The idea of a virtual shoulder tapping machine came about in the community through a saying by the mayor Peter Weber. When someone has done something particularly well, he usually says: “Now you can stand under the shoulder-patting machine for half an hour.” The slogan got stuck – and in a meeting of the local council, the committee asked itself whether such a machine would be feasible.
A concept was worked out, sponsors sought. “The response was great both inside and outside the Mettau Valley,” says Weber happily. Crowdfunding brought in over 20,000 francs and over 50 sponsors and donors jumped on the bandwagon. It soon became clear where the machine was to be installed: in the last telephone booth in the village.
–