Everything comes to an end: after being away from home for almost a month, I returned home last Tuesday. Nice and relaxing after a long adventure, I thought. Well, the municipality of Helmond thought otherwise ...
Apparently I didn't have enough awards in my collection yet. After a beautiful ceremony in the Carat Pavilion, I was appointed Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau. The commissioner of the king, Mrs. Adema, was present and of course Mayor Blanksma - I may say Elly in the meantime - as well. To make the celebration complete, the Helmond marching band was also on hand. A wonderful honor!
After driving around Helmond in Joël Borelli's car, he suddenly sent his Porsche into Helmond Sport's sports stadium. Extraordinary, because Helmond Sport never plays soccer on Tuesdays. Was he up to something?
Full stands
We had just come from the McDonald's, so the answer was a resounding yes. The east stand of the stadium was almost completely full. And in the middle of the field was a huge stage, with a luxury chair on top. You can probably guess who got to sit on that. Hint: he comes from Stiphout and has a ribbon.
What a fantastic evening it was! There was music, there was cabaret and there were speeches. Marcel Stevens, known from Petazzie mi Skruwsaws, talked the evening away and did a great job. There were also speeches, but not by me.
The evening was perfectly put together. Coach Hans-Jurgen was present, as was sports alderman Van Dijk. My mentor from Summa College came to tell me something and there was also a delegation from the Knip. Everything went a bit fast, but I think it comes down to the fact that I may perform about twenty ceremonial acts in the coming years. Super fun!
Drawbar lock
Henk Dissel, one of my favorite singers, provided a roaring ending. He performed all his hits - and there are quite a few. After the Dissel finale, this fantastic day was over. I could hardly sleep from all the adrenaline and enjoyed every second of it. I will never, ever forget it!
A special thanks (two even) to everyone who made this great reception possible, financially and organizationally. Thank you very much!
Photos by Dave van Hout can be found here.