Boquete Community Pulse

This week we feature Healthy Homemade

Here you will see some of our many vendors

Following on from the successful series of Tuesday Talks, which have been a feature of Boquete Community for more than 15 years, BCP is proud to be continuing the tradition while acknowledging the often mentioned problems - noise from the market, difficulty of access through the market, and of course the market vendors being unable to attend. BCP is launching a new series of "Community Chats". These are planned to be more intimate and interactive, and will be held on the top floor of the Boquete Library on Thursday mornings at 11:00. At the moment, Covid measures restrict attendance to 25 people, masks are required and temperatures will be taken at the door, and reservations will be required to ensure your place. The first Chat by Boquete Health and Hospice was fully booked up very quickly, but to satisfy the demand they will be repeating the session - see below.

Strawberry products available at the BCP Tuesday Market

An update for BCP Tuesday Market for October 20th. See a complete list of vendors at www.boquetemarket.org

At last we have a date for re-opening the BCP Tuesday Market. Tuesday September 29th

Retail stores are opening on 28th September, and we are hopeful that The BCP Tuesday Market will also be allowed to open on that date. We are ready in our new location in the Arco Iris Salon at the Feria grounds, and we are working closely with MINSA to get approval. We will be strictly following the requirements laid down by MINSA and other government authorities which are designed to ensure the safest environment possible for everyone. Within the market, all vendor tables will have a minimum of 2 meters between them, with aisles of at least 3 meters. There will be a one-way system for movement around the market which we ask you to follow. This will minimize the possibility of accidental contact. All vendors and visitors are required to wear masks per Minsa regulations, and there will be separate disposal sites for used masks. Only one entry will be used, and everyone entering will have their temperature checked, hand sanitizer applied, and step onto a disinfecting mat. During the market, vendor tables will be disinfected regularly, and bathrooms will be cleaned every 30 minutes. The number of patrons allowed inside the market at any one time will be restricted, so we ask for your patience if you are required to wait for a period of time. Once inside the market, please remember that others are waiting to enter! We will be open from 9 am to 1 pm and hope that you can time your arrival so that everyone has an opportunity to shop comfortably. We must stress that this is all subject to Minsa's approval to open, and to any regulation changes that may be applied in the meantime. We look forward to welcoming you back to the BCP Market, where you will find a wider range of products than ever before, many of your old favorites plus exciting new vendors. BCP Board of Directors info@eventsboquete.org

BCP is preparing to re-open our Tuesday Market in its new location in the Arco iris Salon at the Feria grounds. This is a great location where all vendors will be under one roof, and we have a wonderful selection of vendors, including some who are new to the Tuesday Market. We will be enforcing whatever health measures are required at the time of opening, including social distancing.

Latest Information This picture is of the Arco Iris room, just across the bridge on the corner of the Feria grounds. As you can see it has good lighting, plenty of space and a clean, evenly tiled floor. Since this picture was taken, ceiling fans have been installed and provide wonderful air circulation. We are working with the MINSA regulations for reopening and can tell you that even with the social distancing requirements, there is room for all our previous vendors plus some from our waiting list. If you know of other vendors we have not been able to accommodate in the past, please have them contact us - we now have space available! As before, we will also welcome all charities and non-profits at no cost, so they can let Boquete know about their great services. For the vendors: BCP will operate the market much as it was before our move. If we provided you with a table - we will still do so, if you brought your own you can still do so and you will not have to struggle with steps, wind and rain. Electricity can be supplied at your table at no additional cost. Our customers will be protected from the weather and be able to find you without searching. Whatever you were paying at the old location will not change for the foreseeable future and we are planning a special deal while you are getting used to the new location. The area at the right hand side of the room is particularly bright and ideal for jewelry displays, there is a kitchen area where we will be able to make and serve coffee etc. We know our customers will love this new area because it is so easy to move around without bottlenecks in doorways and uneven floors, and none of the vendors will be hidden away. We are planning a special event for opening day, all we need now is the date when we will be able to start but unfortunately that is not up to us. We are ready as soon as we get the go-ahead!

We are at last able to give you our good news about the future of BCP’s Tuesday Market! Over the years, BCP’s Tuesday Market has evolved from its humble beginnings at the Fundadores Hotel to its recent location at what is now TapOut. We are now able to move into a better location than ever before. As soon as the health precautions allow, we will be opening in the Arco Iris Room at the Feria grounds. As before, this is just over the bridge, but now on the left - the room is right on the corner. This room is so large that even obeying social distancing with 2 meters between tables, we will be able to have all our vendors under one roof. You will no longer have to brave the wind and the rain to reach everyone. The room is bright and clean, the lighting is good and there are excellent bathroom facilities We are very excited to be able to use this facility which is a very positive step from all that has gone before. We are working with MINSA to ensure that the market will be held in such a way that everyone will be safe. Whatever limits are put on us we will be ready to welcome you back. For more information email info@eventsboquete.org To inquire about being a vendor: email market@eventsboquete.org

We are pleased to announce that the theater space at the TapOut building will continue to be used for Boquete's theater and other productions. BCP and TapOut have been in negotiations to allow this to happen. Despite BCP's initial offer to rent the theater space from Tapout for BCP productions, TapOut management has generously agreed to allow BCP productions to continue in the theater at no cost so that community theater may continue. Other productions and events may also be held in the Boquete Community Theater now that BCP can leave their equipment in place. Of course, there is no indication yet as to when we might be able to stage productions or what social distancing limitations may exist, but BCP intends to stage the play, "Blithe Spirit" as soon as possible once government restrictions are lifted.

Greetings! We hope you are staying safe and finding fun ways to spend your time in quarantine. This a difficult period worldwide, but we hope you and your loved ones are maintaining safe social distances and are healthy, even if a bit bored! Here at BCP, we are also maintaining our social distance, which makes it a bit challenging to finalize plans to relocate effective July 1. We continue to scope out possibilities, discuss options with several possible locations and are busy making plans to move BCP's equipment and belongings to a new location or to storage, as appropriate, once we settle on a new location. Please be assured that all of BCP's assets will be used again, although some may stay in storage until the need for them arises. If you have suggestions for a new location or comments you'd like to make, please feel free to send them to info@eventsboquete.org. We welcome all written suggestions, as we will not be holding any public meetings for the foreseeable future given the current quarantine. If you are holding tickets for Blithe Spirit, be assured that we WILL be conducting performances as soon as the current restrictions are lifted and the cast and crew can get organized again. If you have tickets for the shows we were unable to perform, please be assured that we will happily refund the cost of the ticket or provide the opportunity to exchange them for an upcoming performance. Hopefully, this pandemic will end soon and we will all be able to enjoy all the benefits of BCP and Boquete again. In the meantime, stay safe! BCP Board of Directors