The first cultural and educational fair in Pongau took place successfully on September 26th: from 1 p.m. until the evening, the diverse local cultural and educational institutions showed their offerings to the interested audience. Visitors of all ages came to the somewhat unusual venue for a trade fair: the circus tent of Louis Knie, who is currently performing in Bischofshofen.
Networking of cultural and educational institutions in the region
The event “Culture and Education under the Circus Dome” was organized by the Pongau Culture and Education Initiative (KuBiP) together with the ARGE Salzburg Adult Education. KuBiP is a LEADER-funded project and is based in the community development department of the Salzburger Bildungswerk. One goal of the project is to network all cultural and educational institutions across communities in Pongau and to also involve the region’s citizens: “We have achieved this goal with our intensive collaboration over the past three years and now with the first cultural and adult education fair “Obviously achieved in Pongau,” says Maria Fankhauser, KuBiP project manager.
Diversity and commitment of all exhibitors
At the opening, Maria Fankhauser and presenter Mag. Birgit Kallunder, managing director of LEADER Pongau, welcomed, among others, the President of the State Parliament, Dr. Brigitta Pallauf. This emphasized how important it is to make the wide range of education and culture that already exists visible. Hansjörg Obinger, mayor of the municipality of Bischofshofen, described the similarities between the circus and education: “Both are diverse, colorful, extraordinary, and also bring the unexpected.” Dipl. Ing. Richard Breschar, chairman of ARGE Salzburger Adult Education, thanked Maria Fankhauser for this their commitment, “because it always takes a person who has a vision and implements it.”
With their colorful offerings, the participating partner companies were able to impressively demonstrate how lively culture and education are in the region at the trade fair around the circus tent. The contributions of the young people are particularly noteworthy: the BORG Gastein school band provided the musical background, “Running Reporters” from HAK St. Johann raced through the ring to do interviews and then produce a podcast together with Radio Nautilus. Pupils also came as an interested audience, especially to the BFI lecture “Teaching with Matura”.
Highlights from the program
The program around the circus tent was diverse: At the MINT Mobile from Gemini Salzburg you could experiment, program or build cool things. Florian Reininger, Managing Director of Gemini, and his team welcomed numerous children and young people to the stand. Many of them tested all the stations. In the Repair Café, visitors were able to work with experts to repair the broken devices they had brought with them. Artists presented their works – for example pictures, jewelry, lamps and textiles.
The books that were distributed at the library stand and at the stand of the basic education center abc-Salzburg were very well received by the public. “The young people enthusiastically took several books with them, and later in the afternoon many adults also came,” reports Nicole Kanzi from the basic education center. Managing director Gerhild Sallaberger adds: “We are now quite well known in Pongau with our offering. Visitors to the trade fair came to us and said that they themselves or friends were already attending one of our courses.”
In the lectures in the circus tent you could learn interesting things about career change in a lecture by BiBer Bildungsberatung, about women’s suffrage from the KoKon women’s service center, about the “Self-determined and creative” program from the Salzburger Bildungswerk or education as an encounter from the Catholic Educational Work. The conclusion was a lecture by Michael Trybek on the topic of humor in everyday life: “Smile – about the lightness of being.”
All program items were free and freely accessible to everyone. From today, September 27th, the Circus Louis Knie will be presenting its shows in Bischofshofen at the ski jump area.