The insignia, scarves and uniforms worn by the seven strangers to a recent lakeside church service created an instant bond with many of the expats attending the service.

After pulling off a colossal three-day shindig and then knuckling down on the requisite number-crunching, board members of the Mexican National Chili Cook-off completed their mission for 2014 with the March 21 distribution of proceeds among six deserving community organizations.

Chapala Mayor Joaquin Huerta (left) and Chapala Red Cross Board President Oscar España stood shoulder to shoulder at the March 25 kick-off of the 2014 Cruz Roja Colecta, a month-long campaign to collect donations to sustain the local life-saving institution.

Fighting crime in the Lake Chapala area is a matter of prime concern to Jalisco Attorney General Luis Carlos Nájera, who made that point clear during his speaking appearance at the March 12 meeting of the Canadian Club of Lake Chapala.

The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) elected six new board officers and directors and addressed the full scope of the organization’s operations at the annual general meeting held on Thursday, March 13, with 110 members present.

The lakeside graffiti wipe-out group spearheaded by Antonio and Nanette Enciso ran a neighborhood fix-up campaign March 14 through 17 in the Chapala Barrio of Tepehua.