Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion, Lake Chapala Mexico Branch, will be holding a Poppy Drive from Friday, October 25 to Monday, November 11. Poppies will be available at various locations around Lakeside.
Proceeds from the poppy drive remain with the Lake Chapala Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. These funds are used for the benefit of all Canadian and Commonwealth veterans residing at Lakeside. Veterans requiring assistance from the poppy funds do not need to be members of the Royal Canadian Legion.
The Lake Chapala branch is now recruiting members for 2014. Voting membership in the Royal Canadian Legion is open to all Canadian and Commonwealth citizens (and in some cases to U.S. citizens). It is not necessary to have previous military service to become a member.
All Lakeside residents are invited to a fun afternoon of darts and games every Friday afternoon at Bar Tomas in Chapala. There will be darts, cribbage, euchre, Mexican Train and other board and card games. A 50/50 raffle is held at all games afternoons, with 25 percent of the proceeds going to Casa Corazon, a home for destitute seniors in Jocotopec.
For information regarding the Royal Canadian Legion, Lake Chapala Branch contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Volunteers needed
The Casi Nuevo consignment shop currently needs sales assistant volunteers willing to work one day a week. Spanish is not required but here is a chance to learn and practice the language.
You will work alongside experienced volunteers in a fun, friendly environment. Training will be provided.
Casi Nuevo is a non-profit, totally volunteer-run store that supports 200 children in 3 children’s charities: School for Special Needs Children (formerly known as School for the Deaf), Lake Chapala Society Education Program (including Wilkes center) and Have Hammer … Will Travel (teaching carpentry skills).
The shop is located in Riberas del Pilar on the Carretera across from the 7-Eleven store. It is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, contact Jacqueline at 766-1303 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Doctor’s Day race
Runners, joggers and walkers are expected to turn out in mass for the fifth annual Doctor’s Day Commemoration Race, scheduled for Sunday, October 27. The five kilometer race kicks off at 8:30 a.m. from the Corona Beer depository in San Antonio Tlayacapan, ending at La Vela Plaza at the west end of Chapala’s Malecon.
The contest is open to one and all for an entry fee of 50 pesos plus the donation of non-perishable food items that will be sent to supply hurricane relief work that continues in the southwest part of the country.
Participants may sign-up and pick up souvenir T-shirts on site one hour prior to starting time. Winners will be awarded vouchers for meals at various local eateries and other assorted gift items.
Youngsters from the Love in Action children’s home will be volunteering to hand out water to racers as part of the institution’s new “Giving Back to the Community” program.
Charity bazaar
Don’t forget the wildlife rescue charity bazaar/yard sale at Flora Exotica – across from Centro Laguna Mall – on Sunday, October 27, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (ish).
British Society
The Lakeside British Society will meet on Saturday, November 2, 1 p.m. at Manix Restaurant, Ocampo 57, Ajijic.
A representative from the British Embassy in Mexico City will be present to explain the process of completing passport applications, which now have to be submitted to the United Kingdom.
Contact Alicia McNiff at 765-4786 or Ceri Dando at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you plan to attend. Visitors are always welcome. Manix has parking available on an adjacent lot.
Green Group
The Lake Chapala Green Group meets the first Tuesday of the month, at 3 p.m., at the Lake Chapala Society (LCS). The next meeting is Tuesday, November 5.
The Lake Chapala Green Group invites you to attend the monthly speaker series on sustainable living topics at Lakeside. This month the speaker is Tim Heppner, an international consultant on Ecotellignet design and the director of ELFI Wall System, the director of education for the Building Science Institute, and manufacturing director of ELFI Wall System.
Heppner will speak about environmentally sustainable and energy efficient building design. He will also talk about his upcoming project here in Ajijic, which is reported to be the first LEED certified residence in Mexico.
Genealogy Forum
“You’ve seen it on TV shows like “Who Do You Think You Are,” “Finding Your Roots” and the new “Genealogy Roadshow.” You may have seen the TV ads for DNA testing.
Genetic genealogy has been called “Genealogy for the 21st Century” and the future of genealogy. This month, the Genealogy Forum will be discussing two of the possible DNA tests, the Y-DNA and the mt-DNA test. The forum will learn about what the these tests can and can’t do, recent advances, and some possible ways to learn more about your ancient ancestors, break down brick walls, and augment conclusions and weak paper trails. There will be a presentation on autosomal DNA, sometimes called family finder, at a later date. Marci Bowman has been updating this presentation for several years as she learns more about this fascinating subject. The meeting will take place Monday, October 28, 2 p.m. in the Sala at the Lake Chapala Society. Everyone is welcome to attend.”
