LCS Wine Tasting
The Lake Chapala Society holds its second annual wine tasting event, Saturday April 1, 3-6 p.m. Tickets are 150 pesos on the day of the event.
Featured will be wineries from Italy, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Mexico and the United States, with over 30 varieties of wines on display. Wines will be available for purchase and tastings are unlimited this year. Cheeses and appetizers are free of charge, accompanied by the soft sounds of Victor Garcia from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Donation
Peter Luciano, president of Lakeside Little Theatre, presents a portion of the proceeds from its current production, “Second Summer,” to Nancy Brown of San Juan Cosala’s The Token Store. This store gives “a hand up, not a hand out” by providing unemployed or underemployed individuals with job training and job opportunities. While in the training program, individuals are compensated with tokens that are redeemable for clothing, appliances, household goods and groceries at store.
Bocce
Bocce is now played on the back grass lawn area of the Lake Chapala Society Tuesdays and Thursdays 10 to 11 a.m. Bocce, sometimes anglicized as bocci, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family, closely related to British bowls and French pétanque, with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. Developed into its present form in Italy (where it is called bocce, the plural of the Italian word boccia which means ‘bowl’ in the sport sense), it is played around Europe and also in overseas areas that have received Italian migrants, including Australia, North America, and South America. Bocce was initially played among the Italian migrants but has slowly become more popular with their descendants and the wider community.
Board members
Members re-elected to the Niños de Chapala y Ajijic (NCA) board at the charity’s annual membership meeting March 27 included (L-R) Susan Johnson, Nicole Belinne, Lana Ehlebracht, Nancy Allan, Doug Friend and Bill Friend.
British Society
The Lakeside British Society holds its monthly luncheon Saturday, April 1, 1 p.m. at Manix Restaurant, Ocampo 57, Ajijic. Menu choices begin with a small salad or leek and minestrone soup, choice of steak pie with chips and gravy, bream filet with sauce, rice and vegetables, pasta primavera in butter sauce or a large salad. Dessert is berries with ice cream. 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.
Open Circle
Sunday, April 2, Skip Wiener will give a talk on “Food from the Hood: Converting Inner City Land to Farms” at the Open Circle in the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Sala, 10:30 a.m. to noon (see story page 3).
In 1989, Wiener, a native of West Philadelphia, began to run children’s garden and farm programs. Over two decades, seven acres of overgrown, derelict, open-air drug markets were converted to ecological teaching and learning gardens and inner-city farm production. Parents and grandparents joined their children and the first Philly Black low-income coop (Neighborhood Foods) was born. Thousands of pounds of food were harvested and sold annually at low-income farmers’ markets. Children were raised safe from drug gangs.
Wiener has Master’s degrees in Plant Physiology and Landscape Architecture. He worked for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the National Park Service, and Rahenkamp Consultants. For more information, see opencircleajijic.org.
Democrats Abroad Films
Democrats Abroad is sponsoring movies each Sunday dealing with U.S. politics, racial, economic and humanitarian issues. All the films are shown at Cinema del Lago 1:30 p.m.
In the April 2 feature, “Requiem for the American Dream,” acclaimed academic Noam Chomsky illustrates the historical and political influences that have led to the sabotaging of the American Dream and disillusionment of American ideals.
LCS seminar
Lake Chapala Society (LCS) members are invited to attend a TED seminar, hosted by Susan Weeks, featuring Elizabeth Gilbert on “Your Elusive Creative Genius” Tuesday, April 4, noon to 1:15 p.m. in the LCS Sala.
Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person being a genius, all of us have a genius. It’s a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.
The author of “Eat, Pray, Love,” Elizabeth Gilbert has thought long and hard about some big topics. Her fascinations: genius, creativity and how we get in our own way when it comes to both.
Neill James Lecture
Rick Rhoda will give a presentation entitled “The Basic Map of Mexico” at the next Neill James Lecture, Tuesday, April 4, 2 p.m. in the LCS Sala.
How well do you know the map of Mexico? In the past 150 years, the size of Mexico shrank by about 50 percent, but the number of states increased by almost the same amount. Mexico’s topography is far more rugged and diverse than that of the United States or Canada. Tectonic dynamics are the driving force behind Mexico’s many mountain systems as well as its volcanoes and earthquakes.
