Both the Democrats Abroad Lake Chapala Chapter and American Legion Post 7 celebrated U.S. Independence Day Wednesday, July 4, with full houses, happy faces, rollicking music and tasty vittles.
A crowd of more than 160 guests at the Legion Post in Chapala enjoyed a delectable all-American lunch platter with fried chicken, corn on the cob and potato salad, accompanied by ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert. The Sol y Luna trio got folks up and dancing with popular rock and roll, big band jazz sounds and lively Mexican tunes.
At the Hotel Montecarlo, 270 DA guests enjoyed the sunny day under the shade of the huge Indian Laurel tree on the upper patio with beautiful views of Lake Chapala. Entertainment was supplied by Tap This! dancers from Val Jones’ dance studio hoofing it beautifully to patriotic favorites “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Dancers were instructor D’Le Beatty Tobias, Maritza Freyslinger, Joanne Stuart, Olga Kaplounenko and Allyson de Jong.
Young Mexican tap dancers under the instruction of Tobias presented their rendition of “76 Trombones.” They were Claudia Melissa Ceja Vazquez, Gema Yaneli and Ubaldo Jasiel Gutierrez Reyes, Nayeli Elizabeth and Natalia Lisbeth Gomez Vasquez and Sabrina Castro Amador.
Patteye Simpson gave a rousing rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner,” “America The Beautiful” and “This Land is Your Land.”
Then the Ajijic Jam Band, with Paul Brier, Jonathan Guzman, Sergio Casas and Chelo Gonzales and guest guitarist Charlie Cook – backdropped by a huge U.S. flag – had the dance floor vibrating with a mixture of rock, country, cumbia and Mexican pop songs. A 50-50 raffle and door prizes of pro-Democratic T-shirts were a big hit with the crowd. Huge plates of hot dogs, hamburgers, potato salad, watermelon and apple pie, fueled yet another dance spree until the sun began to slide into the clouds.