Earlier today, the office of local holidays of the Formentera Council announced the activities programme of Festes de Sant Ferran. Organised by the Associació de Reis Mags with the support of the Council, 'Sant Ferran Days' will have many attractions but one uncontested main event: Saturday 30 May, an evening of live music at the town square.

First among the activities, at five p.m. on Thursday 28 May, the Sant Ferran library will host a workshop for kids all about the island's local hero: posidònia seaweed. Next day, a projection of the children's film “Oliver and Company” (“Oliver y su Pandilla”) will be held in the library at the same time.

Later that Friday, at eight p.m., an indispensable element of Sant Ferran's summertime evening ambiance—the artists' market—will kick off a new season of vending. Saturday's activities get under way with an afternoon exhibition (hosted jointly by the local sailing school, l'Escola de Vela) of entries from the Sant Ferran primary school drawing contest. Snacks will be provided and awards handed out between five and seven in the evening.

The traditional festivities marking the local holiday—a chanted mass and procession that cuts across the town's interior—will take place at seven p.m. Afterward, beginning at roughly eight, an hors d'oeuvres table stocked with local-favourite orelletes will accompany a street demonstration of the traditional ball pagès dance. Finally, from half past eight, local rockers La 22 will take to the stage and give crowds everything they need to dance. Chimichurri follow with a musical set that is sure to please before making way for DJs Alex Abril and Fedde R*, of Lifecode, who close out the evening programme.

Sunday will be a moment for a bit of calm, as the day's activities feature a pilgrimage to la Creu del Pare Palau and a senalló-basket picnic. Later that day the Sant Ferran pensioners' club (Club de jubilats) will celebrate six years of existence with a noontime mass and member lunch at Hotel La Mola.

This week, a joint project of the Formentera farmers cooperative and Formentera Council known as Fons de Terres (meaning 'farmland reserve') took a leap forward with the annexation of five new parcels of donated land. Shortly after the project's review board gave the go-ahead for the addition, farmers cooperative head Carlos Marí announced: “With these five parcels—a combined 68,000 square metres—the total area of reclaimed land stands at 242,000 sq. m.”

The donated lots are situated at different points across the island in vénda de sa Punta (4), es Ca Marí (4), Porto Salé (5), vénda del Molí de s'Estany (2), Es Cap de Barbaria (4), Es Brolls (1) and La Mola (1). Work has already begun on 6 of the 21 parcels now registered. The farmers cooperative has reported that crops will be sown in November and December.

The Formentera Council, in the words of the administration's councillor of economy Bartomeu Escandell, “wishes to give thanks to the Govern Balear, which, by way of an arm of the Palma government known as 'el Consell de Govern' has made official a subsidy of €2,136,000—fifty percent of the Formentera-Eivissa waste transfer costs accrued from 2011 to 2014”.

The subsidy follows negotiations that were held over two years between José Vicente Marí Bossó, the autonomous government's tax and budgets councillor, and, representing the Formentera Council, Escandell himself.

Bartomeu Escandell explained: “Our wish is that the Govern assumes full responsibility of the cost of transport. That was the agreement in place from the time the es Cap de Barbaria transfer plant was opened through 31 December 2010—the duration of Balearic president Antich's presidency. We would have wanted a similar accord to bear out during this legislature”.

Councillor Escandell reported that “during this legislative sitting, the cost of waste transfer reached 4.5 millon euros, so the agreement reached today—and the €2,136,000 in funding that it guarantees—are positive for the Council”.

Escandell applauded Marí Bossó for what the economic councillor described as “his knack for true dialogue and his will to compromise”. Speaking of the outgoing legislature, Escandell continued: “With Councillor Marí Bossó, important agreements have been struck both on this issue and with regard to funding for the island councils”.

The education office of the Formentera Council has published the provisional lists of admitted students at the island's two public nurseries (escoletes), Sa Miranda in Sant Francesc and the soon-to-be-opened addition along the old road to la Mola (a thoroughfare referred to commonly as 'el Camí Vell'). The Camí Vell escoleta will open its doors on 1 June as a summer school for children ages one through three. Allocating spots for all 23 of the applications received, Council offices happily announced that the centre would meet 100% of this year's demand.

As for Sa Miranda, the centre was able to accept 62 of the 80 children who applied, or 77.5%. Of those 62 infants, 54 will go to Sa Miranda (67.5%) while the remaining eight —who placed the Camí Vell site as a second option— will attend the newer of the two escoletes. The 18 children who were not given a placement have been put on a wait list.

The placements have been published on the Sa Miranda school and the Formentera Council website and there will be a three-day period (ending 22 May) during which time families can review, comment on or contest the placements.

1 June: start of operations at Camí Vell

Nearly complete is the transformation of the former Casal de l'Esport (sport centre) into the island's second nursery. This week, after new toilets are fitted and separation walls are installed to divide the space into three different classrooms, the centre will be painted. Next week, the school will be equipped with tables, chairs and other furnishings. The Formentera Council has already finished the hiring process for two of the three staff members required at the new site. Duties of the third staff member will be assumed by an employee of Sa Miranda.