Marines honored
The Lakeside Leathernecks celebration of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 238th birthday is planned for Sunday, November 10 at Trattoria di Axixic on the Carretera in Ajijic (former owner Juan Noltanious who passed away earlier this year was a marine).
All marines and families are invited, and a special welcome will be given to FMF corpsmen, Seabees, Royal Marines, naval aviators, and others who have supported the U. S. Marine Corps in any way. The public is also invited.
This will be an informal event with much time devoted to sharing tales and sea stories. The formal cake-cutting ceremony will be held following dinner. (Since its creation, many thousands of men and women have borne the name “Marine.” It is in their memory that marines worldwide commemorate the birthday of the Corps each year with a ceremonial cake cutting, where the oldest and youngest marines present are honored with the first and second piece of cake, respectively.)
Captain Denny Strole, U.S. Navy (Retired), will be the guest of honor, and will speak briefly about his experiences as the “Commodore” of Amphibious Squadron Two, where he had five ships and a Marine Expeditionary Unit of 1,800 men under his command.
The anniversary celebration will begin at 5 p.m. with a no-host cocktail hour followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Dinner choices are off the menu, and include a salad bar.
If you plan to attend the function and to ensure sufficient tables are reserved, contact John Pence by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at (376) 766-5549.
Fundraiser dinner
Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. Although polio cases have declined rapidly since 1985, the fight isn’t over. With this in mind, the Rotary Club of Ajijic will hold an End Polio Now! dinner fundraiser on Friday, November 8, from 5-8 p.m. at Roberto’s Restaurant on the Carretera in west Ajijic.
For 300 pesos per ticket, guests will enjoy live musical entertainment and a four-course gourmet dinner consisting of carrot croquettes, gourmet breads and spreads, crisp caesar salad, Roberto’s famous chicken piccato, Alfredo pasta, and steamed asparagus, capped off with fourless fiesta chocolate cake with cramboises and coffee/tea. Roberto’s cash bar will be available for those wishing an alcoholic beverage.
Tickets are on sale at Roberto’s Restaurant, Diane Pearl Colecciones, or from any Rotary club member. Ticket requests and questions can be sent to Anita Hocker, event chairman, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Proceeds from the dinner will go directly to Rotary International’s End Polio Now! program. Every dollar Rotary International raises (up to 35 million dollars a year) will be matched 2-to-1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for polio eradication efforts through 2018.
When Rotary began the fight in 1985, polio affected 350,000 people, mostly children, in 125 countries every year. Since then, two billion children have been vaccinated and polio has been reduced by more than 99 percent. To date, Rotary has contributed more than one billion dollars and countless volunteer hours to the protection of more than two billion children in 122 countries.
“There are only three polio endemic countries where new cases continue to be documented,” says Barbara Wilson, Ajijic Rotary Foundation chairperson. “They are Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria.”
Wilson, along with her husband Bill, participated in National Polio Immunization Day on February 24 in India. Some 2.3 million volunteers joined together to immunize 176 million children that day at a cost of 60 cents (US) per dose.
To learn more about the Ajijic Rotary Club, visit www.rotaryajijic.org or contact Membership Chair Nancy Heine at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Horse gear sale
Horse owners who have spare riding tack, equipment, accessories and supplies they’d like to unload, as well as those who are in the market for such goods, will want to mosey over to the tag sale and open house to be held on Wednesday, November 13, 10 a.m. to noon at Rancho del Paso stables, located just outside Hacienda de la Labor, between Chapala and Santa Cruz de la Soledad.
Items already listed on the “for sale” list include a Western saddle, an English saddle and bridle set, a full-cheek snaffle bit and reins, a hackamore and a selection of horse blankets. Persons interested in arranging to sell additional gear may contact Frank Gradilone for details at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or cell phone 333- 150-6185.
Look for to full information about the Rancho del Paso stables and boarding facilities, along with explicit instructions on getting there, at www.rdplakechapala.com. The place has ample parking for folks who arrive by car and a paddock area available for those preferring to travel on horseback.
Bus trips
The Lake Chapala Society bus trip to Plaza Galerias in Guadalajara is set for Tuesday, October 29. The bus leaves from the sculpture in La Floresta at 9:30 a.m. and returns at 4 p.m. The price is 200 pesos. Sign up at LCS, Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
There are still a few spaces left for the trip to McAllen, Texas, leaving on November 3. For more information, contact LCS.
