The Inventory Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) in the Netherlands contains ICH of which the communities, groups or individuals involved have written a safeguarding plan. Those plans are reviewed by an independent review committee. Every three years an evaluation of the safeguarding takes place.

Description

The School and Folk Festival Goor is held annually from Wednesday to Sunday in the last full weekend of June. The event is free to all and is funded from the proceeds of the fairground lease and sale of refreshments. The party is organised entirely by volunteers. The marquee and fairground are located in the middle of Goor on the Schoolfeest Square, the spot where the so-called Schoolfeestweide (school festival meadow) used to be. From six weeks before the "Schoolfeest", as it is popularly called, all of Goor turns yellow because of the special Schoolfeest flags.

The Schoolfeest starts on Wednesday, when a pleasant afternoon will be offered to all Goor seniors in the marquee, with artists performing. On Thursday, there will be a children's performance for all Goor primary school children. On Friday afternoon, the marquee will host the special drinks hour for Goor companies, which will attend with their personnel. On Saturday afternoon there is a Children's Parade, in which all primary schools participate. For people with disabilities, an extensive chips meal will be offered at the institutions where they live.

Saturday is the day when the Greatest Goor Reunion takes place. On Sunday, the grand Allegorical Parade is held with the Goorsche Rellie (a beer tent), who appear in the parade with the most ingenious technical creations, as the closing spectacle. The parade attracts many thousands of visitors from far and wide. From Thursday to Sunday there is a fair and the marquee is open, where people pay for their refreshments with the specially minted coins, the Schoolfeest tokens.

From the end of March, the many building and walking groups are busy in the Schoolfeest sheds, owned by the Stichting Goors School- en Volksfeest (Goors School and Folk Festival Foundation) as well as the platforms to build their floats on. In the month of May of the following year, an all-expense paid trip will be offered to all Goor seniors from the proceeds of the previous School and Folk Festival.

Community

Lots of Goor residents are involved in the Goor School and Folk Festival; Muziekvereniging Apollo; participants in the Grand Parade on Sunday; all primary school children; volunteers; Goor seniors; Goor marching bands; one or two professional bands; fairground operators; and the theatre group for the children's performance.

The special team of volunteers helps with setting up and dismantling the Festival Marquee and its inventory (about 20 people). In addition, many volunteers "run" one or more shifts selling refreshments and tokens (approx. 900 people).

Audience from Goor and surroundings (approx. 10,000); companies; the municipality of Hof van Twente; Hofstreek Omroep; Stichting Franje; EHBO.

History

The history of the Goor School and Folk Festival begins in 1875 as an event for schoolchildren only. All school-age children were allowed to participate if they had less than 30 absences from school per year. In 1881, a folk festival is attached to the children's event, which grows into a two-day festival on Saturday and Sunday. In 1897, the School Festival was given a permanent home on the Höfte, a meadow in the centre of Goor. In 1924, an Adult Parade was organised for the first time.

 The Schoolfeest meadow was owned by textile manufacturer Jannink, who donated it to the municipality in 1938. An important condition was attached to this donation: the meadow should remain a place for the School and Folk Festival and for sports, games and music events.

 In 1946, a new element was added: the Elderly People's March. Until 1960, the School and Folk Festival Goor was organised by the local dignitaries. In order not to depend on them and to better guarantee the future of the Schoolfeest, the Stichting Goors School- en Volksfeest was established, which has organised the event ever since.

 Initially, floats for Parade were built at factories and farmers' premises, but this became increasingly difficult in the 1980s. To prevent a lack of building space resulting in fewer procession participants or even no Procession at all, the Foundation bought its own hall at the local business park where parade participants could build from now on.

Safeguarding

2022-2025

  • Keeping the website and social media up to date by the PR Committee.
  • Finish the documentary, as soon as it is possible again.
  • Participate in the curriculum for primary schools on heritage through Cultural Basic Education Hof van Twente, in developing and telling about the Schoolfeest.
  • Inform new residents about the School and Folk Festival, e.g. by explaining it in civic integration courses.
  • Continue to create and maintain archives in our own halls. Find new sources for historical material, e.g. Delpher.
  • Maintain good contacts with the municipality (Hofoverleg) and the Veiligheidsregio at various times of the year.
  • Continue to emphasise the importance of the open character to competent bodies such as the municipality, police and fire brigade: the event is open to everyone, free of charge (no entrance fee).
  • Continue to care for/attend to volunteers by awarding jubilee volunteers and organising a party evening for volunteers.
  • Involve young people in the celebration. Give attention to personal growth/strength/development of young people within our organisation by giving them responsibility.
  • By working together with other (more experienced volunteers), skills of young people can be developed, e.g. in new float building groups.
  • Remain alert to undesired behaviour, such as alcohol consumption under 18 and smoking in public places like the marquee; use of laughing gas and drugs during events; discriminatory expressions in parades. Actions: house rules clearly visible, wristbands for alcohol sales, camera surveillance and security guards.

Contact

Stichting Goors School- en Volksfeest
Irisstraat 3-C
7471 AS
Goor
Overijssel
Website