Fiestas del Virgen del Carmen

July 16 is the day of the Virgen del Carmen, the patron saint of all sea goers and especially loved by fishermen. It is a day celebrated in hundreds of towns up and down the coast of Spain, with celebrations in this area in Garrucha, Villaricos, San Juan (in Pulpi and in Cabo de Gata) and Carboneras. The tradition involves taking the Virgin from the church or hermitage where She is kept and carrying Her through the streets accompanied by a band and often by the fishermen's wives in traditional costumes, floral tributes are usually made to the effigy. The procession takes Her down to the local port where She is put aboard one of the fishing boats and taken out to sea again accompanied but this time by the fishing fleet and almost anything that can be sailed out of the harbour. This is all done in the best fiesta style with plenty of bonhomie and alcohol. There is a darker side as alcohol and water don't mix too well and it is not unusual to hear of someone falling overboard and drowning during the festivities.

    The history of the Virgen del Carmen can be traced back to the old testament which tells of the prophet Elias retreating to Mount Carmelo (from which comes Carmen) in modern day Israel where he had a vision of a cloud rising from the sea, later interpreted to be a manifestation of the Virgin Mary. From there comes one connection with sea farers. A connection can also be found in the fact that the Virgen del Carmen is known as the 'Estrella del Mar' (star of the sea) harking back to the days before GPS when mariners navigated by the stars.

First Desalination plant water pipe almost finished

The first of several large bore water pipes which are to transport water from the carboneras desalination plant to different parts of the province is in place and covered with earth and almost ready to begin piping water. This is the pipe that goes through Mojacar and past the back of Garrucha and carries on to the Bajo Almanzora area. The work on this pipe started at the beginning of this year. More pipes are planned to the area around Tabernas and Nijar.

The Carboneras desalination plant is currently running at only ten per cent of its full capacity due to the lack of infrastructure for transporting the water to its final destinations. It has the capacity to provide almost 25 million gallons of drinking water per day. The average consumption of water per capita here in Spain is about 61.5 gallons, meaning the plant can provide for more than 400,000 people.

Medieval market comes to Garrucha

This year for the first time residents and visitors have been able to enjoy a medieval market in the Paseo Mediterraneo in Garrucha. The market, which was in Garrucha for about ten days had all you would expect from the middle ages; candles, herbal remedies, arts and crafts, Moroccan tea shops, and smoky barbequed meat and sausages accompanied by traditional scrumpy style cider to name but a few of the wares on offer from the stalls. For the children there was a puppet show telling stories of princesses and dragons or the pied piper and keeping even today's over stimulated youngsters entertained for half an hour.

If you missed this market the traditional summer market is still open every evening in Garrucha from dusk to late in the Paseo Mariritimo just behind the Almejero restaurant, selling everything you never knew you wanted.

Gas company pays off fishermen in Garrucha and carboneras

Medgaz, the company currently laying a pipeline from Beni Saf in Algeria to Almeria at a cost of 900 million euros, has come to an agreement with representatives of fishermen from Almeria, Roquetas, Carboneras and Garrucha. The company has agreed to pay a total of 3 million euros as compensation for the effects of the pipeline on fishing grounds it passes through. The talks were mediated by Miguel Corpas, the governments sub-delegate in Almeria, and the compensation to be paid is roughly equivalent to what the fishermen receive for the month long 'biological break' they are obliged to take occasionally to allow the prawn population to recover its numbers. Concern has been voiced over the environmental impact of the pipeline which will reach a maximum depth of 2,160 metres and is due to be in service by 2009.

Garrucha beaches fail to meet quality standards

The Blue Flag is a voluntary eco-label awarded to over 3200 beaches and marinas in 37 countries across Europe, South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, New Zealand, Canada and the Caribbean and is the best known qualification for beaches amongst the public. Here in Spain those beaches that don't obtain a blue flag can try for the 'Q de Calidad' (Q for Quality) flag, a Spanish scheme with similar standards but seen by many as a fallback for those beaches that can't get the Blue Flag.

This year Garrucha is the only important tourist destination on the Levante coast to have neither of these awards in a year when spending is down and the tourist industry is feeling the pinch. Vera and Carboneras both have beaches with the Q de Calidad flag and Mojacar has two beaches with the Blue Flag classification (despite the fact that there are still no lifeguards).

One of the biggest problems the beaches in the Mojacar, Garrucha and Vera area have faced over the last few years has been the sewage treatment in the area which does not have the capacity to deal with the extra waste produced due to the number of visitors in summer months. This means that faecal material is regularly dumped into the sea through outfall pipes reaching one kilometre out to sea. Investment is being made to solve the problem, but according Salvemos Mojacar, an environmental pressure group that has instigated several court proceedings against local ayuntamientos for not meeting EU regulations for sewage disposal, the projected spending falls well short of what is needed to conform to European legislation.

Car crash causes delays on Garrucha Turre road

A crash between two cars at about 9 a.m. Tuesday morning closed one lane of the A-370 Garrucha-Turre road for at least an hour. The crash between a Cirtoen XSara and A Volksagen Golf happened at the junction between the A-370 and the A-1203 road which goes up to the Mojacar petrol station. A fire engine from Turre had to attend the accident as well as several Guardia Civil. At least one person was taken to hospital by ambulance.

