50th Twinning Anniversary - 4.

Sunday afternoon...
We didn't get a couple of hours of peace after all - just 45 minutes before sound-checks/rehearsal by a different group of live musicians.

So - on to the afternoon's activities...

At 2.00.p.m., a total of 350 participants in a parade of bands, adults and children, horses, tractors, trailers - led of course by Les Grognards with their drums and very loud cannon! - left the secondary-school gymnasium, down the main road and into centre ville.  As each group arrived at the roundabout that links the two places was introduced, over a mic, applauded and if music was involved they performed and were applauded again.  But the organisers had got the timing spot on as the parade ended, as planned, at 3.30.p.m. There was then a release of balloons into the blue sky, the benches were soon filled, the low wall around the statue used by the overflow, the bar van and refreshments bar opened, while some of the bands again entertained from the dance floor before vocal groups took to the stage.

Jules Bastien-Lepage paintings.

The German band delighted all with La Marseillaise..

Ron decided to get into the carnival spirit.

Country & Western dancers.

We had a little dance to their "Brazil".

At 5 o'clock "Hymn of Joy" was sung from the stage by Damvillois la Chanterie and the delegation of Zierenberg - and very good they were too but without microphones and with the constant buzz of the crowd one had to be near to hear, which was a shame as they deserved that wider audience.

Immediately afterwards, the disco music returned...and everybody could hear that!

Also the visitors from Belgium and Germany departed but the "locals" stayed to let the celebrations continue.

Seems as it may be another late and noisy night for us if we were to stay at home but we have been invited to nearby friends for a BBQ in their garden.  No doubt we'll still hear the music - but at a distance.

One thing's certain - Damvillers really knows how to party and have done the Twinning Association proud.

p.s. Soon after 9p.m. the music quietened to unaccompanied, quieter classic French songs sounding lovely on the evening air and by 9.30.p.m. the celebrations were at an end.

50th Twinning Anniversary - 3.

Sunday morning...
Even though the town was quiet soon after 1.00.a.m. it took ages to get to sleep so we particularly didn't appreciate a drum parade through the town at 6.30.a.m.!  Again, it took a while to get back to sleep and then woke late so didn't join the parade to the war memorial, as we had planned.  But I took some photos, from our window, of the marchers on their way back to centre ville.

Many speeches followed in place de la Déesse...

...and the action moved to the adjacent place de Marechel Gerard.
 
Then aperitifs were served and the brass band entertained starting with a rousing rendition of "Those Were The Days"...  After a few numbers, the music stopped while the band were also served with rosé wine and nibbles.

Afterwards, a medley of quick choruses including "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "She'll Be Coming 'round The Mountain" closed the set.

The enthusiastic drummers of Les Grognads had the final "say" and by 12.30. centre ville was empty...ah, peace! For a couple of hours anyway.

50th Twinning Anniversary - 2.

Late afternoon/early evening and Les Grognards de Ligny parade...several times during the next three hours and when not marching, sometimes their drummers accompanied the dance music discs playing through loudspeakers.

Cooking the soup!

Two singers from tonight's group do a sound check.

 The French Red Cross stall serving refreshments.

We were puzzled about the 1 euro = 1DZL but discovered the letters stand for Damvillers, Zierenberg and Ligny - new money, ha-ha!









Just before 8 o'clock and the live music started to cheers from the youngsters in the now-swelling crowd. Many joined the queue for Les Grognards' and the Town Councils' barbecue.

The group entertained for an hour from 8.p.m. and then the disco got underway.

The benches quickly filled as did the dance floor, which had been especially put down for the occasion.

The disco continued until 12.30. then singers were back on the mic for 15 minutes to gradually slow down and quieten the music...and then the disco started again!  Just one number, one last blast.  By 1.00.a.m. only about 30 people remained (out of an estimated couple of hundred plus) and their loud chatter and shouts gradually quietened as the disco light beams were turned off, but the bar remained open...for last orders.

50th Twinning Anniversary weekend

Saturday morning/afternoon...

The stage has been dressed...

...a white awning below our window has been replaced by the familiar bar van...

and the advance party of visitors starts arriving...

A bivouac has been set up by Les Grognards de Ligny, two log fires burn and a large cooking-pot is set on a small tripod fire.  Les Grognards may have a hot meal this evening!

  

A visit to the German cemetery is planned for 6.30.p.m.

In place de la Déesse and the adjacent place Maréchal Gérard all is ready for this evening's party with refreshments and live music which will start at 7.30.p.m.

Preparations.

From our first-floor window we watch as the preparations continue for this weekend’s celebrations…

Sunny!

A bright, warm morning and men using a fork-lift are busy putting up bunting for this coming weekend’s celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the town’s twinning with Ligny (Belgium) and Zierenberg (Germany).

This afternoon, Summer definitely seems to have arrived with the sun shining from a blue, blue sky in a 32C temperature.

We take our picnic chairs to a favourite corner in semi-shade at a local lake - Les Ballastières where it is so pretty and very peaceful.  We can hear many bird songs and calls, including a cuckoo; also the croak of a frog.  Small fish swim in the clear water which is skimmed by turquoise and also brown dragonflies. Less welcome sights are a very large hornet and a wasp and we keep a wary eye on them as my husband is allergic to their stings but we don’t bother them and they, thankfully, don’t bother us…well not too much anyway.

We check the time and are surprised that two hours have passed.  Time to go home for a cuppa and spotted a pretty tamarisk on our way.