Rhoda and his spouse, Valerie, have lived in Ajijic since 1999. Before moving here, they were with the U.S. foreign aid program and spent 16 years in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Central America. Rhoda has given dozens of lectures at LCS on Mexico and other topics, as well as co-publishing a book on the dynamics of modern Mexico in 2010.
Lakeside Singles
The next cocktail mixer of the Lakeside Singles will be at Zucchinis, located in Ajijic at the northwest corner of Juarez and the Carretera, on the third floor (they have an elevator), Thursday, April 6, 4-6 p.m.
House wines are 35 pesos, margaritas 50 pesos and beer 25 pesos. Food is available.
If you plan to attend and bring guests, 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..
LCS nutrition
Health, nutrition and lifestyle specialists Amelia Barreto and Judith Wentzel will present a free seminar focusing on easy, effective ways to reduce stress, lose weight and improve health and vitality through the use of proper all natural nutrition at the Lake Chapala Society, Wednesday, April 5, 11 a.m. to noon.
During this 60-minute talk open to all LCS members, Barreto and Wentzel will explain how many of the health issues we face today are directly linked to the foods we consume.
Barreto and Wentzel are health/nutrition and lifestyle consultants who have been transforming the quality of life for hundreds of people in the United States and Mexico since 1997.
Science Expo in Ajijic
Curious about bright ideas Mexican kids have on their minds these days? Check out the Expo Ciencias science fair Friday, April 7, 4-6:30 p.m. at the Ajijic plaza. High school students from seven Lakeside municipalities will be there to display an array of their research and experimentation projects for public viewing.
Red Cross snack bar
Cruz Roja Chapala is in the process of setting up a sideline enterprise in an innovative approach to funding its medical clinic and ambulance services to surrounding communities.
The concept is to open a small store at the Chapala headquarters that will be an outlet for foods, snacks and drinks on sale to the public. Included with this development will be a public washroom facility sorely needed in a high traffic tourist zone on busy weekends and during frequent festival activities.
In announcing the project this week, the Cruz Roja Chapala board of directors is soliciting donations of new or gently used equipment needed to furnish the store and restrooms. The list of items includes a stainless steel kitchen sink, microwave oven, small gas oven, juice extractor; shelving storage units with doors, five white toilets with tanks and two bathroom vanities with basins. The Cruz Roja can provide official receipts. Cash contributions are also appreciated.
For additional information, contact board member Bob Foster 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..
CASA
The Culinary Arts Society of Ajijic (CASA) celebrated the end of their 30th year in style at their annual awards banquet held at La Mision Restaurant Monday, March 27.
Following a cooked-to-perfection dinner for 39 guests, 32 awards were presented to various CASA winners throughout 2016.
The top three awards went to Judith Greenberg and Monica Molloy, who were Bing winners (three first-place wins in a calendar year), and 2017 CASA President Michele Lococo for achieving the most points – a combination of two first places, two seconds, two thirds, four People’s Choice awards and two presentation awards.
NCA scholarship
The Niños de Chapala y Ajijic (NCA) scholarship organization re-elected the following board members at its annual general meeting in March: President Doug Friend, Vice President Lana Ehlebracht, Treasurer Nancy Allan, Secretary Susan Johnson, Directors-at-Large Nicole Belinne and Dr. Tony Pinto and Past President Bill Friend.
NCA is looking for two new members to join their board to cover the resignations of Lori Skoda, who takes care of the NCA bazaar, and Cony Larios. Skoda has run NCA’s bazaar since it opened, and started a trend of charity bazaars in the lakeside area. The bazaar is NCA’s biggest single source of fundraising revenue – 168,000 pesos in 2016.
Larios is a retired teacher and education administrator, and was in charge of District 10 schools in Chapala and Ajijic when she retired.
“Lori and Cony are still very valuable people to NCA,and will continue to contribute their efforts to the charity,” said NCA President Doug Friend.
Buddhists
The Sangha’s regular meditation and teaching session is on Wednesday from 3:30 p.m., and the formal program goes from 4-6 p.m. and includes sitting and walking meditation.
Hour-long silent meditation periods, including sitting and walking meditation, are offered Sundays and Mondays from 9-10 a.m. and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to noon.
The Heart of Awareness is grounded in the teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. Prior experience or affiliation is not required. The sangha’s location is at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. For more information, visit heartofawareness.org, or call Janet Reichert, (331) 043-4669.