ARTS & CULTURE:

Access Art Gallery presents: The Arthouse, Aruba’s first art cinema. Since its opening in 2002, Access Art Gallery has brought a new dimension to the Aruban art & culture scene by featuring international (art) movies on Thursday nights to a steadily growing loyal following. The Art house will now be able to comply with the increased demand for art films and will present documentaries and “arty footage” +presenter on Tuesday nights; Thursday nights will continue with international (art)films and Saturday nights will be music related ,from opera’s to unplugged performances and more. The curator Renwick Heronimo has many more ideas to be implemented in due time including the creation of a film association.

ARTI ET AMICITIAE presents: ArtiAruba; the new art exhibition to be held in Amsterdam, Holland. The exhibition will be held from August 30th till October 19th 2008. Aruban artists invited to Arti et Amicitiae are: Gilbert Senchi, Elvis Lopez, Glenda Heyliger.  For more info go to www.arti.nl.

In reference to the ArtiAruba, the first edition of the project will launch on September 12, 2008 in the exhibition hall of the Cas di Cultura (Cultural Centre). Titled RASTRO, the exhibition will show, through a series of 30 paintings the artists explore the connection between Aruba, the Netherland Antilles and The Netherlands through the use of colors and their vision on the Aruban & Antillean culture.

The 3rd “Paseo Monumental” ( Monument Walk) will be held on Sunday, September 14th, organized by the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with Monument Bureau, the Aruba Tourism Authority and other volunteers.  On this full day walking event, 18 landmark buildings will open their doors to the public for their entertainment and education. San Nicolas has been chosen as the location for the walk this year as it has 54 buildings of architecturally historic interest. The event starts at 9:00 am and the historic 90 minutes walk will commence and end at the Bus terminal. Flyers & maps will be distributed. The history of each monument on the route will be posted on the entrance in English, Dutch & Papiamento. Along the route, visitors will pass by several plaza’s and can enjoy live music, dance performances and/ as buy refreshments & snacks. The local bus company will have 2 buses, recognizable at the Monument Walk flag on each bus, available to transfer the visitors to & from San Nicolas. Over 1500 people joined the 2nd Monument Walk in 2006. For more information please call (297) 583-5938.

The management of Paseo Herencia Shopping Mall recently unveiled “ E Muraya di Libertad” the “Freedom Wall”, in the presence of Minister of Justice Rudy Croes and Minister of Culture Ramon Lee. The “Freedom Wall” serves to tell the story of Aruba’s struggle for the “Status Aparte” (separate status from The Netherlands Antilles) to become a nation within the Kingdom of The Netherlands on January 1, 1986.  Paseo Herencia offers much more then shopping & entertainment; the visitors can learn and appreciate Aruba’s history through images and information plaques embellishing the walls.

The Netherlands Blazers Ensemble (NBE) will be performing in Aruba on September 17th at the Cas di Cultura. NBE, considered an “all star orchestra” consists of a single musician from a number of the most prestigious and important orchestras in Holland and perform together approximately 50 times per year on special occasions locally and internationally. They will spend three days performing on Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Tickets for the concert series are for sale for Afls. 20 or $12 per person beginning September 1st at the reception desk of the Aruba Bank Camacuri Branch.

RESORTS & APARTMENTS:

The Aruba Marriott recently opened The Tradewinds Club, an intimate hotel experience wrapped in a resort setting. This hotel within a hotel initiative, introduces a boutique hotel in a resort setting that provides for personalized service and exclusive amenities. The Tradewinds Club experience begins even before arrival, as a staff member will contact guests for confirmation of advanced reservations and airline info. Upon arrival to the Aruba Marriott, guests can bypass the main lobby and check in to the hotel via the Tradewinds Club Lounge, a private 1900 sq. ft. lounge area with a 200 sq. ft. terrace, accessible only to Tradewinds Club guests. Once checked in to any of the 59 rooms tucked away on the 8th floor, patrons will find their accommodations fitted with upgraded bathroom amenities, deluxe robes and slippers and a “pillow menu”. A secluded area of the beach is especially reserved for Tradewinds Club guests only. Complimentary Internet access is also provided in the Lounge along with a DVD player and a library of CDs, books, games and newspapers.

The Radisson Aruba Resort, Casino & Spa is launching an Early Winter Sale. The sale, offering up to 25 percent off high-season rates on select room categories, is valid on bookings made by September 30, 2008, for stays between January 4 and April 18, 2009.   Aruba is serviced by direct flights from major U.S. gateway cities including New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Charlotte. Other advantages include $150 restaurant or Larimar Spa credit p/r (For stays of 5 nights or more). Rates start from $359 per night. For more information please contact Lou Hammond & Associates at (651) 655-3836 or visit www.radisson.com/aruba.

