A cheering couple from Gesseln delights at the shooting festival for the third time!

A cheering couple from Gesseln delights at the shooting festival for the third time!

The Gesselner Schützenfest not only brings conviviality, but also tradition and a little sparkle to the community. On July 23, 2025, King Ferdi Lengeling and Queen Gaby Lengeling will rule the fate of the shooting club for the third time. They celebrated their first royal couple debut in 1989 and again in 2000. A particularly emotional aspect of the festival is the 50th anniversary of the throne of Gertrud Lengeling, the king's mother, which is also celebrated.

This year, the celebrations began with a celebratory tattoo and a wreath-laying ceremony. The atmosphere was great, and the big band from the Cäcilia Ostenland music club kept everyone in a good mood until the early hours of the morning. Queen Gaby appeared in an elegant ivory dress with a floral design and a sweetheart neckline, while master of ceremonies Kornelia Hillemeier dazzled in a chocolate brown to rose-bronze outfit. The ladies-in-waiting Nicole Lengeling, Diana Heggemann, Gabi Hillemeier and Sarah Hahn were also real eye-catchers, shining in warm coral tones with glittering embroidery.

Shooters' breakfast and honors

Monday, July 20th, traditionally began with a shooting breakfast at 8:30 a.m. The entry of the queens, the court and the young rifle department was accompanied by the Sander marching band. Colonel Michael Hachmeyer welcomed guests of honor from politics, administration, clubs and business, and the celebration was enriched by a birthday serenade for master of ceremonies Dirk Giesguth.

Several members were honored for their meritorious activities. Hermann Meiß received the “Order of Merit on Ribbon” for 50 years as a young rifle prince and shooting master. In addition, Colonel Hachmeyer and other board members awarded numerous awards, including the “Great Order of Merit” to Dirk Giesguth and others, as well as Friendship Orders to Karsten Koch and Markus Ruhe. Another exciting detail was the honoring of Lorenz Mersch, who was honored for 75 years of membership.

The social customs of the shooting festival are not only firmly anchored, but also extremely important for the community spirit. The shooting fair, which has been held on the fairground since 1974, is led by mass officer Joachim Löhning, who was honored for 45 years of preparing the fair. Pastor Dr. Thomas Witt was made an honorary member and Mayor Michael Dreier expressed his pride in his honorary membership in the Gesseln shooting club.

A celebration for the whole community

The shooting festival in Gesseln is not only important for the members of the shooting club, but is an event that brings the entire community together. Despite the mixed weather, the number of visitors was good. The young rifle department organized various activities for the royal couple and the court. A highlight was the dance between the young shooters and the queen, where roses were presented and the music from the big band thrilled the audience well into the night.

A special tradition that plays a role during the shooting festival is bird shooting, a traditional method of determining the shooting king in Germany. A wooden bird is attached to a high pole and the participants try to bring it down with crossbows or other shooting devices. This not only represents sporting competition, but also the deepening of the sense of community within the club.

In summary, it can be said that the Gesselner Schützenfest was a complete success and the community managed to keep the togetherness and tradition alive. The next big event is already being awaited with anticipation, as is the next 75 years of friendship with the Sande marching band, which has just been presented with a new children's drum.