Oeventrop celebrated the royal shooting festival despite the rain chaos!

Oeventrop celebrated the royal shooting festival despite the rain chaos!

Oeventrop, a small town in the middle of the Sauerland, celebrated a lively shooting festival from July 5th to 7th, 2025, which was rich in tradition and a sense of community. Despite the mixed weather, numerous visitors came to experience the highs and lows of the festival together. The new royal couple, Marco and Katharina Stübbecke, as well as the dudes Finn Rüther and Carolin Siepe brought the celebrations to a climax. LokalKompass reports that The shooting festival was traditionally opened on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. with the first cannon shots from the united Oeventrop cannon shooters.

The riflemen of the three companies gathered at their respective locations: in Oeventrop at the Appelhof, in Glösingen with the reigning royal couple Marc Vollmer and Elena Krestnikova, and in Dinschede with the anniversary king Olaf Hachmann and Jutta Heiers. At 4:55 p.m. a shooting mass was celebrated in front of the parish church, with musical support from the Hagen Music Association. The best shooters were then awarded medals: Dirk Büenfeld received gold, while Dominik Bette and Philipp Schulte each won silver. The festival continued with a big tattoo on the Schützenplatz.

Honoring deserving shooters

The celebration began on Sunday morning with a tribute to the dead in the cemetery. Although the weather was cloudy, this did not dampen the spirits of those present. Further honors for deserving shooters took place in the shooting hall. Bastian Martinschledde, Stefan Becker, Horst Wrede and Ronald Frank were particularly highlighted, while Werner Becker was presented with the District Shooting Association's plaque of honor. And despite the drizzle, the morning pint with a royal concert became a popular destination.

A big parade started a little earlier than planned, accompanied by several music clubs. The reigning royal couple and the anniversary royal couple presented themselves ceremoniously, and after the parade the first dances of the new royal couple, anniversary couple and dude couple followed, as well as a children's dance that filled young and old with smiles.

Traditional bird shooting

Monday, an important day in the Oeventrop shooting festival calendar, was dedicated to traditional bird shooting. Despite the pouring rain, the shooters marched to the Vogelwiese, where six contenders took part in the competition. Marco Stübbecke finally secured the royal dignity with the 134th shot, and his Katharina was also able to be happy as queen. Finn Rüther, who portrays the dude couple, freed the dude from the bullet trap and thus crowned the festive highlights.

Despite the adverse weather conditions, the celebrations in the Schützenhalle concluded with the king and dude dance. People danced and celebrated until the early hours of the morning, which proves that the people of Oeventrop indulge in their traditions in a warm and exuberant manner. Oeventrop.de states that the roots in the community and the love of tradition are guaranteed in the future and the shooting clubs in Germany play an important role in social life.

As a look at the entire Schützenfest landscape shows, Oeventrop is not alone with its festivities. Alle-Schützenvereine.de reports that Shooting festivals are widespread in Germany and bring thousands of people together every year to celebrate tradition and conviviality. The Oeventrop riflemen also have every reason to be proud of their festival.