Don’t Forget
The annual Oktober Fest sponsored by American Legion Post 7 on Friday, October 2 is serving up roast pork tenderloin, red cabbage, German potato salad and dessert.
Providing music for the 1 p.m. celebration are Noe and the Men in Black. Members pay 130 pesos and non-members 150 pesos.
New Vaccine Date
Because delivery of the flu vaccines needed for the recent Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Health Days was delayed, an Immunization Day has been scheduled on Friday, October 9, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Area residents must sign up in the LCS office by Wednesday, October 7 to receive the flu, shingles and the hepatitis A and B series. Pneumonia vaccine, both five-year and lifetime types, will be offered. Prices will be determined and can be paid on the day the vaccines are received.
Those getting either the hepatitis or shingles vaccine cannot receive any other injection that day. Membership in the LCS is not required for participation in this or any other health event.
“Linked Memories,” a new approach to Alzheimer’s care, will be presented in the Sala at noon.
Singing Finale
The singing contest (So You Think You Can Sing – Ajijic style) organized by La Bodega Restaurant is nearing completion. Contestants have sung their hearts out for the last three Thursdays. The top three winners of the cash prizes will be announced on Thursday, October 8.
Audience members can purchase tickets to vote for their favorites in the contest. Proceeds from ticket sales and 20 percent of the food and drink purchases on the competition nights will benefit four charities: School for Special Children, San Juan Cosala Operation Feed, municipal bomberos (firefighters) and Chapala Cruz Roja (Red Cross).
Make reservations now for the big finale night by calling (376) 766-1002.
Canadian Thanksgiving
The Canadian Club of Lake Chapala hosts its 2015 Thanksgiving dinner on Monday, October 12, at La Nueva Posada in Ajijic, with cocktails served from 5:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. (See ad on page 3 for the menu selection). Tickets are available at the hotel until October 10 for 270 pesos, including tip. Early purchase is advised. All nationalities, not just Canadians, are welcome.
Democrats Abroad
The first regular fall monthly meeting of the Lake Chapala Chapter of Democrats Abroad Mexico will be held on Monday, October 12, 4 p.m. at La Bodega Restaurant in Ajijic.
Guest speaker Kelly Hayes-Raitt’s presentation is “Why Every Democrat Should Hug a Trial Lawyer.”
“From banning unsafe products to bolstering equality, trial lawyers argue the lawsuits that keep corporate greed in check,” Hayes-Raitt says. “When laws fail to protect us, or fail to be enforced, consumers and workers can still turn to the courtrooms as a last resort. That’s why corporations have taken to attacking trial lawyers and to restricting consumers’ access to the courts through so-called ‘tort reform.’”
As a political activist and consultant in California, Hayes-Raitt earned a reputation as a fearless advocate. To fight corporations’ attempts to restrict consumer access to the courts, she became a national spokesperson, appearing on more than 500 radio and television public affairs shows, including PBS’ “News Hour with Jim Lehrer,” CBS’ “This Morning” and CNN’s “Financial News” and “Moneyline.”
Hayes-Raitt ran for the California State Assembly in 2006 and has lived part-time at Lake Chapala since 2010, while writing a book about her experiences in the Middle East with Iraqi and Palestinian refugees. She blogs at www.LivingLargeInLimbo.com.
Debate Watch Party
The Democrats Abroad Mexico group is hosting a Democratic Debate Watch Party at Salvador’s Restaurant in Ajijic on Tuesday, October 13, 8 p.m. The debate will be broadcast live from Las Vegas.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Light botanas and popcorn will be provided and there will be a cash bar. The group has set the entrance fee at a donation of 50 pesos.
LCS Closed
The Lake Chapala Society will close on Monday, October 12, so members, employees and volunteers can celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving Day.
Wine Fest
LCS and Restaurant 4 are joining forces to host a Wine Fest on Saturday, October 17, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the LCS campus. The 100-peso entrance ticket will entitle guests to sample four different wines from an extensive international collection.
Featured wines are priced from the average table wine to some expensive and exclusive wines. All wines from the tasting can be purchased at the event by the glass, bottle or case. Credit cards will only be accepted when a case of wine is purchased.
Restaurant 4 will prepare the for-sale appetizers that include unique cheese plates and other delicious selections. Music will be provided from 3:30 to 6:45 p.m. by Black Swan with Diamonds.
Tickets are available in the LCS office, at Diane Pearl Colecciones or at the door.
Shopping Spree
The next LCS shopping trip will head to Plaza Galerias in Guadalajara on Wednesday, October 22. The bus will leave the sculpture in La Floresta at 9:30 a.m.
This is a great shopping excursion. The mall’s anchor stores include Liverpool, Sears, Best Buy and Sanborn’s. Participants on the trip will discover a wealth of boutiques and specialty stores such as H&M, C&A, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, The Body Shop, Crocs, Radio Shack, Mac Store and more. Shoppers can also visit nearby Costco, Sam’s Club and Super Mega. Top restaurants include PF Chang’s, Cheesecake Factory, Applebee’s, Chili’s and Outback Steak House.
Sign up early for this trip at the LCS office before the bus seats are sold out.
Tarahumara Sale
Libby Townsend of the Tarahumara Project is in heavy duty collection mode, gathering donations to stock the 9th annual garage sale to benefit the Santa Teresita Hospital and Clinic on the northern rim of the Copper Canyon.
Townsend hopes area residents will dig into closets, bodegas and cupboards to find clothing, furniture and household goods to sell at the sale, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26. She also is asking for donations of warm blankets and clothing.
The cash raised from the sale will help pay for supplies, utilities and salaries at the hospital that assists about 5,200 patients each year. Townsend notes that more than 700 of those patients must stay in the hospital for two weeks or more. Babies and toddlers make up a large percentage of the patient load, she says. Many suffer from malnutrition and tuberculosis.
Townsend will accept any donation for the sale as long as she doesn’t have to “feed it, freeze it or clean up after it … nothing is too big or too small.” Goods left over from the sale are paid forward to other deserving charities.
Items can be dropped off at the Guadalajara Reporter office in Plaza Bugambilias or call Townsend at (33) 1074-3311 to arrange for pick-up or delivery.
Open Circle
Jacobo Marroquin will share his insights and observations in “Kinesiology, the Mind and Body Connection” during the Sunday, October 4, 10 a.m. meeting of Open Circle at the Lake Chapala Society.
Marroquin hopes to be of service to others and alleviate unnecessary suffering by sharing how he and others have benefited from this alternative healing method.
Marroquin is from Chiapas and earned a degree in international relations. He now lives in Guadalajara, where he is a licensed practitioner of Holistic Kinesiology.