AMSOC
The American Society of Jalisco (AMSOC) enjoyed a successful Halloween bash on Saturday October 29. About 50 people attended the social event, which was held jointly with the English-speaking NECC Toastmasters group that holds its weekly meeting at the AMSOC clubhouse each Saturday. Toastmaster member Dagmar Ford won the prize for the best costume – she came dressed as the crocodile that ate Hewlett Packard. Partiers stayed up until the wee hours playing dominos, poker and boxing on a Wii video game console. A pot luck buffet was enjoyed by all.
Next up at AMSOC is their Thanksgiving dinner, annually sold out ... so don’t wait to get your ticket. Seating is limited to 110 and tickets must be paid for by Monday, November 21.
On the menu is roast turkey with dressing, sweet potatoes, giblet gravy, salad, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. All the cooking is done on the premises by Lupita, Rosie and a few other helping hands from the membership. A raffle with some great prizes is also offered the day of the event. Find out more about AMSOC at www.amsocguadalajara.org.
Junior League
The Junior League de Guadalajara has two spectacular fundraisers coming up to help the charities it supports.
A fashion show in collaboration with Liverpool department stores will show off that fashion arbiter’s fall collection. The event, benefitting pregnant teens at the Nuevo Hospital Civil, will be held at the Club de Industriales on Francisco Javier Gamboa between Morelos and Av. Vallarta, Thursday, November 10, 5:30 p.m. Canapes and a glass of wine or non-alcoholic beverage are included in the 300-peso donation. Tickets can be purchased at the Junior League offices, located on the top floor of the AMSOC clubhouse, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. or on the day of the event at the Club de Industriales.
The Polo Outdoors Cup is scheduled for November 19 and 20. This event is sanctioned by the Mexican Polo Federation and benefits the Children’s Burn Unit at the Nuevo Hospital Civil. The event is held at Hacienda El Molino, located just outside of San Isidro Mazatepec, some 10 kilometers east of the highway to Colima (Av. Lopez Mateos) on the new Circuito Sur highway. For more detailed instructions see the map located at: www.haciendaelmolino.com/ubicacion.html. Santo Coyote restaurant is one of the many sponsors, which makes us believe the food offerings will be scrumptious.
Entrance is by invitation only. They can be picked up at the Junior League offices.
‘Maiz Land’ opens
An a-maiz-ing new attraction for kids has opened in Guadalajara beside the Omnilife soccer stadium. Ideal for a family outing, Maizlandia is a corn-themed park complete with an eight-car train with carriages decorated as cows.
A huge “maize maze” provides ample opportunities for diversion (and all kinds of corny puns), while other attractions include interactive games and the world’s largest barrel, which, standing seven meters tall and ten meters long, can hold 280 thousand liters of tequila.
There are also educational workshops to explain the uses and corn products; a fair with clowns, carousels and inflatable games; and a farm with rabbits, ponies, sheep, ducks, llamas, racing piglets and geese.
The 24-hectare eco-tourist attraction was created by Guadalajara DJ Cesar Cosio, who, after traveling through Europe, felt that Mexico and Latin America lacked such an attraction.
“I am passionate about this form of entertainment, I like how people enjoy being in contact with the countryside and nature. Why not do something like that in Guadalajara, Mexico?”
Maizlandia is located in front of the Omnilife stadium on Avenida Vallarta, entered from Avenida Aviacion at the junction with the Periferico. It is open Wednesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Entrance is 15 pesos for children and 30 for adults (at weekends it is 20 and 50 pesos respectively).
Bullfights
Definitely not everyone’s cup of tea, los corridos (bullfights) are nonetheless a traditional fixture of Mexican culture. The final two fights of the fall season are scheduled Sundays, November 6 and 13, 4:30 p.m. at the Plaza de Toros Nuevo Progreso, Pirineos 1930, across from the Estadio Jalisco on Calzada Independencia Norte. Tickets are available at the gate.
Soccer games
This weekend marks the final round of professional league games before the playoffs.
Chivas, in first position, are the only top-flight side in action in Guadalajara. They return to the Omnilife Stadium, having vacated it during the Pan American Games.
Guadalajara Chivas vs. Pachuca (Estadio Omnilife) Saturday, November 5, 7 p.m.