Attendance at the Fall Festival Was Exceptionally High: Athletic Challenges, Lots of Fun, and Carefree Hours

The day of the year when the Steinmühle, as a school and boarding school, attracts the most visitors to its grounds is the Fall Festival. A great many people came last Saturday to meet up, chat, and have fun. It seems there’s no longer any need for a Plan B in case of bad weather, because the sun always shines reliably—and that was the case this time, too.

The planning on campus—with its dozens of booths—the timing, and the coordination—all of that goes by one name: Frank Wemme. The head of the lower secondary school, nicknamed “Mister Herbstfest,” made sure, as always, that everything ran smoothly. Accompanied by plenty of music, the 6th-grade brass band, led by Stephan Reissig, welcomed the large crowd gathered on the school grounds—some standing around the stage, others sitting on benches and applauding. They’ve only been practicing their instruments for a year—which was hard to believe. Principal Björn Gemmer welcomed the guests, many of whom had come as entire families and even brought their grandparents along. They also enjoyed the rhythmic performances by the musical theater band, which played under the direction of Anna Prokop.

During the tour of the Steinmühle grounds, numerous activities stood out that had been well-received in the past and were therefore repeated. One example is the haunted house: Once again this year, people eager to experience it lined up! All the activities were spread out across the entire grounds—from the boarding school area with pony rides, to the Forum with its disco and karaoke, all the way to the boathouse, where coach Martin “Stromi” Strohmenger was waiting.

 

Pedal away for a smoothie

A few new features caught the visitors’ attention. Among them was a booth where “fortune tellers” offered interested visitors a glimpse into their future. Another great attraction was the smoothie bike, where visitors could make their own fruity fitness drink by pedaling. The bike was on loan from the Marburg Food Bank, which its chairwoman, Rita Vaupel—wife of school association chair Egon Vaupel—had made available to the Steinmühle for the fall festival.

Overall, many booths were focused on collecting donations. For example, the sports challenge on the soccer field—located in the back area of the campus—was also a charity event. The Steinmühle Friends Association, chaired by Jasmine Weidenbach, recruited new members at its beautifully decorated booth right at the entrance to the schoolyard. Not far from there, Executive Director Dirk Konnertz, Upper School Director Cornelia Oestreicher-Gold, and Dirk Lange—speaking on behalf of the entire school administration team—provided information about the various academic programs offered at Steinmühle.

It’s well known that the culinary aspect is a key part of the Steinmühle Fall Festival. For this reason, the selection of cakes, hearty dishes, and various beverages was once again extensive and delicious.

The Steinmühlen high school graduating classes of 1993, 1998, 2008, and 2013 had received a special invitation. Each class gathered in the tent for a group photo and, like many other alumni, raised a glass to “the good old days.”