Kids, kings and queens
A children’s chess tournament is scheduled Saturday, June 9, 11 a.m. on the Neill James Patio at the Lake Chapala Society.
Open to the public, the tournament offers prizes for the first places in three categories: junior primary, primary school and high school. Registrations by whatsapp at 331-428-4180 or in the Clazabien store at Parroquia 18 in front of the Ajijic plaza.
San Antonio fiesta
Each day of the celebration is heralded at 6 a.m. with pealing church bells and a barrage of booming sky rockets. As evening falls the faithful gather at different points in the village to parade through the streets as a prelude to 7:30 p.m. mass at the San Antonio parish. The processions feature adorable toddlers decked out in friar’s frocks, ritual dancers dressed in colorful Indian costumes, marching bands and motorized floats decorated to represent sacred themes. Processions are customarily scheduled at 7 p.m. on all dates except June 13 when the starting time is set at 6 p.m.
After evening church services, a fun-filled fiesta is held on the plaza including live musical entertainment, mechanical rides, carnival games and snacks foods and beverages hawked from the sidewalk stands. Barring major downpours, the festivity culminates each night with a dazzling castillo fireworks display ignited between 9:30 and 10 p.m.
Streets located in a one block radius around the plaza will be blocked while the festivities are under way.
Open Circle
Michael Warren will present “Experiences with Sathya Sai Baba” at the next meeting of Open Circle, Sunday, June 10, 10:30 a.m. on the patio of the Lake Chapala Society.
San Antonio Tlayacapan continues to celebrate the town’s religious patron, Saint Anthony of Padua, through June 13, when the first true rains of the season should commence.
This is a story of an academic and spiritual journey. Warren and his late wife Marianne were devotees of the Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba for almost two decades during the 1980s and 1990s. Their first of eight visits to his ashram near Bangalore was in 1980. At that time, Marianne was working on her PhD and her topic was the enigmatic saint Shirdi Sai Baba, who died in 1918. Sathya Sai Baba claimed to be his reincarnation. Warren will talk about life in the ashram, classical Indian philosophy, and the charismatic guru Sathya Sai Baba himself.
Warren is a poet and playwright and has published his collected poems under the title “A Particular Blue.” He is a member of the Not Yet Dead Poets Society and is also a contributor to their 2017 anthology “Romancing the Muse.” Michael and Marianne were among the original founders of Open Circle – a spin-off from the New Dimensions group – in 2001.
For more information on Open Circle, see opencircleajijic.org.
Lakeside Birders
The Lakeside Birders will meet Monday June 11, 8 a.m. at Donas Donuts, leaving immediately for the Sierra de Tapalpa (90 minutes away).
The group will bird from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., have lunch in the town of Tapalpa and complete the bird list. Expect to see higher altitude birds such as acorn woodpecker and, if lucky, the slate-throated redstart and trans-volcanic jay. Bring your own refreshments for the morning. The group returns to Ajijic about 5 p.m. RSVP 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..
Friday June 22, the Birders will meet 8:30 a.m. at the entrance to Cristiania Park in Chapala. Expect to see an interesting selection of species in the tall trees and on the shore of the lake. At about 10:30 a.m. the group will go to La Palapa de Don Juan for breakfast and complete the bird list.
Lake Chapala Birders is an informal group of bird observers led by John and Rosemary Keeling. For more information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (376) 766-1801. See chapalabirders.org for more information.
Democrats Abroad
Join author Mel Goldberg, a longtime resident of Ajijic, Monday, June 11, 4 p.m. at Fonda Doña Lola’s (west Ajijic across from La Casa del Waffle).
Goldberg will review the history of gun rights and laws in the United States since before the Constitution was ratified up to the present. From the ratification of the 2nd Amendment, the NRA being founded, the various acts, bans and court cases, gain a clear understanding of how and why guns have such an important role in the United States.
The horrors of terrorist attacks and school killings are ever-present in the minds of all Americans. Can parents even send their children to school without fear? Come and engage in a lively dialogue on what can be done to improve gun safety.
U.S. citizens who will not be in the United States this November should request their absentee ballot as soon as possible through Chapter volunteers or online at Votefromabroad.org or FVAP.GOV to be sure their vote will be counted in the 2018 mid-term election. For more information on Chapter activities, 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..
Flag Day
U.S. Flag Day is Tuesday, June 12. Turn faded, torn or tattered flags (of any nationality) to the American Legion Post 7 Chapala for proper disposal – as outlined in the U.S. Flag Code – Thursday, June 14, 10 a.m. at Post 7 headquarters.
Progressive Action Group
Special Counsel Robert Muller has been charged with the “Investigation of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and any Russian or other foreign interference in the election, including exploring any possible links or coordination between Trump’s campaign and the Russian government.”
The Progressive Action Group will meet Tuesday, June 12, 4 p.m. at the Sunrise Restaurant to review and discuss the issue of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. This has been an intense topic of discussion since the election. Vice-Chair Chad Olsen will give a chronology of events leading up to the election, and to date.
The Progressive Action Group is gathering of like-minded people looking for progressive solutions to political problems. They meet at 4 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Sunrise Restaurant in Chula Vista. The group’s Facebook page is Progressive Action Group. For more 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..
