Chiriqui Farms
I kept hearing all of these things about Chiriqui Farms. My wife and I had been there with the kids, and we had a great time both times that we’ve been. What I was hearing about them wasn’t adding up, so I decided to become an investigative reporter and check it out since I couldn’t find one immediately available. I sat down with Rick Fairbairn, the manager-of-sorts for Chiriqui Farms, and asked him what the truth is about several of the different things that I’ve been hearing about.
Misconception #1. The owners of Chiriqui Farms came to Boquete as Christian Missionaries
Terry Abbott is the owner of Chiriqui Farms. Chiriqui Farms is ran by Mr. Abbott and his son-in-law, Rick. They were all in business together in Arizona in the energy efficiency business. The family first heard about Boquete in July of last year as the family was considering moving abroad. After considering multiple places, they settled on Boquete as a great place to live, raise a family, and do business. They sold their business in Arizona and relocated to Boquete in November of last year, when they began remodeling and reinventing Chiriqui Farms. “We’ve heard this question several times from people, ‘so why are missionaries running a business?’”, said Rick Fairbairn, son-in-law of Terry Abbott. “I’m not a missionary. Terry’s not a missionary. To my knowledge, nobody in my family has ever been missionaries. We have nothing against missionaries. We’re just not missionaries ourselves. We’ve come to Boquete for the exact same reasons a lot of other people here probably do: to live life to the fullest in the pursuit of our dreams. If we can sell a few hamburgers and give kids a place to have a happy day along the way, then even better!”
Misconception #2. Chiriqui Farms is a Church
When Terry and Rick made the decision to come to Boquete with their families, the next decision to make was what to do with their time, and how to make a living. They decided on leasing a property between Los Molinos and the San Francisco Plaza that had been known to attract a lot of people in the past. “When we got to Boquete, we asked ourselves, ‘what do the kids do for fun here?’ Well, there’s movies in David, and the occasional events and celebrations downtown. Other than a few great places to eat and enjoy some ice cream, there wasn’t really much else at the time. So we decided to try and fill that hole. We came across the property we’re at now. The property is pretty large, and when you study it, you can see how it could be used for a lot of different things with a little work. Chiriqui Farms is not a church and it’s not a mission outreach. Chiriqui Farms is a family fun place where people can come and just hang out, eat some food, and swim in the pool. Kids can swim, enjoy the bouncy houses, ride scooters or play games. It’s a great open-air venue for nightly entertainment on the weekends, where people can come out and enjoy some live music. We’ve even got Spanish classes going on. We’re open for breakfast a couple of days a week, and soon we’ll be serving a regular lunch and dinner menu as well. We would love for people to consider using the place for weddings, birthday parties, or vendor markets. Churches are welcome to rent the place for events too. But, no, we’re not a church.”
Misconception #3. Atheists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, Christians, Muslims, Catholics, and Buddhists aren’t welcome at Chiriqui Farms.
It’s true that both Terry’s family and Rick’s family are Christians. They’re happy in their faith and are unashamed to recognize Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The goal of Chiriqui Farms is to provide a safe environment for families of all ages to have a nice day together having fun, and provide an option for adults to come out and have a few hours of fun together on the weekends. “It never occurred to us that people would think they’re not welcome at our business just because we believe in Jesus,” Rick explained. “We would never and have never considered not welcoming people of all faiths and persuasions to come out and enjoy a day here at Chiriqui Farms. All are welcome. You’ll find no hate here, only smiling faces that are happy to be living and working here in Boquete, trying to build a business that betters our community.”
Misconception #4. Terry was born on an Indian reservation and once lived in a teepee.
When asked about the rumor about living in a teepee, Rick said of his father-in law, “Really? Is that really floating around out there? That’s an outrageous, patently false accusation. I can’t believe the nerve of some people. Who uses the word ‘Indian’ anymore? That’s offensive.” In all actuality, Terry’s ties to the U.S. Southwest are deep, having been born, raised, educated, married, and worked there throughout his whole life. Terry did work on an Indian reservation at one time in his life, although he never lived in a teepee. He’s a happily married, proud father of two girls, both of which have moved here to Panama, and the doting grandfather of two little grandchildren.
Misconception #5. Rick was a professional wrestler who once put a beat down on the Ultimate Warrior.
“Nah, that’s not true,” said Rick, responding to the latest of rumors, “I don’t know where they’re getting that. The Ultimate Warrior was a pretty cool dude and I always secretly wanted that great hair, but I never got to meet him, and I never wrestled anybody. Besides, what would I have had to have been? 10 years old?” Hailing from the Southwest, Rick Fairbairn comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. He did enjoy playing sports, having played baseball, basketball, and soccer up until Jr. High when he fell in love with football. He played football from then on, mixing it up in the trenches as the nose tackle on his teams. When he met Terry’s daughter, Erin, he not only fell in love with Erin, but hit it off with Erin’s dad too. It set in motion a working career devoted to making homes more energy efficient across the Southwest. Rick and Erin are the proud parents of Jonah, 10, and Zane, 3.
In conclusion, my family and I have enjoyed ourselves in the past at Chiriqui Farms, and we plan to do so again soon. I have found both the family and the employees at Chiriqui Farms to be approachable and responsive to our needs and concerns. The food was great and the drinks were cold. The swimming pool was clean and the bouncy houses were bouncy. The toilets flushed and nobody jacked my car when it was parked by the road, and I didn’t witness any “we hate you please leave” signs, so what more can you ask for?
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