St. Mark’s Anglican
St. Mark’s Anglican Church will celebrate the feast of its patron, St. Mark, with a special service Sunday, April 29, noon. The Eucharist and Rite of Confirmation will also include the annual visit of the Rt. Rev. Lino Rodriguez Amara, Bishop of Western Mexico.
Everybody is invited to celebrate this festivity and urged to bring a dish or dessert to share at the potluck after the service.
The church is located at Chichimecas 836, corner Av. Aztecas, Fraccionamiento Terrazas.
Book Fair
From May 4 to 20, Guadalajara will be hosting the 44th Municipal Book and Culture Fair, the oldest such festival in Mexico.
Fourteen book stores will be participating, with 10,000 titles from 250 publishers on sale. Be warned that the vast majority of the tomes will be in Spanish.
The fair is located downtown on Pedro Loza, beside the Palacio Municipal on Hidalgo and Alcalde. It will be open every day from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m.
Dracula
One hundred years after the death of Irish author Bram Stoker, 27,000 people across Mexico marked World Book Day by reading his classic vampire tale “Dracula.”
In Guadalajara, 423 literary enthusiasts gathered in the Rambla Cataluña from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. on April 23 for a mass reading session organized by the city council and the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL). Reading marathons took place in 61 municipalities across Jalisco and in 51 high schools (prepas) run by the University of Guadalajara. Even the judges at the Sate Supreme Court took time off to read the work aloud.
Shave your head
Fancy losing your hair for a good cause? The Support Center for Children with Cancer (Canica) is looking for volunteers to raise funds by shaving their heads.
The “Mi Amigo Sin Pelo” (“My Hairless Friend”) campaign seeks to create awareness of the plight of children with cancer.
Canica has been working since 2003 to help young cancer victims with schooling, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, and accompaniment and support throughout the terminal stages.
The mass shaving is scheduled for Saturday, April 28, 3 p.m. in the Plaza Liberacion. The last such event, in 2010, generated nearly half a million pesos in donations.
If you would like to become a “hairless friend” visit www.miamigosinpelo.org or call Canica on 3825-4200 for more information.
PEE-TAY-AHS
The pitaya season is now in full swing. This cactus-type fruit enjoys a six-week harvest in the southern Jalisco town of Techaluta de Montenegro, and surrounding municipalities. Truckloads of pitayas are delivered daily to Guadalajara, and sold in local markets, on the streets and especially in the downtown Mexicaltzingo neighborhood known as the Nueve Esquinas (Nine Corners). Do not be put off by the brain-like innards. Pitayas are a tasty and refreshing treat during the hot Tapatio summer. They come in white, pink, and orange colors, but the deep red “mamey” is recognized as the sweetest of the bunch. Prices depend on the size of the pitaya. The small black pips are harmless and do not spoil the flavor. But remember, pitayas do not have a long shelf life – they will keep for just two to three days in the refrigerator.
Another place to buy pitayas is the Feria de la Pitaya in Zapopan’s Villa Fantasia, which runs for a month. The park, which also hosts a small zoo, is located at the corner of Los Laureles and Aurelio Ortega, close to the Zapopan arches in the center of the municipality.
Kids’ Day
Guadalajara’s Globo Museo del Niño is offering a host of kids’ activities on Sunday, April 29, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Keep the youngsters amused with theater, music, art, cooking, cine, art and more. The museum is located at the corner of Analco and Cinco de Febrero. Dia del Niño (Children’s Day) in Mexico is celebrated on Monday, April 30.
Pro soccer games
Estudiantes Tecos vs. Queretaro (Estadio Tres de Marzo) Friday, April 27, 8.10 p.m.
Atlas vs. Santos Laguna (Estadio Jalisco) Saturday, April 28, 8.45 p.m.
None of the three teams from Guadalajara have made this season’s playoffs. Estudiantes Tecos have been demoted to the league’s second tier.