The Car Boot sale scheduled for Sunday August 2nd at The Old School House Vales has been cancelled.
The next Car Boot will now take place on Sunday September 6th.
It was deemed necessary to take this action as Amovate’s main summer activity, the Family Fun Day, is being held on Saturday August 1st on the large area between the apartments at the commercial centre here on Vale da Telha, opposite Hugo’s Bar.
And it is anticipated that because of the various activities and stalls, the Family Fun Day will attract a large crowd, necessitating a big clean-up operation by Amovate the following morning, which, of course, coincides with the Car Boot sale–another event which requires a substantial clean-up operation once it is over.
The Committee felt it would be unfair, if not impossible, to expect the volunteers normally tasked with these duties to have to work on both sites through the whole of Sunday.
We hope you will understand the reasons for this decision.
Category Archives: Amovate Events
Amovate Fun Day
On the 1st August at the Amovate Fun Day outside Hugo’s Bar, (by the apartments on the way to Arrifana) you will have the opportunity to let your children, grandchildren or visitors ride on the donkey for a small charge. Make sure your friends, neighbours and or guests come along and enjoy the Fun and Music.
Amovate will be selling Fun Day Programmes soon, they have some useful information inside and have been well supported by some Local Businesses who have purchased advertising space, for which we are extremely grateful.
The programme will cost €1 and will have a lucky number on the front and these numbers will be entered into a free draw.
We have some great prizes but if you would like to donate a prize please do not hesitate to contactinfo@amovate.com to let us know or simple give your donation to an Amovate Committee member.
Amovate 2015 Summer Solstice At O Paulo
by Matt D’Arcy
Oh, what a night!
One of our guests summed it up perfectly when she wrote on her Facebook page: “What a fantastic night, with great company. Thank you Amovate and O Paulo—O PAULO RESTAURANT, you did us proud!”
And certainly Amovate would like to thank Restaurante O Paulo and all the staff there for a wonderful evening. They were quick, attentive and very professional which really boosted the enjoyment of the 90 people who attended. And thanks to Taxi Luis for providing the efficient Taxi service to and from the venue.
Thanks also to singer Emma Louise whose beautiful voice and song selection helped to create such a wonderful atmosphere for our 2015 Summer Solstice event.
Of course not everything was in our control; the 8:57pm sunset we hoped would provide the perfect backdrop to our evening was sadly hidden behind the clouds.
(And even the Space Station fly-past we had gone to so much trouble to organise was obscured, much to everyone’s disappointment! J )
But what was very clear was that the evening was a major success—and we should also mention that Paulo Silva, the owner of the restaurant, was kind enough to donate €50 to our Charity Fund.
Amovate President John Bergstrom-Potter observed: “What a great night. The food was plentiful, the singer was great and it was clear that everyone there enjoyed themselves. In fact we even picked up a few new members!
“We should also say a special thank-you to the Entertainment Committee who organised the event.”
Here you will find a selection of photographs that we hope will sum up the spirit of Amovate’s 2015 Summer Solstice Event (If you click on an individual photo, then click on it again, it will present itself in a larger format). We will be giving you early notice in 2016 of next year’s Summer Solstice Dinner at O Paulo so you can make sure of your tickets.
Summer Solstice – 21st June – Update
TAXI Arrangements
We have now spoken to Luis the taxi man and have made these arrangements:
Luis will arrange for two or three taxis to begin the service at 6.00pm on Sunday evening. Don’t forget that although the doors of O Paulo will not be opened until 7.30pm to allow diners to take their (unreserved) seats there will be an outside bar serving drinks beforehand, so getting there early is not a problem.
The cost will be €10 per taxi each way, so if four people travel in each taxi the cost per head will be €2.50 for each journey. If only two people are in the taxi the cost will still be €10 for the vehicle, so it obviously is best to arrange to have four people making each trip.
Luis tells has tickets for the Summer Solstice and will therefore be on the premises at O Paulo all evening.
Please e mail info@amovate.com if you require a Taxi for the evening, so that the correct number of Taxis can be secured.
Amovate Summer Solstice 2015
It’s the longest-running party in history—the Summer Solstice.
The first one ever recorded took place 5,715 years ago in Egypt and people have been partying at the solstice—one way or another!—ever since.
Back in 3700 B.C. at the Temple of Amen-Ra in Karnak alongside the River Nile a beam of light illuminated a sanctuary in this temple’s interior for about 2 or 3 minutes on the solstice.
The day of the solstice, typically June 21st which signals the start of summer, has the longest period of sunlight in the calendar year—16 hours and 38 minutes, for example, at Greenwich in London.
That means the day ends with the shortest night.
But we’ll be doing our best at this year’s Summer Solstice party on Sunday June 21st at O Paulo on the Fortaleza headland at Arrifana to make you enjoy it so much it will feel like the LONGEST night of the year!
As we said last year, we can’t promise you Druids—unless any of you wish to don the appropriate regalia—but we do hope for one of Arrifana’s most spectacular sunsets to highlight this year’s event.
