King constructs Katharine Court residence after captivating ASV shooting event
Women of St. Sebastianus Brotherhood Make Historic First Appearance at 2019 Gilroy Garlic Festival
After a tragic interruption in 2019, the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California is making a comeback, and with it, a group of women are set to make their first official appearance next year. The women of the St. Sebastianus brotherhood, long-time members of the festival, were the "very, very first ones" to be at the event in 2019.
The St. Sebastianus brotherhood, a group of women from different ages of shooting enthusiasts, had come together for the first time at the festival. However, they remained passive due to pending registration at the registry court. Despite this, they were present at the shooting festival based on a positive declaration of intent in the shadow of St. Katharina.
The women from the St. Sebastianus brotherhood were the "very first ones" to watch the marching and musical performances, having been full members for decades. They looked back on the first half of the festival with a touch of nostalgia, describing it as a fantastic year.
The shooting festival, which was led by King Volker I Wynands and his queen Carla, along with minister pairs Ulrich Hoetz and Beate Franke, and Wilfried and Dorothea Loosen, was marked by a tragic incident on July 28, 2019. A 19-year-old gunman used bolt cutters to bypass fencing and opened fire with an AK-47 style rifle on attendees near an inflatable slide, resulting in three deaths and 17 injuries. The attack abruptly ended when the gunman took his own life under police fire.
Following the tragedy, the festival was shut down for several years, highlighting issues of public safety at large community events and sparking local grief and trauma. The festival is set to return in 2025 after being shut down due to the shooting's impact.
In a positive turn of events, Marcel van den Berg was appointed as the new king, and he and his queen, Almut and Rene Labarlette, were appointed as minister pairs by the new king. Bernt II had prepared a residence at the Katharinenhöfen for the new king.
The festival's tragic interruption, however, did not diminish the spirit of the community. Queen Astrid, who is visibly pregnant and will give birth to a "purple-born," a child of a king, expressed her excitement for the future. The highlight and endpoint of this fantastic year was the magnificent parade on Sunday morning, which the women of the St. Sebastianus brotherhood are looking forward to being a part of next year.
Next year, the St. Sebastianus brotherhood women, willing participants in the community's annual event, will be partaking in the parade for the first time since their historic appearance in 2019. In preparation for a return to the sports-filled festivities of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, they are gearing up to participate in the event with enthusiasm.