Contract Awarded for ‘Aula del Mar’ in Garrucha

THE ayuntamiento of Garrucha, during a meeting laced with controversy, has awarded the contract for the works which are to be carried out in the castle in Garrucha, castillo de Jesus Nazareno, in the creation of an 'Aula del Mar'. The contract, worth 324 thousand Euros, was awarded to a company named Sprint and the works are to be completed within a time span of three months. The Aula del Mar will consist of exhibition halls, educational areas, areas dedicated to the fishing industry and entertainment and audiovisual areas.

The opposition Socialist party abstained during the vote, arguing that the awarding of the contract was irregular due to the lack of a technical report, the lack of technical criteria and irregularities in the adjudication of offers tendered for the works.

The governing party, the PP, explained the steps taken in publicising the offer for quotes to be tendered for the works, and the formation of the board, consisting of the mayor, the town planning officer and a technical expert from the University of Almeria, which adjudicated between the two companies which submitted projects.

Bonfire night Spanish style

LA NOCHE de San Juan is a celebration in style of the start of Summer. This year in Garrucha the party was bigger and better than ever. The fun started a 6 pm. With a party for the kids on the beach; bouncy castles, organised activities and to finish it all off a foam cannon and lots of white, froth-covered children. Those that still had the energy could go to the fair set right next to the beach. All the while people were setting up on the sand, bringing their barbeques, lighting fires and weighing down camping tables with food and drink. At about eleven the music started with a band set up right on the beach next to the port, playing paso dobles, Spanish hits from the sixties and more typical Spanish fiesta music, further along the beach there was a change of style with DJs playing dance music accompanied by percussionists, go-go dancers (male and female) a giant screen and hallucinogenic light displays.

The climax came at midnight, signalled by an enormous bang that sent everyone scurrying down to the shore where the first spectacle was the Garrucha tradition of an enormous bonfire at the centre of which surrounded by palettes, what looked like last years boardwalks off the beach and even a tree, was an old wooden fishing boat. Once the flames had taken hold it was time for the fireworks, a stunning display that must have lasted fifteen minutes and left everybody gasping. Then it was time for a swim, or a paddle for the less brave, something said to bring you good luck for the rest of the year. And then – back to the party. Summer has officially started.

‘Annie’ musical a showcase for local talent

The Julie Bruce Dance Academy delighted audiences at the weekend with their interpretation of Annie at the Centro de Cultura in Garrucha. Annie, a musical for all the family, was originally adapted for Broadway in 1977 from the Little Orphan Annie comic strip and was winner of a Tony on stage and nominated for two Oscars on film.

The local cast, aged from three to fifteen, showed real talent and a professionalism that only comes from dedication and hard work. The title role was played by Tamara Coffey who played a mix of sweetness and street-toughness perfectly. Beth Tallis was outstanding in the role of Miss Hannigan the cruel, bitter, hard-drinking orphanage matron, showing a capacity for comic acting and a great singing voice. With a total cast of 28, the boys were outnumbered by six to one with Xaverlino Von Braun ideal in the role of Mr. Warbucks and Peter Campbell giving an outstanding performance as Rooster, Miss Hannigan's no-good brother. Taylor Dodd who played Grace, Mr. Warbucks secretary, gave another exemplary performance.

The show these young people put on was made all the more impressive by the fact that many of them were up at six in the morning that day to attend a rhythmic gymnastics competition in Vera, coming away with one cup and several medals. If that were not enough on top of the preparation and rehearsals for Annie and the preparation for the gymnastics competition the academy students have recently taken their dance exams and are now waiting for the results.

Julie Bruce said that she was really proud of all of the children and thanked them for all their hard work. The Julie Bruce Dance Academy's next project is The Wizard of Oz, to be staged at the end of the year. The academy is open all through the summer. You can contact Julie Bruce on 950 462215/697 861071.

15.4 million euros for Vera-Garrucha Road improvments

THIRTY SEVEN companies have tendered quotes to the Junta de Andalucia for the job of straightening the A-1200 road which connects Vera and Garrucha and which is used by 18,000 vehicles every day. This will be the continuation of the work already done from Vera to a point about 500 metres past the Hotel Vera.

The works will affect 4.3 kilometres of the road from km. 2.7 to km. 6.5, the Buganvillas roundabout, where the road connects to the Villaricos-Garrucha-Turre road.

The works, which have a budget of 15.4 million euros and which should take 26 months to be completed, involve the construction of two new bridges over the River Antas, one for each direction of traffic flow, and a flyover at the junction with the road to Puerto Rey. Service roads will also be built alongside the main road and a new junction will have to constructed to allow traffic access to the petrol station currently right next to the existing road.

These works form part of the MASCERA Plan (Mejora de la Accesibilidad, la Seguridad vial y la Conservación En la Red de Carreteras de Andalucía/Improvement of accessibility, road safety and conservation of the Andalucia road network). This plan has an overall budget of more than 100 million euros and is co-financed with funds from the European Union.