When the Wargolshausen musicians celebrate their 50th anniversary from September 13th to 16th, that does not mean that there was no band in the village before 1974. Quite the opposite. Not only church music, but even entire dance evenings at church fairs and carnivals were provided by the brass players, who at that time were exclusively male.
But it was just a “loose bunch”; musicians who only met for rehearsals and performances. But the “bunch” got smaller and smaller, and at the beginning of the 1970s it looked as if brass music would disappear from the village. But only almost.
Hermann Friedrich, Rudolf Krapf and Gangolf Zimmer did not want to stand by and watch the company go under. So the young men went from house to house and advertised music education. And they were successful. In the autumn of 1974, twelve young people began learning to play an instrument under Ernst Schmitt from Bad Neustadt.
A club was founded and public performances followed in the summer of 1975. The foundation for the 50-year success story was laid. 50 years in which challenges had to be overcome. In connection with the construction of the new parish hall, it was initially planned that the music club would set up a rehearsal room on the upper floor of the new building using its own resources.
Brewery instead of parish hall
But shortly after completion, the idea came up to found a kindergarten association and to house the single-group kindergarten in the newly created rooms. However, this meant that more work had to be done. With more than 3,000 volunteer hours, the old brewery was converted into a music center. And all this in addition to rehearsals, concerts, performances and the organization of parties.
In the early 1980s, the musicians began setting up the maypole and the subsequent festival activities, and a few years later they set up a food stand as part of the Rose Monday parade.
Over the past five decades, the wind players have not only won the hearts of the people, they have also played an important role in the cultural and social life of the village. Whether at church events, at festivals in the village or at private birthday serenades: with their performances, the wind players have provided the respective musical framework.
What would a pilgrimage or procession be without the accompaniment of musicians, what would an anniversary be without the enhancement of the band, what would many events be without the – sometimes spontaneous – performances of the wind players? This applies not only to the present day, but also to the 50 years of the club’s history.
Former wind players reactivated
“We want to see,” said chairman Michael Slabsche and his deputy Anna Lurz, “whether we can reactivate a few old musicians for our anniversary.” And so well over 100 former members were written to and invited to an anniversary concert on Sunday, November 3rd. As active musicians, mind you.
Ten wind players have registered and are currently rehearsing together with the band’s 20 regular wind players and preparing for the concert.
But there is still some time until then. First of all, there is the festival on Saturday, September 7th, to which not only former members and guests of honor are invited, but also local residents. A last breather before the big festival weekend, which will be celebrated from September 13th to 16th on the community’s fairgrounds.
This will certainly be a challenge for the whole village. Around 200 helpers are needed to manage the four days of festivals. “But in Wargolshausen it works.” The board duo is convinced of this. And together they hope that the anniversary celebrations will go well.
The festival program
With the beer tapping It starts on Friday, September 13th at 6 p.m. The Hendunger musicians will play. Afterwards, the musicians from “Dance the funky Chicken” will be on the marquee stage. On Saturday, September 14th, a party evening with the “Wülfershäuser” is planned. Sunday, September 15th, starts with a morning pint and lunch. The parade begins at 2 p.m., followed by a community choir and “Begaxel”. A treat not only for brass music fans follows on Monday, September 16th: “Vlado Kumpan” and his musicians have been booked. Tickets are available in advance by calling (0162) 3468876 or (0171) 5181523.
Source: Wargolshausen Music Association
