Animal Shelter
The no-kill cat shelter, Paraiso Felino, is inviting everyone to come and help them celebrate their 10th anniversary.
The party is on Thursday, March 23, from 4 to 7 p.m.
It takes place during “Open House Week,” which starts Monday, March 20, when visitors can mingle with the kittens and the kitties between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m., the shelter’s regular visiting hours.
The shelter is operated by Janina Erban, along with a paid employee and some volunteers.
Erban says there are currently about 300 felines housed at the shelter.
“They’re all ready to be adopted to a forever home,” Erban says, stressing that they received their shots and medical care from a cooperating veterinarian. All the cats have been spayed or neutered, she adds.
As for the anniversary celebration, Erban says there will be “cake, entertainment (feline) and opportunities.”
Erban encourages visitors to “bring a gift for the kitties.”
The shelter is located about 20 kilometers directly inland from Bucerias, in San Juan de Abajo.
For more information and directions to the shelter, call 322-120-4092 and 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..
Fundraising Wrap-up
Food Bank: As the season comes to an end, the John Ozzello Memorial Food Bank and Humanitarian Aid thanks everyone who has supported the Food Bank this year.
The organization is now providing just under 500 dispensas (food parcels) per month.
Randy and Sandi Nystrom, the Food Bank’s directors, released the following total for this season’s fundraising efforts.
4th Annual Elves at YoYo Mo’s: 23,270 pesos; 6th Whale watching fundraiser: 83,800 pesos; 3rd Beatles Tribute: 42,350 pesos; WestJet/Villas del Sol raffle: 60,000 pesos; Happy Days Sock Hop: 46,700 pesos; Private Donations: 15,350 pesos.
The total amount raised was 271,470 pesos.
The Food Bank thanks Glenn and Tanya, owners of YoYo Mo’s and the Drunken Duck, raffle king Gary Winchester and all its volunteers and supporters.
For more information, see www.buceriasfoodbank.com.
Gary Winchester (left), the Bucerias Food Bank “Raffle King,” works his magic at the Sock Hop fundraiser, the last fundraising event of the season.
Manos de Amor: The Bucerias Children’s Shelter has also completed its high season fundraising. The Dancing Under the Stars cocktail party, the annual Hamburger Fest and the ever-popular Rhythm and Ribs were big successes.
Between the three events, enough money was raised to cover operating expenses for the shelter for nine months.
Regular support from a U.S.-based church helps cover staff salaries, while individual donations help Manos de Amor provide food, shelter, education and health care to the many children they care for.
For more information, see https://manosdeamor.com.
Urban Murals
The completion of a colorful urban mural depicting sea life in Banderas Bay on the outside of the town’s first beach access baño is spurring efforts to continue the project.
There are seven buildings housing bathrooms where streets end at the beach in the southern half of Bucerias, between the arroyo and the Decameron resort.
When the bathrooms were built several years ago, it was unclear who responsible for their maintenance and upkeep. Consequently, the vast majority of them have fallen into disrepair.
Fortunately, the exterior surfaces have stayed in relatively good condition, so they can be painted on easily.
The first mural was financed by Guadalajara Reporter columnists Sue Fornoff and Harold Sokolove. They contracted experienced mural artists, Kika Gomez Ruiz of Mezcales and Ernesto Garrigos Rojas of Puerto Vallarta, to ensure the project would be well received.
The Bahia de Banderas municipal government has now given its permission for all the bathrooms to be painted, which will happen once there are sufficient sponsors.
Sokolove is looking for supporters to pay for the murals, as well as local artists.
Individuals, families or businesses who “sponsor” a mural will receive written credit for their support.
Contact Sokolove 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..">.
The second Bucerias beach baño mural, on Javier Mina, has been started by artist Silvia Uzcanga of La Vie Gallery in La Cruz.
More March Activities
Friday, March 17 to Sunday, March 19 is the three-day Bike Fest #3 in Guayabitos, with road bike, mountain bike and time trial challenges, as well as other activities for people of all ages. More information: www.bikefestnay.com.
Sunday, March 19 Roxy Fitness, running, Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) and yoga at the Hard Rock Hotel, Nuevo Vallarta. More information: www.roxyfitnessmexico.com.
Wednesday, March 22 to Saturday, March 25 is Circo de Los Niños in San Pancho. Children of the town demonstrate what they have learned in workshops taught by performers from Cirque de Soleil in the yearly fundraiser supporting children’s programs in San Pancho. More information: circodelosninosdesanpancho.mx.
Friday, March 24 and Saturday, March 25 the National Cheerleader Competition in Nuevo Vallarta, at Splash Inn. More information: www.cheerapen.com.
Street Light Repairs
Bucerias resident Carla Piringer she says learned about reporting burned out street lights while attending Amigos de Bucerias breakfast meetings.
She subsequently reported two burned out lights on Rio Colorado to Amigos’ email address.
“I’m happy to report that within a couple of months, both lights were replaced … the system works,” Piringer says.
At a recent Amigos meeting, Dick Pickup, the streetlight “committee-of-one,” reported that 247 Bucerias street lights have been repaired at a cost of 43,467 pesos.
Pickup says if you observe a broken street light, send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the street name and the stencilled number on the post.
Meanwhile, an employee participation grant from the Exxon-Mobile corporation obtained by Bucerias resident Rodney Zimmers paid for new LED light fixtures and installation at one of the “andadores” (walkways) to the beach in the area of Playa Huanacaxtle.
“This area used to be extremely dark, and with the new LEDs I think you could play a game of night baseball there now,” Pickup says.
Convention Center
A new convention center will open this month at the Vidanta development in Nuevo Vallarta, the company has announced.
The center will feature 3,008 square meters of space, including four main salons, separate meeting rooms, a foyer, cold and hot kitchens, as well as a variety of other event areas.
“Vidanta is very proud to have taken this step towards the future of conventions,” said Corporate Sales Director Juan Carlos Salmón. “This is paradise for meeting planners.”
The Vidanta development in Nuevo Vallarta has over 2,486 rooms and has already become an excellent option for the meetings Industry in the Northshore area.