The big day is coming. Nov. 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the CountryDay School in the western San José suburb of Escazú is a holiday for everyone, thanks to the Women’s Club of Costa Rica. It’s their annual bazaar, when they take over the whole school and fill it full of delights.
For us reading addicts, the big attraction is the tables full of books, mostly in English and priced so low that even penny-pinchers (pinches in Spanish) will be impressed. Pick up some empty boxes at your store or pulpería and be prepared for a book binge.
Come early to beat out other eager readers – nothing like having your eye on a book and having someone else snatch it.
While the book bargains beckon, they’re just the cherry on the sundae. The rest of the bazaar creates a fantastic day with booths full of jewelry, accessories, home decorations, holiday gifts, dolls and toys, trinkets, plants, herbs, cheese and other food products, holiday cards and calendars and, of course, The Tico Times.
And here’s a secret for you: There will be a section of still-treasured clothes, shoes and home items, but the closets and drawers are just too full so the ladies are offering them for sale.Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah or the solstice, you deserve a present for yourself.
On to the bakery table with homemade yummy pastries – buy a piece or a whole cake to savor at home while going through your new books and buys.
For lunch this year, the bazaar will have something new: a Mundo de Bocas food court with restaurants setting out small plates ranging from bagels to sushi, pizza, Cuban boquitas and more. For ¢500 (less than $1), you can sample as little or as much as you want.
Make a day of it. Everyone is pleasant. Everything looks good. And the proceeds from the bazaar go to help students.
High school is more than pencils and books, and since 1977 the Women’s Club Scholarship Fund has helped 3,000 students get a needed boost to stay in school. This year, 128 students are getting their help and yours through the bazaar. Proceeds also build up school libraries, another way of helping students.
So be sure to thank the ladies in the red Tshirts, all club members, for making this a great day and for giving so many children an opportunity.
From the center of Escazú, look for arrows pointing to the bazaar, or look it up on a map at www.wccr.org. Or catch a Bebedero bus, which stops at the door; they leave every half hour from Avenida 6, Calle 14, behind the San Juan de Dios Hospital.
See you all there.
