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Restaurant and Basque Club, the Eusko Txokoa in Armstrong, in the Argentine province of Santa Fe, participated in two important events last week.  On the one hand, they participated in a special edition of the local Communities Festival, its 25th edition, with a food stand and Basque dance show.  On the other, Eusko Txokoa celebrated its 20th anniversary.  At both activities, the dantzaris from the Euskal Biotza in Roldan were in charge of presenting Basque dances. 

Armstrong, Argentina.   With Norberto and Alicia Elorriaga at the head, the Basque Club and Restaurant, Eusko Txokoa in Armstrong celebrated its 20th birthday on October 22 with a big dinner that included squid and paella, “the house specialties,” on the menu.  During the festivities, guests enjoyed a warm ambience and the music and dance of Euskal Herria, thanks to the presence of the group Indarra Dantza Taldea from neighboring, Roldan.

On such a special anniversary for the restaurant, local media allowed the Elorriagas to invite and recall the history of the project that was born two decades ago.  As they said in an interview with Cable Imagen Armstrong: “In the beginning, and due to economic reasons, we organized a food sale, like a rotisserie; later we opened our first locale and over time, and due to the demand, we enlarged it becoming what we are today.  The Restaurant is very well known, not just in Armstrong, but all over the region; we have always been Eusko Txokoa (the Basque corner), but people say “we go to 'lo de Basquito,'” Norberto Elorriaga said.

The anniversary festivities gathered one hundred people, “everyone collaborated and made our club’s dream come true.  It was a night full of emotions, laughs, and applause,” Noelia, member of the Elorriaga family told EuskalKultura.com.

Festival of Communities

Along with the news about its anniversary, Eusko Txokoa also told us about their participation on October 9th at the local Festival of Communities. In fact, there is a very close relationship between the festival and the club/restaurant.  “Years ago, when we began to organize the Festival of Communities in Armstrong, I was part of the organization and with my family’s help, we provided the food.  It was so successful that over time, people began to encourage us to open a restaurant, and so we did.  That is how Eusko Txokoa, that is a restaurant but also the Basque Club, was born,” the owner said.

That is why, and to honor their commitment to the Festival, the Elorriagas represented the Basque community at the festival annually from it beginning to present.  In regards to the 2016 edition, marking the 25th anniversary of the festival, at the official event, Alicia Elorriaga received, in the name of the Basque community for having been present for this quarter century, a distinction by the School 262, festival organizer.

The festival included 15 communities this year, and was attended by nearly 6,000 people.  Besides the stand with typical dishes, the Basque community also presented traditional dances thanks to the Euskel Biotza Basque Club in Roldan.  “They danced at the first edition of the festival in 1992; and now, as a result of the EuskalKultura.com article published in June, we once again invited them to present the typical dances of Euskal Herria.  It was really a beautiful festival,” members of Eusko Txokoa said.