Paws and Claws
The Paws and Claws committee of Amigos de Bucerias has scheduled its second spay and neuter clinic of 2020.
The clinic is set from Wednesday, February 26 to Saturday, February 29, at the Abuelos de Bucerias Tercera Edad center on Calle Del Canal in Bucerias.
Animals must be at least two months old or, if they have recently given birth, no longer nursing babies. No food or drink should be given after midnight the night before.
Registration starts at 8 a.m. each day, but if past clinics are an indication, people and their pets begin lining up to register very early.
Surgeries are provided at no charge to the pet owners, but donations are appreciated.
The previous Paws and Claws clinic provided 254 surgeries over its four-day run.
Said committee member Donna Moore: “Thank you to the vet team from Pets4Life, all our volunteers and everyone who has participated in our fundraisers to pay for these clinics.”
For more information, see BuceriasSpayNeuterProgram on Facebook, 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..">.
Chalk Art
Carlos Alberto Garcia was the winner of the Judge’s Choice top prize at the 2020 Bucerias Chalk Art Walk. In addition to the 20,000-peso prize, he pocketed 5,000 pesos as the “Crowd Favorite.” Twenty-five chalk artists braved a rainy start to the four-day festival to produce fantastic works of art on Avenida Lazaro Cardenas.
Expo
Bahia de Banderas Mayor Jaime Alonzo Cuevas Tello chats with vendors at the three-day Expo Artesenal y Cafetaleros, held in the Bucerias main plaza.
A whale of a time
Bahia Unida, a nonprofit looking to reduce human impact on the oceans, is working on several local projects, including environmental education.
This season Bahia United has been able to fund two boats doing surveillance on a daily basis to prevent harassment of humpback whales and other marine life in Bahia de Banderas.
Laws are in place in Mexico to protect animals from tour and private boats. However, few resources are available to enforce them.
In an innovative and unprecedented project, Bahia United has taken on the task of watching for infractions. Their main allies are the companies dedicated to nature watching tours.
A local whale watching tour boat, Beach Boy, is donating a special tour to help Bahia Unida solicit donations to help fund humpback whale surveillance in Banderas Bay.
The tour will be on Sunday, March 8 and costs 1,000 pesos per person.
For ticket sales and information, call 322-121- 8216 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..
It’s for the kids
The Theta chapter of the international service sorority Beta Sigma Phi will sponsor the 3rd Annual Art, Music and Dinner at the Maizul Restaurant, overlooking the Nuevo Vallarta malecon.
The event will be held on Saturday, February 22, from 6 to 9 p.m.
The women of the Nuevo Vallarta group are raising money to provide educational assistance to local students.
There will be appetizers, a buffet with dessert and a no-host bar. A silent auction and a raffle will also take place.
Tickets are 600 pesos per person and can be purchased from Roberta, 322-297-0433.
Lo de Marcos
The Taste of Lo de Marcos is coming up on Sunday, February 23, in the town’s central plaza. This will be the seventh edition of the annual festivity, which features food from many of the pueblo’s restaurants.
The event takes place from 3 to 8 p.m.
The meals and tastings will range from casual to five-star dining, say the organizers.
In addition to the food booths, the event features a live music stage, with entertainment from 3.30 p.m. until closing.
There will also be vendor booths selling unique handcrafted items and jewelry.
The event is organized each year by Galvan Real Estate and Services to “help facilitate the donations that continue to keep Lo de Marcos the jewel that it is,” says Luis Armando Contreras Galvan, broker for Galvan Real Estate and Services.
The proceeds of the event are donated equally to the Amigos de Lo de Marcos, a charity which provides services and funding for many of the projects undertaken in this coastal town, and to the Citizens Actions Committee of Lo de Marcos, which is responsible for organizing traditional and cultural events throughout the year.
To participate as a vendor, call 327-275-0233 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..
San Pancho
From a humble start, the San Pancho Music Festival has grown from a small grassroots event in a backyard, to one of the premiere festivals in the Northshore region.
The Music Festival began in 2001, when village residents John (“Puerco”) and Patricia Alexander invited 12 musicians to join their informal jam sessions on their back porch. Everyone had such a good time that the following year some of those same players suggested they gather again, but this time invite a few others from around the area.
With time, the word spread and others asked to participate. John and Patricia were gracious hosts. “Our philosophy was that anyone who wanted to play was invited to join in,” John said.
The San Pancho Music Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary February 28, 29 and March 1, with a great line-up of 27 bands on two stages.
The festival is held in the Plaza del Sol, across from the church in San Pancho,
There will be a variety of food vendors on site, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage options, as well as many arts and crafts vendors.
A limited number of chairs are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. It is recommended to bring your own chairs, and settle in for a weekend of great music and fun.
“While there is no fee to attend the festival, the event is fully funded by your donations,” notes Chris Parsons, one of the festival organizers. “We work on a shoestring budget and depend greatly on the many unpaid hours of the festival committee and other volunteers.
“Donations are the only way to cover operational expenses, such as an honorarium for every musician, sound and light equipment rental, design and promotion, security, cleanup, food and drinks for the musicians.”
Donations can be made at gofundme.com/f/20th-anniversary-san-pancho-music-festival. For more information, see sanpanchomusicfestival.com.
Sayulita
It’s green thumbs up for eco-friendliness.
Just up the Pacific coastline from the Northshore, ninth-grade students at Sayulita’s Costa Verde International School have started a project called “Be the Change,” focusing on getting more local businesses and vacation rentals in town to be more eco-friendly.
For their project, the students researched and created a checklist of the criteria a local business or vacation rental would have to meet to earn the title of being “green.”
Using the checklist, students went out into the community, speaking with business owners, awarding a “Green Thumbs Up” to businesses which meet the criterion. For those that don’t, the students aim to educate the establishment on how to incorporate strategies to be more eco-conscious in their daily practices.
SayulitaLife.com generously donated their time and effort in supporting the students by creating a web page for them to keep track and list all of the Sayulita businesses that have been granted the title of “green.”
Any Sayulita business or vacation rental can apply for the “Green Thumbs Up” designation by asking the students at CVIS for a review. First, see the “Green Thumbs Up” checklist by visiting the project’s website at sayulitalife.com/green-businesses. After visiting there and reviewing the checklist, if the Sayulita business or rental merits the approval, simply email Costa Verde International School to let them know.