The Narren of Narren gather in Turner Hall’s Rathskeller Friday to prepare for their trip to Germany later this month. The Narren will be touring the Black Forest, participating in a Jubilee celebration at Gutach and observing the Ringtreffen in Ulm. The Ringtreffen is a gathering of Narren clubs from around Germany. Around 80 clubs are expected to attend. Also Pictured unmasked: (L to R) Ruth Grewe, LaVonne Helget and Joesph Meyer will join the Narren as support guests on the trip.

NEW ULM – The Fasching season is fast approaching and ahead of the holiday, the Narren of New Ulm are preparing to go on holiday.

New Ulm’s local Narren has received a special invite to attend the Ringtreffen in Ulm, Germany. The Ringtreffen is an event that is hosted in various villages and cities every four years. The event begins with skits by various Narren clubs. The Ringtreffen concludes with a parade of Narren clubs. Narren member Violet Plagge said roughly 80 Narren clubs participated in the celebration.

“Everyone is very excited to go,” Plagge said. “There are 15 members of the Narren of New Ulm, including founder Rita Waibel attending along with and four support guests.”

This is not the first time New Ulm’s Narren have attended the Ringtreffen. The group visited the celebration in 1997 and 2011, but this year’s celebration is once again New Ulm’s sister city of Ulm. The group will be able to visit with Ulm city officials and partake in Sister Cities activities.

However, traveling to Ulm, the Narren will first make a stop in the Black Forest, visiting Frieburg, Elzacha and Rottweil. Plagge said the highlight of the tour through the Black Forest will be the visit to the village of Gutach.

“We will participate in the community Fasching celebration for their 100 Jubilee celebration,” Plagge said. The visit will include a short performance from the Narren of New Ulm.

After the performance in Gutach, the Narren of New Ulm will travel to Ulm for the Ringtreffen which is scheduled for Feb. 7 – 9.

Plagge said the Narren of New Ulm are attending the Ringtreffen as observers. The goal is to learn from other Narren groups and bring back ideas for New Ulm’s Fasching celebration.

The Narren’s trip to Germany is being organized by Joesph Meyer of Germania Tours. Meyer said he was asked to plan the logistics of the trip. He has organized similar tours of Germany for the Concord Singers.

Meyer said he was excited for the trip as well.

“It is a chance to meet with old friends in Ulm,” Meyer said. He is especially excited to see members of the Stadtkapelle Band who previously visited New Ulm in October 2023.

The Narren plan to return to New Ulm on Feb. 11, with plenty of time to prepare for the local Fasching Celebration on Friday, Feb. 28.