LCS picnic
The second annual Lake Chapala Society Picnic and Beer Fest is slated for Saturday, June 17, 2-6 p.m.
Music will be by the Ajijic Jamm Band. Various microbreweries, including Fortuna, Corazon Malta and Naipe, will offer their most recent brews for sale. The menu features hamburgers, hot dogs, corn-on-the-cob with all the fixings and scrumptious pies and cakes.
A raffle for a luxurious two-night stay at the oceanfront Villa La Estancia Beach Resort & Spa on the Nayarit Riviera is scheduled.
Tickets are 100 pesos for members, 150 pesos for non-members, 180 pesos on the day at the gate (if not sold out) and are available at the Lake Chapala Society.
Tennis Championship
A national tournament for junior players continues through June 19 at Chapala’s Cristiania Park, organized under the auspices of the Jalisco Tennis Association and hosted by Chapala’s Academia de Tenis.
Competition is open to male and female players aged 10 to 21 who are affiliated with the National Tennis Federation, divided into six age divisions for singles and doubles games and scheduled daily between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Spectators are welcome to attend and watch the young athletes vie for trophies and the accumulation of points to advance in the national amateur rankings.
Father’s Day
The Chapala municipal government is sponsoring “Rodando con Papa” (Riding with Dad), a cultural festival of tourism and motorcycles on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 18, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on the Ajijic Malecon.
The event is organized by Motorcycle, Tourism and Culture (MTC), a movement born in Ajijic and supported by the community of motorcyclists that call Lake Chapala their home. Participating are Hermanos del Lago, a 10-year old club out of Chapala, and Los Güeros, a club mostly made up of American and Canadian lakeside residents. According to MTC organizers Ben Bell and Roberto Sevilla, MTC is not a club, but a “movement of motorcyclists with its main focus being the promotion of the cultural, gastronomic and tourist heritage of Mexico.” The movement seeks to promote the good use of safety equipment and the machines themselves. MTC has organized a variety of tours throughout the country for motorcycle enthusiasts.
Open Circle
Sunday, June 18, Mark Sconce and Olga Kaplounenko will present “Good Poetry and Sonorous Songs” at the Open Circle in the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Sala, 10:30 a.m. to noon.
Those familiar with Sconce’s dramatic readings and Kaplounenko’s vocals will not want to miss this. Their main theme is poignancy, followed by whimsical, frivolous poetry and song to make you laugh out loud. Mark’s wit, stage presence and obvious love of poetry will be on display, and Olga will back up his readings with her favorite soulful songs. Prior performances at Open Circle have earned them an enthusiastic following.
Mark is Contributing Editor and Essayist for El Ojo del Lago. Olga, born and educated in Moscow, earned a Masters in Electrical Engineering and also studied jazz vocals in Moscow Jazz College. With her husband and son, she moved to Sweden to work at Chalmers University, Gothenburg. The family relocated to Silicon Valley in 1996, where Olga was employed, until moving to Ajijic in 2012. Lakeside, she sings with Los Cantantes and has performed in several plays at LLT. She also sings with Galen in his Candlelight Concerts and performs in karaoke shows.
For more information, see opencircleajijic.org.
LCS seminar
Lake Chapala Society members are invited to attend a TED seminar, hosted by Susan Weeks, on “Listening to Shame” by Brené Brown, on Tuesday, June 20, noon to 1:15 p.m. in the LCS Sala.
Shame is an unspoken epidemic, the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Brown, whose earlier talk on vulnerability became a viral hit, explores what can happen when people confront their shame head-on. Her own humor, humanity and vulnerability shine through every word.
Lakeside Freethinkers
Fred Harlan will speak on the topic of transhumanism – man’s potential for the future — at the next meeting of the Lakeside Freethinkers, Wednesday, June 21.
The group meets at La Nueva Posada restaurant on the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. Dinner and additional discussion usually follow.
The Lakeside Freethinkers define a “freethinker” as a person who is an atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, or skeptic. They believe that individuals should not accept ideas proposed as truth without recourse to knowledge and reason. They reject belief in the supernatural and rely on science and reason to guide their lives. If you would like to attend, or just obtain additional information, 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..
