JK’s Bar Summer Fete
with Pete and Jamie
By Margaret Sheard….
Tuesday 11th August saw a huge crowd of people at JK’s Bar in Lapta for the Summer Fete which started at 7pm with some entertainment of games, including Daren the owner of JK’s being the target for the Wet Sponge, miniature horse racing, a coconut shy, and on the car park area we kept well away from the flying wellies in the Welly Wanging competition. Later there was music from entertainers from All Stars Agency Promotions (ASAP) – Jamie (the Man in Black) and Pete Murray, Singer/DJ/Karaoke.
It was a warm evening but a little windy but this did not deter the people who were joining in the games and then settling down to the music by the two ASAP entertainers.
When we first arrived I got into conversation with a lady who had been coming to the TRNC on holiday for 4 years and she felt what better than to get married here, so the previous week the couple had gone through the civil ceremony and then had their wedding at the Silver Rocks in Lapta which she said had been the perfect setting. They felt that there was so much to do here and had taken the opportunity of coming along to the Summer Fete to join in the fun and games.
As well as burgers and hot dogs which were available, there were some stalls in the inside area where there were also some lovely cakes and samples of home-made chutneys and jams. The other stalls were displaying wheat and gluten-free crackers and some cute stuffed toys, there were also pictures and paintings, handbags and the lovely Dawn with her wide selection of jewellery. I took some time later in the evening to talk to some of the stallholders and give some information about them below.
Between the performances of Jamie and Pete, the raffle was drawn. An amount of 300TL was made from the raffle and this is to be used for treatment etc. for a stray dog which is not in good condition and has recently attached itself to JK’s Bar. The amount raised for the event, stalls etc. was a further 300TL and this is to be donated to Hope 4 Pets.
As a vegetarian I did not visit the burger/hot dog area but instead indulged in 2 pieces of cake at the stall of Gemma and her husband Remi. Gemma told me she has started making cakes under the name Gem Cakes and will be selling these at Lambousa Saturday market, Lemar market in Catalkoy and other market venues and she is also going to be taking orders for wedding and birthday cakes.
This is a new enterprise of only 4 weeks, but judging by the delicious variety of cakes, she should do well. Gemma is English and moved to North Cyprus in September 2014, her husband Remi is Turkish Cypriot and he joined her 3 months ago from his employment in the Middle East and they now intend to settle here in Remi’s homeland.
I visited Dawn Buyukertas at her stall, as an ASAP member tonight she wasn’t singing but instead was following her other passion of jewellery. She had some lovely pieces on display and I convinced myself that I needed some new earrings and then decided on a necklace to go with them. There was so much to choose from, earrings, pendants, bracelets, rings etc. and Dawn had previously told me she goes to Istanbul every 2-3 months to look out for more unusual designs of jewellery which she likes to specialise in and there was certainly a very wide range of choice of designs and stones.
The Friends Line Dancers were there to strut their stuff and they gave a brilliant performance as usual. The group are well known around North Cyprus when they show how line dancing should be done at the various Festivals and events throughout the year.
Later I had a chat with 2 young men, Max and Jay, who had on display samples of jams and chutneys on nice crusty bread and I had noticed that my partner Chris had already visited them and bought a couple of jars to take home.
Max is from Germany and Jay from New Zealand. They have been in North Cyprus since April of this year and will be leaving in November to return to their home in Munich, Germany which is their base. I asked about the chutney and jam and Jay said these were all made to the recipe of his grandmother, Nana Fay, who had taught him how to make them with many different ingredients and flavours and the products bear the brand name Nana Fay. He is very interested in cooking and is currently writing a cookbook. Jay’s main occupation is photography and he likes nothing better than to photograph food items, although he covers many other aspects as well. Max said he helps Jay!
The handbag stall was run by Çetin Peler and he also takes his wares to Lambousa Saturday market, the Girne Wednesday market and others. Çetin was born in Dulwich, London, of Turkish Cypriot parents. He came back to North Cyprus in 1999, his parents are still in London but age makes it difficult for them to travel back here now and Çetin tries to visit them as often as he can.
All very interesting people with many different backgrounds.
When we were leaving Pete was doing Karaoke and we left to the sounds of one of the guests giving their all.
For more pictures of the event see the slideshow below.
