Right on cue for the March 20-24 run of Lip Sync 7 (see story page 20), Pro-Auditorio del Lago de Chapala (PACA) President John Keeling reports big advances in a feverish push to overhaul the lighting and sound systems at the Auditorio de la Ribera.

The Lakeside Fire and Red Cross Assistance Group declared “Mission Accomplished” Sunday after a gigantic shipment of goods donated by Canada’s Firefighters Without Borders arrived in Chapala, marking the happy ending of a year-long cross-border effort. The second-hand firefighting and emergency medical service equipment, head-to-foot uniforms and protective gear, bedding and other new and used supplies, was collected from fire departments across Canada by Firefighters Without Borders. It was shipped out of Ontario by train on March 2 on a journey that involved container transfers through the United States, at the Robstown, Texas border crossing into Mexico and a stop for a customs check in San Luis Potosi. The final leg was made in a semi-cargo truck for temporary storage in a sorting and distribution facility set up at the Hotel Perico on the Libramiento.   The bounty of valuable materials is being spread out between municipal fire departments in Chapala, Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos, Poncitlan, Jocotepec, Tuxcueca, Tizapan, Manzanilla de la Paz and Amatitan and Cruz Roja Chapala.                        

Lakesiders have multiple attractions to get them out and about these days, with three unique festivals scheduled on the tail end of March’s calendar.

The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) will host a special meeting set for Friday, March 27, 10 a.m., delving into government procedures with Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de las Personas Adultas Mayores (INAPAM) and the Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM).

There was huge anticipation at the Auditorio de la Ribera this week when 27 separate and diverse acts crammed into the backstage hall together for the first full scale rehearsals of this year’s exciting, varied and highly creative Lip Sync 7. Directed and produced by Michael McLaughlin, this is a fundraiser in aid of the School for Special Children and for the new sound system for the auditorium.

A bevy of ideas, plans and systems to ensure the ongoing success of the Niños de Chapala and Ajijic (NCA) educational program were discussed by the participants of the organization’s recent annual general meeting.