Villa Infantil
Supporters of the Villa Infantil Guadalupe y San Jose orphanage hold a luncheon fundraiser Saturday, March 4, at La Huerta Eventos, from 12:30 p.m.
The theme this year is “Flower Children – They Bloom and Grow at Villa Infantil.” Guests will enjoy a fashion show featuring designs by Alma Gutierrez, entertainment by the Lake Chapala Chorale and a heart-warming performance by the children, who will sing, dance and play ukulele.
A raffle for prizes worth under 1,000 pesos, a silent auction for items valued above that amount, and a live auction for several high-ticket treasures are also scheduled.
General admission is 350 pesos per person. Those attending as Benefactors of the Orphanage for a donation of 1,500 pesos will be seated at reserved tables (limited to 20 guests) to be treated to a special luncheon with wine and extra treats.
Tickets are available at Diane Pearl, Mia’s Boutique and Yoli’s Salon. For benefactor tickets contact Connie Ondola at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Michele Lococo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
British Society
The Lakeside British Society will hold its monthly luncheon meeting Saturday, March 4, 1 p.m. at Manix Restaurant, Ocampo 57 in Ajijic. This month’s speakers title themselves: “3 SRNs = Slightly Rude Nurses” and tell about comical happenings during their nursing careers.
Menu choices begin with a small salad or leek and potato soup, choice of brisket with mashed potatoes, gravy and vegetables, fish filet with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and vegetables, spinach lasagna or a large salad. Dessert is chocolate mousse. The cost is 150 pesos plus tip. Call Arleen at 766-1742 or contact Sue Sterlini at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to confirm your attendance and choice of menu. All visitors welcome.
Wine at Vid Forum
The Vid Forum International Wine Festival is scheduled Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5 at the Club Náutico yacht club, on Paseo de la Huerta in lower La Floresta. Hours are 1 to 11:30 p.m. on Saturday; 1 to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
Organized by the Chapala government’s Grandes Eventos office, the fair is designed to bring together connoisseurs and merchants showcasing more than 35 fine labels from vineyards in Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Spain and California’s Napa Valley.
Visitors will enjoy roaming the club’s lush lakefront grounds to sample the various wines on exhibit and purchase bottles of preferred brands to consume on site or carry home.
Several lakeside and Guadalajara restaurants will serve gourmet dishes at modest prices (under 100 pesos).There will also be tasting and sales exhibits of artisanal cheeses, quality cold cuts and breads.
Upon arrival on opening day, guests will be given a complementary crystal wine goblet plus ten tickets allowing them quaff selected samples of the labels on promotion. They will be entitled to ten additional free tasting tickets on Sunday.
Each day the program will feature one or more formal tastings. A variety of musical entertainment is also lined up.
Tickets for Vid Forum are priced at 450 pesos per person, valid for admission on both days. They may be acquired at Ajijic’s La Mesa Restaurant, located on the north side of the highway, one block past the western-most traffic light, or at the gate.
Open Circle
Sunday, March 5, Todd Stong will present “an Update on the Condition of Lake Chapala and Area Village Infrastructure” in the LCS Sala at 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Stong will tell us about the level of the lake, its purity, the fish, and the long-term prognosis of the regional water supply. He will review his ongoing projects in the villages of six counties about the lake, and provide a perspective on area government directions.
Stong, a Licensed Professional Engineer, is in his 15th season of volunteer service to municipal governments and villages surrounding Lake Chapala, with a focus on water supply, wastewater treatment and job creation. He was a CNN Heroes nominee in 2016.
For more information, see opencircleajijic.org.
Neill James Lecture
Ilona de Borhegyi will give a presentation entitled “NATO, EU and Brexit: Issues from the European Perspective” at the next Neill James Lecture, Tuesday, March 7, 2 p.m. at the LCS Sala.
This presentation will briefly cover the origins of NATO, membership expansion after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and current issues affecting it and the European Union. It should help people unfamiliar with NATO better to understand it and its ties to the European Union, which are also now affected by Brexit. She will review the degree to which NATO is considered necessary, and even critical, by its member countries.
Borhegyi holds degrees in film production and anthropology. She spent her youth in Guatemala and Mexico and worked in New Mexico as a documentary film producer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She lived in Italy for 31 years, where she worked as an Information Officer of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
LCS seminar
LCS members are invited to attend the TED seminar featuring biologist and environmental lawyer Vicki Arroyo speaking on “Let’s prepare for our new climate.” The video seminar is hosted by Pete Soderman, Tuesday, March 7, noon.
