March 27, 2023 at 2:23 PM
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FRONT HOUSES To make all the festivities around King’s Day in Voorthuizen a success this year, Oranjevereniging Voorthuizen is eager for new volunteers. “We are trying to get all the work done, but it is getting more and more difficult.”
This is what Evert van Middendorp says on behalf of the association, which – just like organizations in other villages – has seen a decline in the enthusiasm to help as a volunteer for a few years now. “Not only that, at the same time we see that the safety regulations are becoming more extensive. For example, nowadays an adult must always be standing by a bouncy castle in case something goes wrong. Moreover, our festivities have gradually become bigger. So we need more people every year, but fewer people are reporting.” According to the Orange Association, it is not clear to everyone how much work there is actually in the preparations and guidance around King’s Day.
BAR, ACTIVITIES AND SECURITY
The Orange Association says it can mainly use new people who want to work on King’s Day itself (Thursday 27 April) or during King’s Night preceding it. ,,Think especially of bar staff, people who want to help with children’s activities, traffic controllers and security guards.” At the moment, according to Van Middendorp, it is not yet the case that certain parts have to be deleted from the program due to a shortage of volunteers. “But we also want to avoid that. We are now trying to get things done in close collaboration with the Floralia Association and with Ice and Skeeler Association ‘t Grieze Veen, so that we can help each other as associations.”
CHILDREN’S DAUGHTER
Extra help is also very welcome with the preparations for the children’s parade on King’s Day, reports coordinator Marleen Hooijer of the Oranjevereniging. “At the beginning of this month we started building seven or eight cars with the theme ‘animals from all over the world’. Like every year, it will be fine this time, I have faith in that. But it would be nice if we still get people in the run-up to the big day who want to help build the cars on Monday and Tuesday evenings. When I see that five to six hundred children participate in the parade every year, I think there are more parents who want to help.” Hooier is also looking for a replacement for her own task. “I have been a coordinator for twenty years now. I do it with pleasure, but I think it’s time for new blood.”
Interested parties can register via a form on the website of the Orange Association: www.oranjeverenigingvoorthuizen.nl
Walter van Dyke
