It was a busy day of visitors and openings as Jelsa celebrated its Town Day yesterday, with two opening ceremonies with differing and defining impacts on the town.
First up was the inveiling of the recently finished (and congratulations to all for getting everything finished on time) downstairs room in the administrative building, almost 12 years after the building was gutted in a devastating fire in November 2003.
The traditional gathering of the great and the good was moved downstairs into this tastefully and traditionally restored reception room, and – as has been the tradition in recent years – guest of honour was Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic, who had recovered from a recent illness and confirmed he was coming just an hour before the event. He was accompanied, among others by Minister of Public Administration.
While the arrival of the prime minister and the opening of the new room were indeed highlights of the day, for some the real action came later in the evening, with the unveiling of the latest monument on the island – a donkey for Jelsa.
The lifesize donkey is the work of local resident Ivan Skrmeta, who completed his work of art some three years ago, and there has been much debate about its final resting place ever since, but it has finally found a permanent home between two palm trees on the new waterfront, and the donkey was unveiled with a plaque by Ivan and Mayor Niksa Peronja last night. I wonder if they named it Mercedes…