AIRPORT & AIRLINES:

Surinam Airways flight PY463 from the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport in Surinam arrived at Aruba’s International Queen Beatrix. Though Surinam Airways is a regular and long time guest at the Aruba airport, flight PY463 was a very special one for the Aruba Airport Authority as new transit procedures for non US destinations to US destinations were introduced. The procedures, as developed by AAA in close cooperation with Aruba Customs and Immigration authorities and the US Customs and Border Protection resulted in a smooth process for both the passengers in transit from Surinam and the passengers originating from Aruba on their way to Miami. Surinam Airways will be offering this service to Miami twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays.

RESTAURANTS & HANGOUTS:

Nu-Taste Contemporary Cuisine is the new and exciting culinary experience located at the bayside Mall, Weststraat 7-a. It is open from Tuesday through Saturday and closed on Sundays and Mondays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm for lunch and from 6:00 pm till 10:00 pm for dinner. For more information please call (297) 588-1113, FAX (297) 588-1114 or email at info@nu_taste.com.

The Old man & the Sea is the newly opened restaurant located at Savaneta 356-A, featuring a barefoot seating, private cove and palapa. A joint venture between accomplished Aruban composer and musician Jonathan Vieira and his mother Mrs. Osyth Henriquez, The Old Man & The Sea is open every evening except on Sundays from 18:00 hrs till 23:00 hrs. For more information please call: (297) 735-0840 or visit www.theoldmanandthesearestaurant.com.

Brisas del Mar Restaurant recently added brunch to its menu of weekly events and activities. Located at Savaneta 222-A, the lovely terrace restaurant now offers a great number of classic breakfast dishes & other lunch items for $32.50. The brunch starts at 11:00 hrs till 14:30 hrs, children under 12 pay half price. For more information please call (297) 584-7718 or visit www.brisasdelmararuba.com.

Café Touché Fresh located on the patio of the Access Art Gallery, recently opened under the leadership of half Aruban, half Norwegian, Tanya Rasmijn. After gaining lots of experience in Norway, Tanya felt the time was right to open a different, healthier alternative in Aruba. The objective is to use as much as possible local & biological ingredients in the preparation of the dishes. The idea is to create an art café ambiance with eclectic music and to plan menus in combination with the art & movie program prepared by Access Art Gallery. The café is open daily from 11 am to 7 pm.

ARUBANS IN THE SPOTLIGHT:

Mrs. Jane Semeleer has been appointed as the new President of the Central Bank of Aruba. Jane previously held the position of Executive Director of the Bank and is the first woman to ever hold this position on Aruba and in the Dutch Caribbean since the establishment of the Central Bank on Aruba after it got its Status Aparte in 1986. She will take over the duties of outgoing President Mr. Hassanali Merhan starting September 1st 2008.

Aruban artist & sculptor, Mr. Ryan Oduber, is busy building a giant bronze cactus as part of a sculpture workshop currently taking place in China. Titled “Energia” (energy), this bronze cactus will be featured on the famous Changchun World Sculpture Park, the largest sculpture park in the world, about 540 sculptures created by artists from over 172 countries, in November 2008.

With Live Transmission From Mi FM 107.5, Exclusively, on Both Days!

Tierra del Sol had just been awarded a 4 1/2 star rating in the 2008-09 edition of Golf Digest’s “Best Places to Play,” which this year rated nearly 6,000 courses in North America and the Caribbean.

“The course was evaluated by approximately 20,000 Golf Digest readers on a five point scale,” reports the elated head professional at Tierra del Sol golf course, Oliver Riding. “The laurels,” says Managing Director Ann Brown, “are being shared between our head professional and the course’s tireless, Aruba-born superintendent, Haime Maduro.”

At the end of the rating questionnaire some of the comments made by those rating the course for Golf Digest included: “It’s hard not to have a wonderful experience with these breathtaking views.” Another golfer raved: “It’s a spectacular combo of desert and ocean,” while a third one summed up what many felt: “Ranks up there, as one of my favorites.”

The 4-star rating explains Riding, is a great accomplishment for Aruba and the Robert Trent Jones II design which relies on 1,800m3 of desalinated water, and a crew of twelve dedicated maintenance men to daily manicure its 110 acres of grass, featuring 6,811 yards of golf. With only one 5-star golf course in the Caribbean, Riding and Maduro are confident that their 5th star is in the making, hopefully for next year.

Tierra del Sol, Aruba Resort, Country Club & Spa opened in 1995, flaunting 18 holes of golf, on a resort course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. The desert-style course features sweeping vistas of Aruba’s coast, sand dunes and the California lighthouse. While the average green fees are about $150, reduced fees are available weekdays and at twilight, also for juniors and seniors.

