It’s the big day for bargain hunters, artists, and the hare swamp. The forty-seventh edition of Open City will end in prime time. We follow it hour by hour.
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15 hours
The sky darkens above Hazebrouck. Will the forty-seventh edition of HVO pass between the drops?
14 hours
The shows are starting in the four dedicated venues. In the public garden there are the dancers of Haz we dance, the young people of the socio-educational center.
14 hours
The lunch break is about to end. In stores, the results are mixed. At the Despres bakery we sold maybe a dozen sandwiches. ” The organization needs to be reviewed let the bakers go.
11h 30
Police commander Pierre Vienne and his squads patrolled all morning. ” I don’t know if it’s incivility or lack of knowledge of the instructions, but there must be a problem somewhere “, points out. The police had to remove about twenty cars parked in the forbidden perimeter. The vehicles were impounded. ” And again, about fifty cars have been moved because we have been able to identify the owners! “
11:00 am
A recognizable smell already hovers over the Degroote place. ” We smell good tonight! “, Joke the cooks of the day. Like every year, Thierry Heugubart has put on his apron and is busy cooking chips in Ville Ouvert. ” We have 280 pounds of potatoes planned for the weekend. “No carbonade instead this year, but instead sausages, merguez sausages and ham.
The opening of the city of Hazebrouck would be nothing without its volunteers. Geneviève and Charlotte joined the team this year. For them it will be diving, at the socio-educational center. ” I have been coming as a spectator for years and have seen others work. I told myself why not me “Says Geneviève.
10h45
Rue de la Clé, this seasoned vinyl salesman didn’t expect to see the crowd: ” In flea markets, it is general. And wait for it to get colder in a fortnight, for the pellet bill to go down. There, there will really be no one. “
10 hours
Corinne and her daughter Lisa have set up their stall on the Grand Place. They had no idea that they would find themselves a little alone in the middle of the pavement. Seven exhibitors are installed in this part of the square, on the Prum bakery side. ” There is not necessarily a lot of passage, it is not the top. “
Pet Boontjes’s fanfare tries to wake the sleepy hypercenter.
9h45
At the Village des assos, place Degroote, the Pink Blouses present their actions to the elderly living in retirement homes. Marie-Lou Giraudet is surprised: ” Usually, when we arrive at 9 in the morning, there are a lot of people everywhere. This year we haven’t seen many people yet, we are surprised by this flea market scattered everywhere. Perhaps the organization should be revised. “
In the station area it is still possible to find parking spaces despite the roads under construction. The enthusiasm around the event is not (yet?) Visible.
9 hours
The start of the flea market is shy. There is no crowd on the Grand-place. A whole part is empty of exhibitors. Of the 400 pitches offered by the socio-educational center, 300 have been booked. The impression is confirmed by the street vendors of the rue de l’Eglise.
Hélène was installed for 6 hours on the corner of rue Depoorter and rue de Therouanne. Scarf, hat, boots and two layers of coat, the flea market protected from the morning freshness. ” Luckily we are not far and we were able to make some coffee to warm up.
she smiles.
You can find all the practical information here and the suggestive images of The demo, played Saturday night in the rue des Augustins, over there. The man behind the show, Jonathan Berteloot, is also a school principal at Sercus.
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