Prize-winning bull Kolin makes surprise visit to newlywed couple

The marriage took place on Saturday 10 May between Sonia Kälin, a prizewinning Swiss-wrestler, and Stefan Halter, a personal trainer, not as planned at the Waldkapelle, one of the four churches in the municipality of Giswil in the canton of Obwalden, but on nearby forestry premises, where the reception was being held anyway, this, on account of the bad weather.

One very big surprise for the couple following the ceremony was the appearance of Kolin, the winner of 2017 Zug Bull Market and who is to be the mascot at the National Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival (Esaf), which is to take place in Zug in August this year.

The ceremony was conducted by a priest from Einsiedeln, who has known the bride since she was a girl, the guests joining in with the couple to sing “The Chamois Hunter” by Ruedi Rymann at the end of the ceremony.

As guest Werner Geiger explained, the sudden and unexpected (to the newlywed couple) appearance of Kolin was made possible by Fridoline Jeggli (on the right in the photograph) of the Jegi AG company of Hünenberg and Karl Rust, chairman of the board of the Landis Bau AG company of Zug, who are sponsors of Esaf, the now Sonia Halter-Kälin being the “godmother” of the prize specimen bull, with Harry Knüsel (standing next to Kolin in the photograph) a former national Swiss-wrestling champion, the sole one from central Switzerland to win such a title, as “godfather”. On the left in the photograph is Aebi, the CEO of the Landis Bau AG company.

While on Esaf, the Zug police have had a car delivered in Edelweiss livery, after all, the event is also an Alpine Festival.

Then, as journalist Vanessa Varisco wrote, a huge 23-hectare area adjacent to the Esaf arena has been allocated as a campsite where no fewer than 1,600 cars will be able to be parked and 2,000 tents erected, not to mention 108 showers, 64 toilets and 80 outdoor urinal units. The planning for this started almost three years ago and for the trio organising it all, Lukas Zano, Leo Annen and Lukas Zahno (from left to right in the photograph), it is the biggest ever such event they have been involved with.

Have you already bought your tickets for Esaf? 183,000 have. The event takes place between 23-25 August.