Jubilee year festively launched during Winterfair in Almere Haven
The opening of a museum house, an Almere quiz, young dancers celebrating 50 years together, an Almere mega-choir singing the Almere song with the audience ánd the official opening ceremony by the mayor and the children's mayor. These are the main ingredients of the start of the jubilee year Almere 50 Years on Saturday 29 November during the atmospheric Winterfair in Almere Haven.
Almere, the youngest city in the Netherlands, is celebrating its 50th anniversary for a year. And that starts on Saturday 29 November in Almere Haven, (almost) fifty years after the first eight wooden houses were placed here and with this 'Bivouac' the foundation was laid for the city that Almere is today.
Museum house as a tangible reminder of pioneering times
The festivities start in the morning with the official opening of museum house Huis van Haven by mayor Hein van der Loo. The museum house at Schoolwerf 68 (made available for one year by housing corporation De Alliantie) is furnished as a typical terraced house looked in the early years of Almere. Sober, practical and full of stories from the first residents. The house can be visited throughout the anniversary year.
'With the museum house, we are giving our city a tangible reminder of its pioneering days. A place where residents and visitors can experience what it was like to live in the early Almere in the 1970s,' says initiator Ans van Berkum of Huis van Haven.
Opening with Almerelied together
After the opening of the museum house, which will be accompanied musically by city ensemble Black Pencil, the group of invited guests will make their way to the Markt in Almere Haven via a heritage walking route. There, at 1 pm, the official opening moment will begin, organised by entrepreneurs' collective BIZ Almere Haven, the municipality of Almere and Almere City Marketing. All this in the backdrop of the Winterfair that will be held there all weekend, which is also dedicated to 50 years of Almere.
The festive programme, presented by Almere's storyteller Joost Buitenweg, will be opened by six young dancers from Dansstudio Yvette, who are together fifty years old. There will also be an Almere quiz where the audience can test their knowledge of Almere history. The highlight will be the singing together of the Almere song 'City of Freedom.' Led by conductor Daan Welle, 275 Almere choir members and 40 musicians will set the song, after which the audience will be invited to sing along with the final choruses. While singing the song, the mayor, together with children's mayor Maylee, performed the official opening act of the anniversary year.
'It promises to be a wonderful kick-off to our anniversary year,' says mayor Hein van der Loo. 'I hope to greet many Almereans on 29 November.'
Year full of activities for and by the city
The opening festivities mark the start of a year full of events, exhibitions and activities for and by the city. Saturday evening 29 November, for instance, theatre café Corrosia will host an 80's/90's party for Almere 'nightlife pioneers' and from 1 December the exhibition De eerste sleutels van Almere, van Bivak tot Schoolwerf (1975-1976) will be on show at Stadsarchief Almere.
Many of the anniversary activities are initiatives from within the city. The municipality made 500,000 euros available in an Almere 50 Fund to financially support ideas from residents and organisations. The enthusiasm for this was overwhelming. Almost 200 applications were received, which are now being assessed by an independent jubilee committee.
More information about the jubilee activities will soon be available on the website www.almereviert50.nl.