Dönerstag began in 2007 when German cachers met at kebab shops around the country all at the same time. The tradition caught on!
These special events are held each year on a Thursday. In German, this makes the name “Dönerstag” a pun: The German word for Thursday is “Donnerstag.” Kebab translates to “Döner.”
Last year, over 6000 players attended 233 Dönerstag events. The events were held all over Europe, from Germany and Austria to the United Kingdom and Switzerland.
Our Dönerstag event in Springfield will start under the historic Jefferson Street Footbridge. This relic is on the National Register of Historic Places and has hosted numerous geocaches over the years. The footbridge is actually closed at this time as Springfield City leaders try to decide how or whether to make necessary renovations. So we will meet under the bridge where we will take our group photo shortly after 6:00 p.m. Hopefully, we will get some creative photos. So make sure you are there for that!
After the photo, we will move across the street to "That Lebanese Place" , one of the few places in Springfield that offers Kebabs. In visiting with the owner of the restaurant to tell him about the Dönerstag event, he remarked that the use of the German word Döner actually refers to Shawarma, which is a thinly sliced meat item used in making kebabs. I have taste-tested this restaurant and have found it both interesting and tasty. If you are expecting meat and vegetables on a stick like American Kabob's, you will be surprised.
The full German Dönerstag event involves participants enjoying kebabs together. However, if you don't want to eat, just be there for the photo - that will be the logbook. There will not be an organized program at the restaurant.