, on the first working day of the new calendar year. One of these concerns the train hijacking near Wijster in December 1975.
The file contains, among other things, reports of communications with hostages and negotiators, correspondence between ministers from the Den Uyl cabinet and reports of conversations with representatives of the Moluccan community. All documents can now be viewed by everyone in the National Archives.