Crange, 05.08.2022

"Hello Again" sounded from the speakers in the Cranger Festhalle. It couldn't have been put more aptly than star guest Howard Carpendale.

At 2 p.m. on the dot, presenter Helmut Sanftenschneider welcomed 2,000 invited guests to the Cranger Festhalle. In addition to countless people from Hern, Wann and the Ruhr, national and even international political celebrities were also present. Even a delegation from Mongolia came to Herne to celebrate the Cranger Kirmes.

The opening was traditionally heralded by the parade of the showmen's traditional flags. To the "Steiger Lied", countless showmen from all parts of Germany and even Belgium proudly presented their flags. As always, the showmen's associations were introduced by showmen's president Albert Ritter.

The programme continued with local hero Frank Lindner, who presented his two songs "Wir leben Crange" and "Die Sterne über Herne".

Herne's Lord Mayor Dr Frank Dudda was just as excited as Frank Lindner. After all, he had lost the practice of tapping the barrel.

Before the tapping, however, the Lord Mayor gave a rousing speech. With a lot of good humour, some light-hearted sayings and the sentence

"Until 14 August, the heart of the region beats here in Crange. For eleven days, Crange is now our home. We hope for an unforgettable funfair, for a summer fairytale on the Ruhr", he aptly summed up the mood in the town.

Bärbel Bas, President of the Bundestag, also swore in the Ruhr region to Crange. She said that such a fair was "not a matter of course", as her home fair, the Beecker Kirmes in Duisburg, had been cancelled this year. A heart with the inscription Cranger Kiez was given as a souvenir.

But now the time had come. Dr Frank Dudda had to face the biggest challenge of the day. The tapping of the barrel.

With three powerful strokes, however, he succeeded smoothly. His joy and relief were clearly visible.

Now it was time to raise the jugs and PIEL OP NO CRANGE. The 538th Cranger Kirmes was opened!

Of course, there was also a good gulp of Warsteiner as a reward

But now it was time for the man everyone was waiting for german Schlager legend Howard Carpendale.

He entered the stage on time and "Hello Again" opened the singer's performance perfectly. He said "Ti Amo", sang about "The beautiful girl from page 1", lived "Door to door with Alice" and was visibly in a good mood: "I am from South Africa. When I found out where I was today, first I heard a town with H, then one with W. Then I decided: nonsense, I'm on Crange." He was better informed than his colleague Heino, who earned a few boos with his announcement "Hello Cranger Kirmes in Herne".

He also accepted the organisers' request, which was certainly not meant seriously, not to keep the guests in the marquee for so long so that they could spend money in the square.

He took it very lightly: "I'm having fun here, so I'll stay a little longer.

He said it and sang "At night when everything is asleep" in chorus with the more than 2000 guests and only left the stage after an encore and a 50-minute show of the extra class.

I have now attended various opening events at Crange, but rarely has there been so much excitement, but also so much relief in the Cranger Festhalle.

After two years, you could clearly feel that the Ruhr region and its inhabitants are ready for Crange:

Text and photos:

Björn Schiffmann

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