La Chorrera International Fair 2010.

     La Chorrera is a city near Panama City, located west of the country. To get there, you have to cross the Bridge of the Americas or the Centennial Bridge which connects the lands separated by the Panama Canal.

     Every year we celebrate the La Chorrera International Fair in this city and this year is its 50th edition.

     The main objective of the fair is to provide a commercial showcase for agricultural and livestock products produced in the region. I saw exposure of cattle as well as agricultural products planted in the place. You could see how plants are of the different products such as sunflower, lettuce, peas, tomatoes, rice and others.  There was an exhibition of all fruits, tubers and vegetables produced in the country. It was interesting.

    

     At the fair, the crafts are highlighted and sold, crafted by Panamanian hands like hand-painted clay pots for plants, pottery items to decorate walls, leather sandals and other leather goods, hammocks, jewelry, molas (Kuna Indians' embroidered fabrics), “polleras” (Panamanian female costume) and accessories for the pollera, and also for the Panamanian man costume, bamboo or teak furniture, paints, confectionery and Panamanian candies, including peddling goods in general. I also found with many stands selling plants. And you could not miss in this fair a zoo with exotic species both local and elsewhere that can adapt to the climate of the country.

        

    

     Being an International fair, there were some countries that exhibited some of its products, especially handicrafts. Some countries present were: Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and others. Very good idea to export handicrafts, thus bringing the traditions of countries around the world.

     The fair is very large and takes time touring it completely. You can find several Panamanian food stands, as well as grilled. Very famous are “chorizo” (sausages) and “carne en palito” (stick meat). I found some stands of some restaurants of the country. One was a fast food restaurant and another was a pizzeria. There were also stands with soda and beer can sales in every corner of the fair. I must remark that the sun was shining as a delicious tropical summer while in the north were being freezing cold and snow storms did not stop.

     It was an enriching experience, which ended in the area of rides. It's amazing how people like to feel the fear feeling and defy gravity. Definitely, this area you could only hear the screams of people excited and enjoyed these rides. I would have liked to stay up at night to appreciate the place lit by colorful lights that hypnotize and entice the viewer to ride on their iron structures.

Eco Fair 2010.

     From January 9 to January 10, 2010, the ECO Fair was held  in the “Salón Las Totumas” of the ATLAPA Convention Center.
     The event attracted my attention because it is the first time you see a fair of this kind in the country, where the audience becomes aware of the new ecological practices for environmental conservation. There were stands of several associations and institutions for environmental conservation, as well as manufacturers of recycled and biodegradable products. At the fair you could also find products that work with solar energy, “bio-friendly” appliances, bamboo and recycled materials furniture, electric cars, organic foods, among others.
     There were also  lectures and workshops about recycling of different materials and themes related to environmental conservation. There were also runways with environmental awareness. 
     This type of fair in our country are very importance in our times by the information generated, because our planet is currently undergoing  radical changes in climate and geological disasters as consecuense of the polluting action of the human being.

EXPOMANUALIDADES 2009: XVI Art and Craft Fair.

     It's amazing what human hands can create.
     In Atlapa Convention Center, from Oct 2 to Oct 4 2009, took place EXPOMANUALIDADES 2009, the XVI Art and Craft Fair. This exhibition brought together several companies that promote handcraft products, were was highlighted Aileen Art World Company as the event organizer.
     I was impressed by the stand of Fundación Laboral de Jóvenes y Adultos con Discapacidad", where handicap people create craft products and these are sold. In the first pictures you can appreciate their stand.
     There were other stands showing painted wood art with child themes, handmade dolls, jewelry, paintings, "origamis", wooden birdhouses, painted aluminum buckets with ecological designs, hand wovens in great variety, ceramics, and as an exception , ornamental plants and flowers. In short, everything that can be considered craft was there.
     The Panamanian art were also stand out over the handcraft: the famous "Molas", multicolored fabrics highlighting panamanian flora and fauna , created by the Kunas, one of our indians tribes; feathers and ceramic potteries painted in pretty colors that seemed to become alive.
     Food stands with a variety of dishes were at the back of the fair. I was able to try “siu mai” (4 pieces per order). You may wonder, what is "siu mai"? Well, it is a pork and mushroom dumpling that is served at Dim Sum (Chinese breakfast). But you can order "siu mai" at any time in Chinese fast food restaurants in Panama.
     Before leaving the fair, I could see a Panama’s folk dance group interpretation, which the audience loved it.

XIII Collectionists Fair

   It's amazing what people collect as hobby: some collect coins, others stamps, fans collect items of their idols, and the most eccentric people collect antiques or rare things.
   On August 27, 28, 29 and 30, The XIII Collectionists Fair took place in the Bellamar Hall at El Panama Hotel, organized by Banco Nacional de Panamá, Asociación Numismática de Panamá and Dirección General de Correos y Telégrafos. Among the exhibition were coins, paper money, Panamanian stamps and books, medals, memorabilia from all the world, as well as Panama Canal stuff.
   Entering the exhibition, you could see the collection of stamps. There were stamps commemorating the fourth centenary of Don Quijote and literary criticism, stamps dedicated to art, the first printed stamps of different countries, stamps dedicated to history personalities, stamps and sealed envelopes of the Third Reich or Nazi empire and Panama's first stamps. It was a journey through the history of Panamenian mail.
   Further back in the room was the Panamanian and world coins display, as well as the paper money exhibition, which protruded Disney dollars and dollars with printing errors. I could also see collections of thimbles, snowmen manufactured statues, Matchbox (miniature cars), patches and buttons of the Fuerzas Armadas de Panamá (Panama Armed Forces) from military dictatorship times, Coca-Cola promotional items, baseball cards, among many more. Ahh! And there is always some collection to Star Trek fans.