Sander prepares four months for carnival procession
For decades, the people of sander have offered something for the eye during their rude carnival procession. So that more than 15.000 spectators are amazed by the ingenuity of the carnival groups, about 1500 people get to work months before carnival sunday.
50 carnival groups, 60 firefighters and 40 security guards participate in the procession. At the head of the whole carnival team is the sander carnival committee, which organizes the celebration with the train for carnival sunday.
The committee's work began 50 years ago. Gunther flachsenberger has been the president of the carnival committee for 35 years. The retired mason has always been interested in the work of the association. His two sons have inherited their father's passion. Today, matthias and stefan are also members of the carnival committee.
Behind the scenes
Already in november the fools have to deal with the bureaucracy around the carnival, so that the celebration can take place at all. Street closures must be prepared, firefighters and security guards ordered and the carnival party tent organized. First, gunther flachsenberger sends out the registration forms and safety regulations to the marchers.
They have to be filled out and then signed and returned. In the next step, the 70-year-old applies for a permit for the roadblocks at the habberge district office. "However, getting them is becoming more and more difficult every year", says the president of the committee worried. "The authorities are becoming stricter and stricter. Because blocking the whole road is not an easy thing to do. Also the problems with the youth alcoholization increase more and more."
To curb alcohol consumption among young people, the committee's chairmen came up with a clever concept that has been successfully implemented for about three years now. At the entrance to the carnival party, colored wristbands are distributed to all visitors. Young people under 18 years of age get a certain color around their wrist. Each year a different color is chosen to avoid mistakes. The age of alcohol consumption will be controlled.
The committee has also issued prohibitions for adults: drunks will not be allowed to the party under any circumstances. This decision was received with relief by the burghers. Parents in particular don't want their children to see drunks, and are happy about the increased security measures.
Gauze disposal is another problem that needs to be solved. The municipality of sand orders a road service vehicle from nurnberg to sweep the town clean after the spectacle. The more gauze there is, the higher the costs are. "This is the problem", says flachsenberger. Because the expenses must be paid by the municipality and thus by the taxpayer. So that it is in the interest of the citizens to dispose of the gauze themselves and not throw it on the streets. "This is the way to save money", says the sander committee chairman.
Rules for the fifth season
Not only spectators should follow rules. There are also rules for all participating clubs and groups. The carnival groups and floats must be marked with the number of the procession and the emblem of the club. This serves a special purpose: the committee chairmen watch the video of the carnival parade afterwards and check whether all participants have kept to the rules.
It is forbidden to serve alcohol to bystanders from the carts or from fubgroups. If someone is caught doing this, he is immediately banned from participating for the next year. Moreover, all participants are required to carry a fire extinguisher with them.
Despite the extensive and sometimes exhausting work, the president of the committee is proud of the result. In the 50 years of its existence, the committee has successfully organized 47 carnival processions. Even more, the sander carnival procession continues to gain recognition. In the meantime, it has become a good reputation among associations in the region to be present at the sander carnival procession. Sand is a carnival stronghold.
Behind closed doors
So this year already 50 associations have signed up. "And that is not all! The registration lasts until 25. January", says flachsenberger. Behind closed doors, the participants have been working for weeks on the performances and themes. They are top secret.
No one will know beforehand what the individual numbers will show. Only this much can be revealed: there will be heroes who caused a stir in 2012. In addition, the characters who have been making fun in sand for years – the good bees, the magical witches, the cuddly dwarfs, the funny clowns and, of course, the limber dancing guards – are once again parading through the streets.
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