The fountain festival (Brunnenfest) in Oberursel stands a good chance of being remembered for its weather. Not only for the wet Sunday, but for the cold and at times damp weather on Friday evening or Saturday afternoon. In particular, it may well go down in the history of the festival as the one where snow lay on the Feldberg, with sub-zero temperatures in parts of the Taunus in Friday morning.
But for some, Fountain Queen Annabel I. in particular, the weather was not going to spoil the weekend and she cheerily opened the festival on Friday evening accompanied by pageant queens from other towns, who she took on a tour of the Strackgasse to see her parents’ house.
The sun even came out for her to officially inaugurate “her” fountain – the stork fountain (Storchenbrunnen) – which is located on one side of the Maasgrundweiher, accompanied by her Brunnenmeister and an honorary guard from Ursellis Historica.
Annabel I. and Kurt with Susanne from Bergen-Enkheim (Apfelweinkönigin), Beatrice I. from Sachsenhausen (Brunnenkönigin), Isabell I. from Bruchköbel (Zuckermaiskönigin), Melissa I. from Goldstein (Rosenkönigin), Katharina II. from Rosbach (Blütenkönigin), and Sandra I. from Wehrheim (Apfelblütenkönigin)
Back on the market square, Friday evening saw long queues forming at the Karnevalsverein Frohsinn’s stand where a spot of celebrity cooking was taking place. With “Fritten-Toni” and “Die Schüssel” working the stand, buying sausage and chips meant listening to a round of “Dumm gebabbel” first (their words – not mine!), although for many that may well have been the reason to go to the stand in the first place.
Around the corner in the Weidengasse visitors from the twin borough of Rushmoor were pulling pints imported from Ramsgate, with single malt scotch on hand for the cold evenings.
One stand in the Eppsteiner Straße was even offering mulled wine!
However the bad weather did not stop some people going to the festival for other reasons. On Friday evening one guest who had been on the “skipper” ride at the Bleiche returned to the bag deposit area to find her handbag had been taken.
Police also report finding two men on Friday night who were in violation of controlled substances legislation and a further man who, whilst drunk, insulted the officers and was required to leave the area.
(Click to enlarge)
About Graham Tappenden
