Egeskov Marked in Kværndrup on Funen is scaling back its activities this year after the number of volunteers fell from around 300 to about 200.
The historic market is opening with fewer helpers than last year, according to DR. The broadcaster visited Kværndrup on Midtfyn as the final preparations were being made. Organizers say the shortfall of roughly 100 volunteers has forced them to cut back.
Anita Knudsen chairs Egeskov Markedsforening, the association behind the market. Per DR, she calls the decline regrettable and says activities have been cut to the bone. One of the market’s dining areas has been dropped because there are not enough people to staff the posts.
Anders Thorup has volunteered at the market since 1986. As reported by DR, he recalls a time when the local school closed and the whole town took a day off for the event. In those years the market drew up to 100,000 visitors.
Thorup told DR that taking part in the tasks was once a matter of course for residents of the town. This year, he says, the volunteers are more thinly spread. He is among those making the last arrangements before the gates open.
Fears for a market dating back to the 1300s
The market at Egeskov can be traced back to the 1300s. According to DR, people in Kværndrup now fear that the event may not survive. Thorup said he hopes it will be allowed to continue for many years, describing the market as history.
Knudsen also voiced concern about the longer term. She noted that few of the old traditional traders are left. Over time, she said, she fears traditional markets could become a dying breed.
The recruitment problem does not appear to reflect a general decline in volunteering in Denmark. As stated by Center for Frivilligt Socialt Arbejde, its most recent figures show an overall increase in the number of volunteers. The center’s findings were cited by DR in its report on the market.
Malthe Lindholm Sørensen is a special consultant at Center for Frivilligt Socialt Arbejde. He told DR that people volunteer because they have a particular interest in the work they do. If the task does not match that interest, he said, they look elsewhere.
Egeskov Marked remains one of the traditional annual gatherings in the Midtfyn area and is run by Egeskov Markedsforening. The reduced program this year follows directly from the smaller pool of volunteers, according to the organizers.
DR’s report focused on the preparations in Kværndrup and the concerns of those running the event. No further changes to the market’s format were announced.
