Bird Fest events
• Cultural activities wrapped into the 2013 Lake Chapala Bird Festival commence Saturday, November 23, 5 p.m. with the art show “Birds of the Lake” at Galeria Efren Gonzalez (Marcos Castellanos 7, Ajijic).
• “Feathers and Wing” is the title given to the exhibit of nature photographs by Jesus Navarro that will be displayed in the Chapala city hall foyer starting Monday, November 25, 4 p.m. A selection of art works in various media will go on the auction block Saturday, November 30, 4 p.m., at the Ajijic plaza.
• The festival program also includes a variety of music, dance and children’s theater performances to be staged Sunday, November 24, 5 to 8 p.m., at the Chapala Malecon. Similar activities are slated for Sunday, December 1, 5-9 p.m., at the Ajijic Malecon, opening with the presentation of “Feathered Tales” by theatrical storyteller Alicia Martel. An awards ceremony for winning entries in the “We All Dream of Flying” short story contest is set for November 30, 6 p.m., at Manix Restaurant in Ajijic.
Ajijic art expo
Centro Cultural de Ajijic ushers in the town’s annual patron saint’s festivities with the Expo Colectivo San Andres, running from this week through December 4. The innovative format for this exhibition hinges on individual display booths where more than two dozen artists are not just showing their works, but also sitting in during peak hours to interact with viewers.
3-D animation art
Chapala’s Instituto de Tecnologia Superior (ITS) invites the public to its Animation Artists Day Festival, on Saturday, November 23, from 4 p.m., at La Vela Plaza at the west end of the Chapala Malecon. The event will introduce visitors to new careers in 3-D animation films, demonstrate the production process and offer an opportunity for hands-on experience at creating an animated character.
Lakeside Little Theatre
The upcoming production at the Lakeside Little Theatre (LLT) is a comedy about an Italian-American family. Now in rehearsal, “Over The River And Through The Woods” runs from December 6 through 15.
The play, by U.S. playwright Joe DiPietro, is set in Hoboken, New Jersey where all four of Nick Cristano’s grandparents live. Although Nick works in the city, and his parents have retired and moved away, he still takes the bus to see his grandparents for dinner every Sunday.
This play, directed by Ann Swiston, has family members that you’ll recognize and amusing situations that will seem familiar. Plan to laugh, think and cry. And, with a bit of luck, you’ll come to appreciate some of the many ways in which love can be defined.
Tickets are 200 pesos and can be obtained at the LLT box office from 10 a.m. to noon on the Wednesday and Thursday before opening and every day during the run of the show – or one hour before curtain time for each performance.
Christmas concert
Viva la Musica’s Christmas concert will feature opera and seasonal music sung and played by four talented singers from Guadalajara and their children. The concert takes place at the Auditorio de la Ribera on Friday, December 6, 6 p.m.
Hector Lopez (baritone) and his wife Patricia Hernandez (mezzosoprano) with be joined by Antonio Hermosillo (baritone) and his wife Gabriela Zepeda (soprano) and their three musically precocious children Mariana, Lucia and Jorge.
The program will feature operatic arias and love songs in the first half and Christmas music in the second. The children will sing “Pie Jesu” by Andrew Lloyd Weber and each act will end with a rousing chorus.
Lopez, Hernandez and Hermosillo all studied voice with the late Harlan Snow in Guadalajara and then went on to study in the United States. They now enjoy successful careers in music.
Harlan Snow, a U.S. choral director, retired to Guadalajara and became involved in coaching talented young Mexican singers. Over the years he helped 14 singers obtain scholarships to various U.S. universities The concert will be a tribute to Snow.
Tickets are 200 pesos and 300 pesos, available from Diane Pearl Colecciones (Colon at O’Campo), the Auditorium and at the Lake Chapala Society on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon.
Los Cantantes
Los Cantantes del Lago presents a Christmas-Hanukkah holiday tradition concert at the Auditorio de la Ribera, on Tuesday, December 10, 7 p.m., and Wednesday, December 11, 4 p.m.
Tickets cost 250 pesos per person and are available at Diane Pearl’s, Mia’s Boutique or via email requests to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
‘Let’s Do It Again’
Mac Morison will be kicking off the holiday season singing classic romantic songs with guest vocalist Judy Hendrick at the one-off “Let’s Do It Again” show to help the Ajijic Fire Department purchase much needed equipment.
A special surprise will be guest comic Jeff Capri opening for Mac. Capri has been seen on Comedy Central, Comics Unleashed and Last Comic Standing. He has just returned from entertaining U.S. troops overseas.
The ticket price is 300 pesos (includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres). There will be a full no-host bar.
The date is Wednesday, December 4. The location is Club Exotica on the Ajijic Plaza. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the show starts at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are on sale at Diane Pearl Colecciones, Mia’s Boutique and Lois Cugini’s Opus 1.
Ribera collective
Art lovers still have time to catch the Exposicion de la Ribera collective show continuing through December 6 at Galeria de Arte Axixic, Calle Ocampo at Rio Zula. The exhibit includes paintings sculptures, etchings and altarpieces by leading lakeside artists Jesus Lopez Vega, Antonio Lopez Vega, Polo Gutierrez, Francisco Gonzalez, