In a surreal environment, the recently appointed majors of the regiment are found.
At Düsseldorf's shooting clubs, the royalty is typically chosen on the firing range. This is true for the St. Caecilia Benrath shooting brotherhood, but luck can occasionally play a part. Potential monarchs receive tickets with their scoring results, calculated as "total shots divided by tickets equals the result with a remainder." The ticket number of the remainder becomes the new royalty, provided they show up at the coronation following the parade in front of Schloss Benrath. On the 2nd of July, the calculator was pulled out - 173 divided by 30 left a remainder of 23, making Lena Vogt the new regimental princess. The Vogt family cheered even louder as regimental king, as 302 divided by 18 led to a remainder of 14 and the name behind that ticket number was Christian Vogt, Lena's brother.
The new regimental princess Lena Vogt
The regimental king couple, Christian Vogt and Michelle Ems, already knew the drill. They had represented the Benrath shooters back in 2015/2016.
Before the coronation on Sunday, let's cast our minds back to the start of the Benrath shooters' festival program. The first barrel was tapped and celebrated in a small event hall on the range, traditionally on Friday. The ceremony for the Benrath majesties and the crowning of the new district majesties had been held in the Benrath town hall on Saturday, but, since the town hall was under construction, the event shifted to the Caecilianstift. This proximity made for short distances to the grand military tattoo in front of St. Caecilia and the memorial service at the cemetery. In the festival hall, it was time for the prince's ball, one of the festival's highlights. The shooters enchanted the audience on stage while celebrating joyfully.
The majors, Christian Vogt and Joanna Sturm, represented the colonel Dirk Drunkemöller
The following morning, a solemn high mass was held with the band and flag twirlers. With numerous guests from friendly shooting clubs, they then marched together through the village in the afternoon. The reigning king couple, Detlef and Anita Klumpen, traveled in a carriage, while the king and queen prince couple, Norman Gohl and Michelle Comes, were also in riding company, along with the page king Jonas Sturm, his companion, and Klumpen queen Sara Richter. Klumpen king Christian Richter escorted them on foot and played with the Benrath band.
Spectators and honorary guests had already gathered in front of the castle for the parade, providing a picturesque backdrop. The parade began promptly at 4 pm and ended with a surprise for a couple who had come just to watch - Romuald and Hertha Wylezol celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary that very day. The district mayor Karl Heinz Graf and Urdenbach shooting chief Jörg A. Haack congratulated them with a certificate and a gift.
(l. to r.) Karl Heinz Graf, Romuald and Hertha Wylezol, Jörg A. Haack
Jörg C. Sturm then kept everyone at the edge of their seats until the new regimental majesties could be declared. Everyone moved into the festival hall for a ball hosted by the king of company, DJ Horst Krefelder, in the evening.
On the following days, Benrath celebrated clogs, and the clog ball brought the festival to a close. The Coronation Ball of the Majestic Ones would be celebrated on Tuesday evening with honors and a retreat.
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You can find photos of the parade and floats in our photo gallery: [Photos]
The regimental king, Christian Vogt, previously represented the Benrath shooters during the 2015/2016 period.
Despite the focus on sports like shooting, the festival program also includes events such as the prince's ball and the Coronation Ball of the Majestic Ones.
