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***image1***In the KMC, several World Cup parties and special events take place June 17, when Italy plays USA in Kaiserslautern.
The city of Ramstein-Miesenbach and the Ramstein Advertising Association sponsor a “Friendship Day” with public viewing at the local market square.
Activities start at 1 p.m. with a street soccer tournament. Two age groups can participate: up to 12 years and 13 to 16-year olds. Former U.S. national soccer player and former 1. FCK player Tom Dooley awards the prizes at around 5 p.m.
“Musical entertainment starts at 6 p.m. with bands playing live on stage,” said Stefan Layes, spokesperson of the Ramstein-Miesenbach union community. “First, an American band performs for about two hours, then the German-American Italo Band Inflagranti entertains people on Marktplatz.”
Throughout the evening, a “human table soccer” tournament takes place to find out who has the toughest shot.
German, Italian and American food specialties will be offered. Local stores leave their doors open until midnight to offer a long shopping night.
All games taking place that day can be watched on a huge screen:
• Portugal vs. Iran, 3 p.m.
• Czech Republic vs. Ghana, 6 p.m.
• Italy vs. USA, 9 p.m.
Additionally, the city of Landstuhl sponsors a World Cup party starting at 11 a.m. in and around the local fire station under the motto, “Soccer Fun at the Tower.” The event has been organized together with 12 local clubs and associations.
The highlight is a public viewing of the three games. “The mega screen will be put up in the fire station,” said Barbara Stuppy from the Landstuhl mayor’s office. “That way people can enjoy watching all the games, even if it’s raining.”
In between the games, a variety of activities take place. There are table soccer tournaments, goal shooting, children’s ballet and modern dance performances and musical presentations by fanfare players and the ensemble Carpe Diem.
“A special highlight is the soccer tournament, where prominent people from various local institutions get tied to poles and look like the players in a table soccer game,” said Ms. Stuppy.
A fashion show presents the latest sports and swimming fashion from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Children can have their faces painted or jump in a bouncy castle. The German Red Cross provides useful information and checks visitors’ blood pressure. The party continues until midnight.
In Kaiserslau-tern, interested visitors can watch the games on huge screens at Stifsplatz and on Barbarossastrasse.
“Not everyone was able to get a ticket, so we are happy to be able to provide this service to soccer fans from throughout the region,” said Kaiserslautern’s Lord Mayor Bernhard Deubig.
Throughout the day, special events take place on Stiftsplatz, on Schillerplatz and along the World Cup mile (Eisenbahnstrasse, Rummelstrasse, Schneiderstrasse).
On Stiftsplatz, a group from Trinidad and Tobago presents salsa rhythms 1 to 2:15 p.m., and the cover band Bongiovio pays tribute to Bon Jovi 11 p.m.
The marching bands Acoustical Jam and KL WM Jam perform 1 to 5 p.m., and the U.S. Air Forces in Europe marching band provides entertainment 7 to 9 p.m. on the World Cup mile.
The New Orleans Shufflers play on Schillerplatz 7 to 9 p.m.
The band Wet Desert plays power pop 4 to 7 p.m. in the fan garden on Weberstrasse, to be followed by Horizon presenting Italo pop 8 to 9 p.m. and again 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Children’s activities include a children’s land castle, a giant slide, bouncy castles and various games located on the World Cup mile, where visitors also will find a variety of international and regional food specialties.
Visitors must park in the park and ride parking lots and take shuttles to the center of town. In the east, a P+R lot is located in the Sembach Gewerbepark.
Visitors coming from direction Vogelweh should park on the former EAW lot, Pariser Strasse 300 (driving from Vogelweh on B40 to the first light, turn left). Here they can board the city buses (Line 1) to get to the festivities.
