Well, whether it's over or not, we don't really know,
but the fact that we're celebrating the Schäferlauf this year is real and really genuine,
the Schäferlauf 2022, nobody is going to take it away from us,
nobody is going to move from this town until Monday.
We will celebrate, preserve traditions, we will eat and also have a drink,
we will do everything for our well-being these days,
from now on almost nothing can go wrong,
if there wasn't one small obstacle.
Dear guests, I don't really know how to tell you,
now come the words that have been bothering me for days,
how do I explain it to you, how do I explain it to the people,
that this shepherd's run can also be a real failure.
Because at the head of this traditional, this legendary festival,
are two greenhorns, professionally freshly hatched from their nest,
the district administrator for the first time in the role of bailiff with me in person at the shepherd's run,
but as if that wasn't enough danger, no, I was talking about two,
Mayor Hübner is also making his debut this year,
as the mayor of the shepherd's run town, you've reached the top of your career, as you know,
there is a danger that we two newcomers could rock this festival,
the shepherd's run tanker could really start to sway.
But in the event that everything gets out of hand, everything goes wrong and the festival is threatened with cancellation,
in that case I'll simply make a virtue of necessity,
I'll flee, make my escape, very quickly and very quickly,
then I'll be very fast, I don't know anything,
and the mayor, I'll gladly leave him to the people of Markgröningen,
you can then do with him - whatever you want.
But whether it will come to that, let's wait and see, we don't know yet,
by the way, why the Schäferlauf starts a little later this year is a completely different story,
the city administration announced that they wanted more guests at the official start at the Rathausplatz,
so I had to smile when I read this sentence,
because the real reason, the real reason why the festival starts an hour later this year than in the past,
you'll get to the bottom of it too, dear people, if you think a little harder,
it wasn't at all to annoy you or even to punish you,
no, the district administrator just wanted to sleep a little longer.
But not alone, no, until I found my way here, Heidanei, I wasn't that quick either,
I stood around forever, out there at the Schäfle-Rondell,
nobody came, so I finally set off on foot,
by coach and horse, the district administrator has privileges here,
alone I wandered around Markgröningen, this tranquil town,
with tails and top hat, I was completely flat,
until someone found me at the Cap supermarket, thank God, and I got on,
quickly, I said, coachman, now up to the market square,
so that I'm here myself now and not a substitute,
but just a whole hour late.
Who knows how the Schäferlauf will look in the future, with what image,
the traditions will be preserved, as far as that's concerned, I'm chilled,
but it's possible that the district administrator won't be arriving by coach,
you'll notice, I'm being quite brash today, maybe even bold,
2029 I might arrive by light rail,
hopefully that will delight people,
now that the people of Ludwigsburg have finally woken up from their light rail slumber,
I'm not trying to be provocative at all, on the contrary, I promise to be very good about this,
I'm just saying that it was high time,
that the decision was made in Ludwigsburg, some people just get wise a bit later,
so 2029 in summer for the shepherd's run, I'll be on rails,
with the shepherd men and the shepherd bees in tow in the wagons,
the light rail will of course be pulled by a team of horses,
and by then at the latest I'll be an hour earlier again.
But until then, there is still enough time for both of us greenhorns to be ready
to respect, honour and represent the Shepherd's Run - the biggest, the best, the most beautiful of our time,
and to gradually lose our initial mistakes,
and we also have support from the very top,
from the federal and state governments and the representatives of the churches in robes,
so that we can now move forward with ease,
to continue with the organized Shepherd's Run programme.
I wish all shepherds, all visitors and friends of this festival,
now really only the very best,
special thanks go to the organizers,
who have certainly lost a lot of private time in the run-up,
the fun and joy should now be in the foreground,
the sun and a mild breeze blowing over Markgröningen,
the faithful Bartel will invite you to his scenic play,
the parade invites you to watch and run along to the finish,
the shepherd's dance is swung in the round dance of the music,
I too will keep up with it every step of the way,
and now at the end, dear guests, I drink this cup filled with wine,
to the health of the shepherds.
Cheers to you dear ones!
Have fun at the Shepherd's Run 2022 in Markgröningen!