Tape-a-Bike
On October 19, Axixic Masonic Lodge #31 took the Tape-a-Bike Save-a-Life program to the Ajijic residence of Scott and Paula Young. For five non-stop hours volunteers placed reflective tape on 72 bicycles, fixed numerous flat tires, aired up numerous tires, oiled each and every bicycle chain and made sure that youngsters’ bike were safe to ride. This was the final Tape-a-Bike event at Lakeside until next year.
Open Circle
“Blue Zones Explained” is the title of the talk to be given by Beth McDonald at the Open Circle meeting on Sunday, October 27 at the Lake Chapala Society.
A trained pharmacist and naturopathic physician who has practiced for many years, McDonald will talk on “blue zones,” or areas of long-lived populations, where diet, lifestyle, habits and attitudes has often been attributed as the key to longevity.
Weekly Open Circle gatherings start with coffee, tea and sandwich bites for socializing at 10 a.m., followed by the program at 10:30 a.m. sharp.
Christ Church Anglican
The Christ Church Anglican fellowship will celebrate the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost on October 20, by celebrating the holy Eucharist Right 11 at 9:30 a.m. in the Little Chapel by the Lake (Carretera 10, Chula Vista, just east of the Chula Vista Golf Club). Deacon Rob Wells’ sermon topic will be “Arrogance” based on Luke 18 versus 9 through 14.
Deacon Wells is leading a Bible study on Tuesdays at 10 a.m. in the fellowship Hall of the Little Chapel by the Lake. Each session last about one hour. This week’s session will be a continuing look at the gospel of St. Matthew. Wells is using the Jerusalem Bible as his principal study text and commentary. It is not necessary to have attended a session before in order to participate.
Little Chapel
The Little Chapel by the Lake, an interdenominational congregation, meets on Sunday, November 3, 11:15 p.m., when the Rev. Gene Raymer will talk on the theme, “The Lord Helps Those Who Help Themselves ... No, He Doesn’t!”
Says Raymer: “I believe the Lord helps those who help Him. When David fought Goliath, he was helping God’s people and God helped David. But when David arranged to have Uriah killed in battle so he could take Bathsheba as his wife, God did not help David and in fact punished David for his sin. God helped Peter escape from prison because Peter was helping to spread the good news of Jesus.”
Following Sunday’s service, members of the congregation, as well as members of Christ Church Anglican Fellowship, are invited to a party celebrating Rev. Raymer’s 70th birthday.
St. Andrew’s Anglican
Anglicans traditionally see themselves as a via media (middle way), a “bridge” Church between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. Anglicans maintain the “catholic” (universal) essentials of the ancient Church while holding firmly to the reforms that renewed the Church in the 16th century. True to our “middle way,” Lutheran Pastor Hal Brown will preach this Sunday on “The Power of Prayer,” which he says is not to give us what we want when we want it, but to make us the kind of people God wanted us to be when he created the Earth. Fr. Leo Theriault, a former Roman Catholic (now Anglican) priest, will preside at the Eucharist.
Sunday School for children begins at 9:45 a.m., worship at 10 a.m., and a time of welcome, fellowship, and refreshment in the garden concludes the morning.
On Wednesday, October 30, the men of the parish will join together and welcome all at their monthly luncheon, which will be at Manix Restaurant at 12:30 p.m. St. Andrew’s is located at Calle San Lucas 19, just a block south of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar.
Presbyterians
Pastor Ross Arnold of Lakeside Presbyterian Church has just returned from a three-week lecture tour. On Sunday, October 27 he will launch a new series of sermons, “Longing for Home.” Arnold’s sermons are absorbing, intellectually stimulating, and offer intriguing insights.
Sunday worship begins at 10 a.m. Following the service, there is a time of fellowship and refreshments. Lakeside Presbyterian Church is in Riberas del Pilar, on the mountain side of the Carretera, just west of S&S Auto and Bubba’s Restaurant.
Spiritual Living
Join Reverend Tim Schubert in an opportunity to Share Your Spiritual Path at the Center for Spiritual Living (Nicolas Bravo 17, Ajijic) on Friday, November 1, from 5-6 p.m. A social hour will follow. On Wednesdays, Reverend Maureen Jones presents “Transitions in the Mexican Culture” from 10:30 a.m. to noon. Beginning November 6, Schubert will present a six-week class on “Conscious Living.” The Thursday discussion group is “The Unfettered Soul” at the same time, with an optional meditation from 10-10:20 p.m.
Unitarians
The Lake Chapala Unitarian Universalist Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at the Plaza de la Ribera (formerly Sol y Luna), Rio Bravo 10A. This Sunday, Amaranta Santos will deliver the talk, “Day of the Dead – What a Celebration!”