And, of course it is worth pointing out once again that prior to last year’s event Paulo had glass walls fitted permanently all around the exterior parts of the restaurant, so the wind will not be an issue should it spring up.
So, why not join us?
Tickets cost €20 for Amovate members, €22.50 for non-members (a reduction on last year’s prices) and again, for reasons of comfort, we have reduced the number of tickets to 90, so it is important you book early if you wish to attend.
The dinner comprises a three-course meal (set menu with course options below), plus a complementary sunset drink.
There will be a seating plan to direct you to your table, and as people purchase their tickets we ask that they inform us of their choice between meat or fish. This way we can then give the restaurant the accurate numbers for each dish.
Throughout the evening there will be entertainment provided by the highly-recommended singer Emma Louise.
Emma is a 23 year-old professional singer based in Lagos, and she has a varied repertoire consisting of mainly pop, country and soul genres, so there is plenty of music to appeal to all tastes.
Once again, following on the success of last year’s operation, we will be arranging a shuttle taxi service with Luis, so you can enjoy the evening without worrying about having to drive home.
More information about that to follow, so keep watching this space.
PLEASE NOTE:
The evening starts at 7.30pm when the doors will be open, with dinner being served from 8pm.
If anyone wishes to arrive before 7.30pm they will be guided to an outside bar that is being provided for the evening.
* * * *
What and when is the Summer Solstice?
The solstice heralds the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. In 2015, the solstice falls on June 21 at 6:51 A.M. EDT.
The word “solstice” literally means the stopping or standing-still of the sun, as it is derived from two words “sol” meaning sun and “sister”, to cause to stand still
This is because, as the summer solstice approaches, the noonday sun rises higher and higher in the sky on each successive day. On the day of the solstice, it rises an imperceptible amount, compared to the day before. In this sense, it ”stands still.”
Amovate Summer Solstice Menu At Restaurante O Paulo
Couvert (Bread, Olive and carrot Salad, Butter, Tuna pate)
Starter
- Cooked Shrimp
- Fish and Meat Canapés
- Octopus Salad
Main Course
- Grilled Mixed Fish or Meat with French fries, mixed salad, vegetables
Dessert
- Mixed cake plates
- Coffee and Medronho
- Sunset Drink.
Hoedown Update
by Matt D’Arcy
Christina Walks Tall…
…Over Her €2,000 Charity Donation
Christina (centre) with, from left, Amovate President John Bergstrom-Potter, Leo Vandermeulen, Donna Fernanda Agapito, Rick Hursthouse (Amovate), Antonio Ramos (pétanque association), Steve Scott (Amovate) and Caterina Rodrigues Pereira.
Christina Vandermeulen was the headline attraction at Amovate’s Country and Western Hoedown held at the Pétanque Club in the Churasqueira Mendes last Saturday, May 23rd.
Christina was walking tall after raising €2,000 for needy children and their families with her epic trek from Cape St Vincent to Fatima.
The Amovate member, 61, and from Vale da Telha, received the final donations following her 400km walk which began at the Cape on April 18th and ended in Fatima on May 2nd.
Cheques of €100 from Amovate, €50 from the association’s Keep Fit Club led by Bob Packham and €50 from Antonio Ramos, head of the Pétanque Club, were presented to her.
And all of this came on the heels of sponsorship during the walk and from well-filled collection boxes in our local bars and restaurants (Christina sends her heartfelt thanks to the owners of these establishments), and of course deposits in the account she opened at the BPI bank in Aljezur.
The presentations at the Hoedown brought the total up to €2,000, which Christina then handed over to Donna
Christina with Donna Fernanda Agapito (left) and Caterina Rodrigues Pereira (right) from the Conferência de Nossa Senhora D’Alva, Aljezur.
Fernanda Agapito and Caterina Rodrigues Pereira from her target charity, Conferência de Nossa Senhora D’Alva, Aljezur.
This is a purely local division of the international St Vincent de Paul Society, set up to help Aljezur families in urgent need of support.
“I am overwhelmed,” said Belgian-born Christina, whose husband Leo accompanied her on the walk, driving ahead to organise meals and overnight stops.
“The final total exceeded my wildest expectations and I am so grateful for all the support I received before, during and after my walk.
“This made all the exhaustion—and all the blisters!—really worthwhile.”
Steve Scott, of Amovate’s Entertainment’s Committee hosted the presentation ceremony, describing Christina’s charity walk as “a magnificent feat—on her magnificent feet”.
He joked that Christina was already prepared to sign up volunteers to join her in a similar walk next year!
Almost 100 people attended the Hoedown and BBQ which began at 3pm and went on until after sunset, with dancing and singing to the country and 60s music of Just John.
The event, which was also warmly embraced by the Portuguese members of the Pétanque Club, was a huge success and Amovate’s entertainment committee promised to do all they could to repeat it next summer.
