March the 18th, 2020 - Over the last several years, TCN has followed a little place called Tkon on the island of Pasman as the host and organiser of Croatia’s biggest and very unique trekking race, by now the world famous Skraping. We did it again this year, announcing the big thing, and then one week later we wrote again to inform you all that it had to be postponed thanks to coronavirus.

The news was bigger and more shocking as it was among the very first international events in Croatia that had to be either cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Anyway, to make the picture more precise, Tkon is a small municipality with less than 900 residents on the eastern part of the island of Pasman. Small it is, but relentless in its progress.

In the words of a friend who visited last summer: ''We were here eight years ago, it was an undeveloped little settlement without any identity, except for the ferry boat connection with the mainland. This year, we decided to spend a couple of days here, as Tkon has become a true little township, it's utterly clean, it boasts some beautiful beaches, it's well lit at night with some good catering services and bars which are open late, as well as shops and everything.''

The Municipal Civil Protection Committee is there, too. They have been invited to have their say on any occasion that could imply a wider impact on the community. They are young, energetic, they live there and they know the place well. 

The commander of the committee is 36-year-old Lovre Bojmic, who holds an M.A. in economics, is otherwise a jack of all trades and has heaps of energy. Here is what he told us in a telephone conversation interrupted by quite a few other callers: Just a few days after coronavirus began to take the world by storm, we locals noticed the summer houses were being opened and people, actually, the owners, mainly from Slovenia and some from other parts of Croatia, were settling in.

The reports from Slovenia weren't good at that time either and our residents felt disturbed and jeopardised. So, we got our heads together, developed a strategy of how to approach them without being rude or uncivilised, and started literally contacting one after another, essentially asking them to either show some document of health, state their previously visited places or to please just go home,''

What was their reaction?

We can't exercise any force, but we had to be careful and try to talk to them when we could as they wouldn't come out of the house, but we've managed to pass the message on that under these circumstances and without any control - they are not welcome. It sounds utterly stupid, I know, they're part of our community, it's their property, but they must understand what potential peril they might induce. We keep a link with the regional police station on duty and inform them of each case.

What could you do in case there's an infected person, there, on the island? 

Being aware of our geo-location, one of the first concrete moves was to adapt a municipality owned two-bedroom apartment into a possible quarantine for four persons. In the case of an epidemic, such a facility is necessary and we're happy we've got it.

How is the collaboration between the residents and the Municipality?

I can't praise everyone enough, from our Mayor and his staff, to our many volunteers, to our elderly neighbours who support us and have a trust in us, actually, to every living person in Tkon.

That's so nice to hear. How else do you operate?

We've managed to get essential protection gear for the committee and our volunteers. We have two teams with eight members each. Our laptop is the main source of information, we follow most closely what is happening elsewhere, with particular attention being paid to the instructions and orders from our authorities. The teams act according to the situation. Like today, both our teams completed personal house visits to our elderly residents for better instructions on how to protect themselves, but, more importantly, to assure them they're not supposed to leave their homes, and that our teams will do the shopping for them, pick up their medicines from the pharmacy and do anything else they might need us to do.

That is excellent. How do they accept the visits?

Our guys show up with some protection gear, like with masks, so the first reactions can differ. But as they leave, they notice a tear or two in someone’s eyes. Like in some other parts of Croatia, now the local cafes are closed as well.

Life in this small place has never been more quiet. How do you deal with it?

Just like we've been saying to every person we visit or see - this is because we're cautious, which doesn't mean we're fearful. Caution is so much better than fear, isn’t it? The best thing anyone can ever gain from a situation like this is an incredible sense of mutual confidence and solidarity, all setbacks aside.

We're inclined to believe that Tkon is just one of the many examples of such responsible and efficient engagement of practically everybody in a community. The authorities higher up issue instructions and orders, but if they are not implemented on the ground, they are of little use. Be like Tkon.

Make sure to follow our dedicated section for rolling information on coronavirus in Croatia.

February the 29th, 2020 - The much loved Skraping is coming back for its fifteenth edition on the picturesque island of Pasman - and it's right around the corner.

The little township of Tkon on the island of Pasman is extremely busy these days, just one week before Croatia’s most recognisable, original trekking race is set to take place. Like every year so far, it happens on the first Saturday of March.

''Skrapa'' is the colloquial name for cliff or rock along an indented sea coast, and the verb was coined to illustrate the essence of this unique race.

