Ampertaler celebrate their 70th anniversary at Almfest
Created: 07/14/2022, 12:32 p.m
By: Andreas Daschner
Across the meadows: Grafrather Trachtler at the parade up the Alm at the Almfest 2011. © mm
Their trademark is the Werdenfelser traditional costume - and has been for 70 years.
The members of the Heimat- und Trachtenverein d'Ampertaler Grafrath celebrate their milestone birthday at the Almfest
Grafrath - It takes place on the weekend of 16./17.
July for the first time after two Corona years.
When the traditional costumers celebrate their 70th anniversary at the weekend, the corona pandemic still plays a small role: "We only started the preparations about eight weeks ago," reports club boss Thomas Mayr.
"That's why this year maybe not everything is worked out down to the last detail as usual." Of course, the costumers don't want to let that spoil their party mood.
Now all we have to do is let the weather cooperate.
Because if it rains, the festival has to be postponed (see box).
The costume
The Werdenfelser traditional costume existed in Grafrath before the Ampertal people.
Because even before the association was founded on June 8, 1952, there were organized costumers who wore this costume.
But like so many others, they had to dissolve their club during the terrible years of the Second World War.
In the early 1950s, the desire was awakened to revive the club.
When it was founded in what was then the Grafrath station restaurant, the Ampertaler had 28 members.
The starting signal for a success story.
Already at the first annual meeting in November 1952 the number of members had grown to 87.
Since then, the club has hosted the Huosigau festival several times, erected a maypole at the club's premises for the first time in 1954 and celebrated a grand dedication of the flag in 1959.
(
By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular
FFB newsletter.)
At that time, the Trachtenfreunde from Geltendorf were won as a sponsorship association.
The consecration of the flag was celebrated on the so-called Rauchwiese, where the Grafrather school stands today.
The consecration of the flag was done by Pastor Klimesch, who received this honor early in his term of office - he had only been active in the parish for three months.
The chronicle also states that 21 groups took part in the parade: "The big attraction was a Palatinate costume group from Hambach an der Weinstraße."
And then there is the Almfest: those later responsible for the Ampertaler had the idea of organizing a summer festival even before the association was officially founded.
All larger local associations were asked whether they were interested in a joint celebration.
"None of the clubs had the courage at the time to support a festival of this magnitude," says the chronicle of the Ampertaler.
That's why the traditional costumers decided to simply take matters into their own hands - despite the club's empty coffers.
After all, an area to celebrate was quickly found.
The so-called Mesmer Sepp - Josef Michl senior - made his young cattle available at the time.
And it's still the same today as it started: The Mesmeralm is the party mile for the people of the Ampertal again this year.
The construction has been going on since Saturday.
You can find more current news from the district of Fürstenfeldbruck at Merkur.de/Fürstenfeldbruck.
