Step 3 of 5

A Festive Opening

Related Images

  • Fig. 1 - Fanfare band speelt tijdens de opening van het vernieuwde Mierennest - Buurtkrantje Morspraat, oktober 1981.
  • Fig. 2. Brass band playing during the opening of the renovated Mierennest - Petra Hoogeveen
  • Fig. 3 - _The Golden Green Stars_ - Petra Hoogeveen
  • Fig. 4. Mr. Verlind (92 years old) has officially opened Het Mierennest – [Leidse Courant, 28-09-1981](https://leiden.courant.nu/issue/LLC/1981-09-28/edition/0/page/3)

The festive opening in the newly renovated Mierennest took place on the 26th of September 1981. The current building looks like the version on the photo we can admire nowadays.

The renovated community center was officially opened on a Saturday. As figure 1 shows, it was a rainy day, but that did not stand in the way of fun. At 10 am, the police band and majorette corps woke up the residents, musically enthusing them to come outside and help the oldest visitor of Het Mierennest with the opening ceremony. The 92-year-old Mr. Verlind, who often visited the senior center, was allowed to pull away a little curtain from a Delft Blue sign with the vignette of Het Mierennest. Mr. Verlind looks proud in the photo (fig. 4), after having revealed the vignette. The photo was published in the Leidsche Courant. During this festive day, people could also enjoy a performance by a children’s theater group, a drawing contest, a disco in the brand new building, wrapped up by a night of dancing. Leids Dagblad, 19-9-1981, pagina 3, Erfgoed Leiden en Omstreken, historische kranten

And with that, the opening of the new building was a fact. This festive celebration was recorded in the photos published in the local newspaper Morspraat. The Morspraat from October 1981 was a special edition dedicated to the renovation and opening of community center Het Mierennest. What memories about Het Mierennest did the locals have?

Former youth minister Mr. De Bock: “I always thought there was a nice ambience. Youth clubs visited there all week, which was very fun. Children from the Transvaal neighborhood could join those clubs. They enjoyed arts and crafts and board games there.”

A local resident tells the following: “The community center itself, we had a youth group there… And what else were we up to? Well… It was very fun! I went there once a week and on Sundays when my father played the organ, which I enjoyed.”

Some residents only joined Het Mierennest at a later age: “Once I was married, I visited it a lot. We would organize bike trips on the 30th of April [Queen’s Day].”