The Q Club? Yup it's a strange name. And a strange and delightful concept seems to be growing into a new community center for the Barra/Melaque area.
Without any visible means of support, efforts by some of the permanent ex-pat community in the area have launched a wonderfully wet idea.
An underused pool at the famous Cadillac Ranch Bar became central in gathering the efforts of the willing old farts in the area for spirited games of water volleyball twice a week. While the owner’s kids didn’t appreciate the pool, the full-timers in the Barra area are turning the venue into a full fledged community center. And, the emerging design is almost outstripping this writer’s ability to keep up with it.
Folk gather and crash about in the pool with the ball and there are very few rules: no spiking, and the “John” rule (yup… that’s me), you can’t pass the net with your hand, or you will be met with a “splash penalty," largely from your own team, and it goes on for hours. No points noted. No rules about how many times the ball is touched. Except for the John rule and any other rule concocted in the moment. It is a riot of friendliness. The game is facilitated by a six foot fishing net surrounding the pool and besides eliminating many balls in the weeds, the net is a favorite strategy in the game.
The idea of the community center seems to have emerged among the folk in the pool, perhaps blows to the head helped them along.
At this writing, the pool has become the center of a construction event that is yielding a new bar with a kitchen, a library and book exchange, a car wash (Ok, Ok, it’s a hose), and it looks like there will be a place for live music.
The Q? It means quince or, 15 pesos. That’s what everything costs. Beer, a drink, a refresco, perhaps pretty soon a bite to eat, and maybe even the ear of the bartender, Hector.
Hector Garcia Loza was hired away from his spot at the best gringo beer joint in Barra, and is now training to become the manager of the newly and loosely defined destination. Hector has more music in his library than anyone here, and is providing an amazing compilation of recorded music and video at the bar.
The Redneck Mothers, a popular dive band will be anchored at the Q Club and at some point will let their new schedule be known.
The center is planned to be open 365 days every year, offers free coffee, Wi-Fi internet, book exchange, and space for community events.
A retired physician noted that if this group of full-time folk in the area can pull this off, there will surely be late-life athletic injuries that will baffle medical science. ”You did this playing volley ball?”
The center is locate across from the water park on the road into Barra de Navidad from the junction at Highway. 200 at Jaluco.
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