The course accepts tee time reservations 365 days in advance, and is open year round, from January to December. Tierra del Sol mandates carts, and does not offer a walking option. Riding and Maduro report the fairway turf grows Bermuda grass and that a grass practice range is available. The course, they add, is graced with more that 100 bunkers and best of all, the facility includes a full service gourmet restaurant in the club house named Ventanas del Mar, and a casual grill and bar at the highest elevation, the Look Out Bar & Grill, facing Palm Beach and the high-rise hotels.

Maduro who worked on the course since opening day and who planted each blade of grass on the greens is proud of “his baby” and credits all accomplishments to his team for their consistency and great attention to detail. Riding who last weekend helped organize the successful Aruba Pro Am in its 14th edition, also credits his crew, complemented by golf pros Heath Henrich, and Adam Williamson.

The rating, explains the Golf Digest website means that Tierra del Sol is perfectly positioned between the four-star “outstanding golf, good enough to plan a next vacation around it,” and the five-star “Super. Golf at its absolute best. Pay any price to play at least once in your life.”

This story submitted by Rona Coster-Kahan

Top right: Haime Maduro and Oliver Riding
Bottom: Tierra del Sol, Resort, Country Club & Spa Golf Course

On August 21 and 23, American author Daniel Putkowski will be signing his novel An Island Away at Samsom Bookstore, Oranjestad, Aruba. In July, readers lined up at Charlie’s Bar in San Nicolas for copies of An Island Away and a chance to meet author Daniel Putkowski. Since then, the entire first shipment of the book to Aruba has sold out. More books arrived last week and two new events have been added to the author’s schedule. This week he will be signing books at the Samsom Bookstore located in the Antraco Retail Center, L.G. Smith Boulevard 126, Oranjestad (near Wendy’s, The Jungle Furniture Store, and the traffic circle by the container port). Ample, free onsite parking is available. The first signing will be Thursday, August 21, from 1 to 4 pm. A second event will be held on Saturday, August 23, from 3 to 6 pm. For directions, call the bookstore at 297-582-3434.

Putkowski sets the stage for a compelling read with the opening line of An Island Away, “Charlie lived in a place where some people’s fantasies were other people’s realities.” As the story unfolds in the heart of San Nicolas, Putkowski makes one thing clear — he is a keen observer of the human condition. Before deciding to live in Aruba, he was a frequent visitor. It was during those visits that he gathered material which became An Island Away. The novel is set mostly in the shadow of Aruba’s refinery, with some real-life characters like the late Charlie Brouns, Jr. of Charlie’s Bar. Readers will recognize other locations including the California Lighthouse, Palm Beach, and the fishing village of Savaneta.

Here the author answers some commonly asked questions:

When did you first come to Aruba and why? I was invited to Aruba in 1994 by friends who lived here. I investigated the possibility of building artificial reefs for sport divers along the northwest coast. At the time, I owned a business in the States that was building reefs in New Jersey and Delaware by sinking ships and concrete pipe.

Why did you choose San Nicolas as the setting for your book? During that first visit in 1994, I went to San Nicolas with the people who invited me to the island. The oil refinery looming in the background reminded me of my own pier in Philadelphia. We stopped at Charlie’s Bar for a drink, met Charlie, Jr., himself, and I thought, “This is my kind of place.”

Your novel is very realistic. How did you conduct research? I had the good fortune to become fast friends with people who were born and raised in the Seroe Colorado Colony at the height of the Esso days. These guys not only told me their stories, but also took me to the places where they happened. My visits to Aruba became more and more frequent and each one was like another episode in a sort of grand soap opera. In some ways, these adventures were like reconstructions of the good old days. Soon I was a friend of their friends, people who ran the gamut of jobs, nationalities, and backgrounds.

Charlie Brouns, Jr. is a featured character in the book. Why? Charlie was a good friend, may he rest in peace. In many ways he was like the ringmaster of a circus. Whether at his bar or his pavilion in Savaneta, he kept the good times going, encouraging everyone to enjoy themselves. At the same time, Charlie had a wit and wisdom that taught life’s lessons to anyone with the patience to listen. I only wish I had spent more time with him before his untimely passing in 2004.

When did you start writing stories? My earliest writing efforts began when I was about ten or eleven. During college, I started a few novels but never finished them. After a long break, I took up the pen again and completed a novel in 2000. That gave me the courage to work seriously and by 2003, I’d finished another one.

Were they published? No, those first two books were practice. They helped me hone my skills and prepared me to take on a story as big as An Island Away.

How long did it take you to write An Island Away? About two years. There was another year of rewriting and editing.

What would you like your readers to take from the book? The characters in my story discover that, for better or worse, life is full of detours. My own life has been the same way. I started out in film school, ended up working in the marine industry for 17 years, and then returned to the creative arts. However, without that detour I might never have written An Island Away. As Charlie always said, “You have to improvise.”

Top right: ‘An Island Away’ book cover

Bottom: Daniel Putkowski (white shirt)