Originally, Skraping was conceived as a recreational event that would not only challenge amateurs in need of a test of their physical form and competitive spirit, but primarily as an event that would give the otherwise peaceful and calm atmosphere of the island where almost nothing happens before the tourist season a little shake up.

Its originality and the genuine engagement of local enthusiasts have well and truly outgrown the initial idea behind Skraping. Skraping participants from many countries keep coming back, the fame of Skraping has spread worldwide with a wonderful result of its own - it has not only become Croatia’s biggest and most original trekking event, it has become an efficient promoter of Croatian tourism much before the real beginning of the tourist season.

Additionally, there are various events organised for the occasion throughout the whole week to mark the event, including music, fun and the traditional Fair of Island Products, a certified trade mark assigned to small family businesses from 24 Croatian islands that manufacture products made of ecological, locally grown ingredients.

If you're not quite up for hopping from one cliff to another while finding your way through groves and narrow dirt roads for some 45 kilometres, you are offered other options. The ''Challenger Race'’ is just 25 kilometres long, the ''Active Race'' is only 12 kilometres long with a good part of it allowing for a comfortable walk and some gorgeous panoramic views from several hilltops. And then there is the ''Family Race'' option, a leisurely walk and sightseeing for families with kids and pets. So, come on, you must be fit enough for at least one of these options! If you are, click here to register.

If you do go and you decide stay until the next day, you can assist a very, very special event that generally belongs to the category ''Cute!''. On Sunday morning, that is, some 150 children from several pre-schools in the area will zealously try to win the ''Skrapic'' (little Skraping) designed for the kids to add to their education about nature, the importance of leading a healthy life and to help stoke a competitive spirit. Just look at them!

All in all, more than 1500 active participants are expected for Skraping 2020. These are typically busy days, also traffic wise, but there are extended ferry lines from Biograd na Moru, about which you can learn here.

You can also leave your car in Biograd na Moru and avoid the fare, at the designated parking space of the Ilirija Hotels, right here.

So, there you go! Pack you backpacks and go and engage in something worth bragging about. Your friends (and especially people that don't like you!) will be impressed. And so will you, believe me!

For more on various events across Croatia, follow our dedicated lifestyle page.

The eleventh Island Products Fair will be held in Tkon on the island of Pasman on during the much loved Skraping 2020 event, and will last for three days from the 6th to the 8th of March, 2020.

As Morski writes on the 23rd of February, 2020, the traditional fair will be open on Friday from 10:00 to 20:00. The grand opening of the eleventh Island Prodicts Fair will be held on Saturday from 10:10 with the performance of local klapa groups from Tkon. The Island Products Fair will also be held on Sunday from 08:00 to 13:00.

The aim of organising this fair is to encourage the development of island production, to preserve the island's traditions and authenticity, and to brand the products through the prestigious Croatian Island Product label, and since back in 2010, the Skraping race has worn the prestigious ''badge'' as an intangible island product.

The Island Products Fair will feature over forty island exhibitors with products labelled "Croatian Island Product/Hrvatski otocni proizvod''.

The official announcement of the winner of Skraping 2020 will be held on the 7th of March, 2020 at the restaurant "Sovinje" at 19:00, and as part of the announcement of the winner, from 19:30 to 20:00 there will be a Diploma Ceremony for the best product exhibited at the fair, as well as a thank you to all of the fair's participants.

On Saturday, March the 7th, 2020, a joint dinner will be organised for the exhibitors of the fair, once again with performances from local music/klapa groups, at the "Đardin" restaurant in Tkon from 20:00 onwards.

On Sunday, March the 8th, 2020, a lecture on the topic of Croatian island products will be held at the Tkon Skraping Centre, thanks to the lecturer Mrs. Ljubica Ajdukovic Ugarkovic.

On the same day, from 09:30 to 10:30, at the Skraping Centre, there will be a HOP (CIP) workshop for making liqueurs, performed by Ljiljana Jakovljev from KUU "Kunjka", as well as a knitting workshop held by Jadran Lukacic. On Sunday from 12:00 until 13:00, a visit to the "Lanđin" farm and Rozalindi Banic will also be organised in Kraj.

The organisers of 2020's Tkon Island Products Fair are "Orlić" d.o.o., the Tourist Board of the Municipality and the Tkon Municipality. The sponsors are the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds and the Croatian Island Product Cluster.

Make sure to follow our Made in Croatia page for more.