LCS TED talks
Trust researcher Rachel Botsman presents “We’ve Stopped Trusting Institutions and Started Trusting Strangers” Tuesday, June 12, noon to 1:15 p.m. at the LCS Sala.
Something profound is changing our concept of trust, says Botsman. While we used to place our trust in institutions like governments and banks, today we increasingly rely on others, often strangers, on platforms like Airbnb and Uber and through technologies like the blockchain. This new era of trust could bring with it a more transparent, inclusive and accountable society -- if we get it right. Who do you trust?
Fitness walks
A walk for fitness will take place on the LCS gazebo every Wednesday, 10-11 a.m. through September 26. This activity will follow Leslie Sansone’s “Walk at Home” program – an activity endorsed by the American Heart Association. Contact Lisa O’Dell for more information 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..
Yoga
One-hour yoga classes by certified instructor Delia, featuring both chair and mat techniques, are held Wednesdays, 9 a.m. at American Legion Post 7 in Chapala. To sign up, or for more information, call 331-222-0438.
LCS tech help
Every Thursday, tech expert Mike Goss will be available to help with questions and issues with phones, tablets and laptops from noon to 2 p.m. outside the LCS Sala. Members are encouraged to bring their portable devices so that questions can be solved during the sit down.
LCS Spanish
Introduction to Spanish is cancelled for June, but will begin on Tuesday, July 10. Register in the LCS service office. Meanwhile, continue to learn by joining Exploring Spanish, held every Wednesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Sala. LCS Members only. Free.
New to Lakeside or Mexico?
The Lake Chapala Society’s “Introduction to Lakeside Seminar” will take place Thursday, June 14, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Learn all the basics: banking, shopping, restaurants, medical, getting around, entertainment and recreation, all for only 250 pesos. Sign up at the service desk, or at lakechapalasociety.com.
Vid Forum Wine Fest
The second edition of lakeside’s Vid Forum Wine Festival is slated to take place Saturday and Sunday, June 16 and 17 at the Nimue Marina nautical club in La Floresta, located on Paseo de la Huerta, adjacent to the Hotel Real.
The fair is designed to bring together wine lovers and foodies with merchants showcasing around 20 labels from vineyards in Mexico and Spain, as well as assorted gourmet foods and meal offerings by four top-notch lakeside restaurants.
Gates open Saturday 1:30 p.m., with admission set at 300 pesos per person for tasting up to 30 wine samples up until 7:30 p.m. Sunday hours are 1:30 to 6 p.m., at a cost of 250 pesos. Prices include a complementary glass wine goblet. Tickets may be purchased in advance at Jitomate Gourmet and La Paceña restaurants, Pancho’s Deli and Hotel Real.
Lakeside Freethinkers
Should atheism become politicized? Do atheists share a common political goal beyond church-state separation? Should atheists organize for other purposes, such as to promote critical thinking with regard to religious beliefs? Could doing this backfire and depict atheists unfavorably? These topics will be discussed at the next meeting of the Lakeside Freethinkers Wednesday, June 20, 4-6 p.m. at La Nueva Posada in Ajijic.
The Lakeside Freethinkers define a “freethinker” as a person who is an atheist, agnostic, secular humanist, or skeptic. Freethinkers reject supernatural and other unsupported claims, and rely instead on reason applied to evidence 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..
LCS bus trip
The Lake Chapala Society hosts a bus trip to Costco and Galerias Mall in Guadalajara, Thursday, June 28. Tickets for either trip are 370 pesos for members and 470 pesos for non-members. Sign up at the LCS office at least two days before the trip is scheduled. The bus leaves at 9:30 a.m. in front of the sculpture in La Floresta.
July 4th shindig
Democrats Abroad is holding another fun-filled U.S. Independence Day celebration, Wednesday, July 4, 4-8 p.m. at the lush gardens of Hotel Villa Montecarlo in Chapala.
The fiesta includes a live show and music by the Jamm Band and a menu of American outdoor specialties: hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, watermelon and apple pie. A cash bar is available. Come celebrate with your neighbors and friends and make some new ones while you’re there.
Tickets, 300 pesos in advance, 350 pesos at the door, are available at Diane Pearl, Yoli’s Beauty Salon and Hotel Monte Carlo.
More July 4th
American Legion Post 7 Chapala will celebrate July 4th at the post with a picnic and live music by Sol y Luna. The event begins 1 p.m. On the bill of fare are fried chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad and ice cream. Tickets, 200 pesos are available at the post and generally sell out early.
Buddhists
The Heart of Awareness Insight Meditation Community offers multiple opportunities each week for silent meditation, Monday at 9 a.m., Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Thursday at 11 a.m. All sessions are open to the public regardless of experience or affiliation, and chairs and cushions are provided. There are brief written instructions on meditation for beginners.
Wednesday, June 13, the meditation period will be followed by a video talk by Stephen Batchelor, contemporary Buddhist teacher and writer, best known for his secular or agnostic approach to Buddhism. This week’s talk in the series called “Buddhism for This One and Only Life” is titled “Embracing Suffering.”
A yoga class is offered at The Heart of Awareness on Thursdays at 9 a.m. These gentle and relaxing yoga practice sessions are taught by Latika. Some mats and blocks are provided but participants are invited to bring their own mat and water bottle. The class is one hour and 45 minutes.
The meditation center is located at Guadalupe Victoria 101, Ajijic. For more information, see heartofawareness.org.