Driving in Mexico
American Legion Post 7 is sponsoring a presentation about all aspects of the Mexican Jalisco Chapala department of motor vehicles, Thursday, June 22, 11 a.m. The class covers driver’s licenses to vehicle plates and more.
LCS Bus Trip
The Lake Chapala Society hosts a bus trip to Guadalajara’s Galerias Mall, with its adjacent Costco, Sam’s and Super Walmart stores, Wednesday, June 28. Major retailers include Best Buy, Sears and H&M, while restaurant choices include Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang and Applebee’s.
Cost is 350 pesos for members and 450 pesos for non-members. The bus departs promptly at 9:30 a.m. from the sculpture in La Floresta.
Criminal complaints
You can file a formal complaint (denuncio) at the Lake Chapala Society with help from a bilingual lawyer from the Jalisco Attorney General’s office (Fisaleria del Estado) Wednesday, June 28, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the LCS Talking Books Library.
LCS Spanish classes
The Lake Chapala Society offers Warren Hardy Spanish for the Curious Expat classes two days per week, July 3 through August 19 at the Wilkes Education Center. Classes last an hour and a half.
Several levels of instruction are available as students progress in the program.
For more information on LCS Spanish classes, call the Spanish Program Coordinator, Vivian Sternfield at 766-1140.
Buddhists
The Heart of Awareness Buddhist Sangha offers several opportunities for meditation practice each week. Wednesdays, the center opens at 3:30 p.m., with a formal meditation period from 4-6 p.m. The one hour sitting and walking meditation is followed by a talk (live or recorded) and an opportunity for discussion. The sangha is open for silent sitting and walking meditation on Sundays and Mondays from 9-10 a.m. and on Thursdays from 11 a.m.-noon.
The monthly dharma matinee movie will be on Monday, June 19 at 3 p.m.
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 is at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. For more information, visit heartofawareness.org, or call Janet Reichert, (331) 043-4669.
Canada’s 150th
The Canadian Club of Lake Chapala and the Chapala Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion are throwing a mega Canada Day party to celebrate Canada’s 150 Anniversary of Confederaton, Saturday, July 1.
The fiesta is at the new venue in San Antonio Tlayacapan, La Casa del Musico.
Honored guests include Chapala’s Mayor and his top staff and Canadian Consul Stephane Chabonneau.
The menu is a sit-down dinner of BBQ chicken and ribs served at your table by Adelita’s staff. Doors open at noon and the dinner is served at 1:30 p.m. Music for dancing is by Mike and the Suspects beginning 3 p.m. There will be door prizes and a raffle for a BBQ grill.
Tickets, 250 pesos, are available at Fenix Real Estate, or call 766-5231 or 10601609; 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..
La Casa del Musico is located at La Paz 59, one block south and half a block east of Adelita’s restaurant. Parking will be about a block away on the west side of La Paz.
Tattered flags
If you have an unserviceable U.S. flag that needs to be properly disposed of, please drop it off at American Legion Post 7, Morelos 114 in Chapala, as soon as p
ossible.
Fouth of July
Two Lakeside organizations will put on the dog for July 4th this year. American Legion Post 7 in Chapala will start with a social hour at 2 p.m. with entertainment by DJ Howard and a dinner of fried chicken, cole slaw, corn of the cob, baked beans and dessert will be served at 3 p.m. A 50-50 raffle will be held.
Tickets, 180 pesos are available at the Legion.
Democrats Abroad will hold a U.S. Independence Day Picnic, 4-8 p.m. at the Hotel Montecarlo in Chapala. On the menu will be American style food: Hamburgers, Costco hot dogs with all the fixings, watermelon, chips, potato salad, and apple pie. Also you can enjoy a cash bar, music by Noe Raygoza, Mike Leisenbach and Karen Procter. Bring your swim suit as the thermal pool will be open.
Tickets, 250 pesos, are available at Diane Pearl, Yoli’s and the Montecarlo. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information.