As Arroyo says, it’s time to prepare our homes and cities for our changing climate, with its increased risk of flooding, drought and uncertainty. She illustrates this inspiring talk with bold projects from cities all over the world — local examples of thinking ahead.
Doggy fundraiser
The Ranch (Lakeside Spay and Neuter) is holding a fundraiser Tuesday, March 7, 5-7 p.m. at Food Lake Container, a group of five restaurants in one location at Hidalgo 456 (on the Carretera) in Riberas del Pilar. A sample buffet featuring varieties of food from their menu, a full cash bar with artisanal beers, margaritas, etc., a 50-50 raffle and music will make the evening a success. The cost is 350 pesos For reservations and information call (331)131-3103, 766-4738, 108-1760.
Canadian Club
The Canadian Club of Lake Chapala will hold its next meeting Wednesday, March 8 at La Nueva Posada. David Truly will present “Global Trends and Retirement Migration to Lake Chapala,” a continuation of his recent presentation at the Lake Chapala Society with a focus on international trends in retirement migration and current and future impacts upon the Lake Chapala region. Topics include the potential impact of populist politics on international migration and the relationship between Mexico and its northern neighbors. A social hour begins 3 p.m. and the program at 4 p.m. There is a 50-peso charge for non-members. You do not have to be Canadian to attend. For more information see www.canadianclub.com.
Calling all Canadians
The Consul of Canada to Mexico, Rachelle Dalton, and the Consular Officer for the Consulate of Canada in Guadalajara, Ana Lilia Bará, is inviting all Canadians living or traveling in Guadalajara, Chapala, Ajijic and surrounding areas to an information session on consular services available to Canadians in Mexico Monday, March 13, 3 p.m., at La Nueva Posada, Donato Guerra 9 in Ajijic. Refreshments will be served.
Respond to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you plan to attend.
LCS Bus Trip
The Lake Chapala Society hosts a bus trip to Tlaquepaque on Wednesday, March 8. Cost is 350 pesos for members and 450 pesos for non-members. Meet at the sculpture in La Floresta. The bus departs promptly at 10 a.m.
Buddhists
The Heart of Awareness Buddhist Sangha offers meditation opportunities several times each week. Sunday, March 5, the Center is open from 9 a.m. until noon for three rounds of sitting and walking meditation. Participants are welcome to come for all or part of this extended practice period. There is an hour-long silent meditation each week on Mondays from 9 to 10 a.m. and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon.
The Sangha’s regular meditation and teaching session is on Wednesdays when the center is open from 3:30 p.m. The formal schedule is 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 8, the meditation period will be followed with a video by Susan Moon on examining our actions of body, speech and mind and viewing ourselves with compassion.
The sangha’s location is Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. For further information see www.heartofawareness.org, or call Janet Reichert, (331) 043-4669.
Shriners’ Ribfest
The 11th annual Shriners’ Ribfest is Wednesday, March 15, 1-5 p.m. at Cumbres Jardin Eventos, located at the top of Chula Vista Norte.
There is ample parking at the event, but for those who don’t wish to drive, shuttle buses will take patrons to and from Black Coffee on the corner of the Libramiento. Adelita’s will serve BBQ ribs and chicken with all the trimmings. Two cash bars will be running and the Ajijic Jamm Band will keep the party rocking. Tickets, 400 pesos, are available from Diane Pearl, O&A Investments or by calling David Eccles, 331-017-1724, or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Blood talks
Dr. Samuel Thelin will present “Is Your Blood Trying to Tell You Something?” at a forum sponsored by Blue Angel Solutions Thursday March 16, 10-11:45 a.m. at the Presbyterian Church, San Jorge 250, Riberas del Pilar.
Thelin will present a diagnostic tool known as tumor markers or cancer antigens, that is simple, fast reliable and economical and explain how this method of diagnosis is key to early detection that could be a lifesaver. To register call 766-0547 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The 100-peso entry fee will be donated to the Tepehua Medical Center in Chapala.
Jaltepec fundraiser
The Jaltepec Education Center in Hotel and Hospitality Management for young women will prepare and serve a fundraiser dinner at their school, Thursday, March 16, 6 p.m.
Jaltepec students will prepare and serve hors d’oeuvers during a no-host cocktail hour while Timothy G. Ruff Welch will entertain on piano. A three-course dinner will be served beginning 7:30 p.m. Donations are 450 pesos per person.
Contact Linda Buckthorp at 766-1631 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for enquiries.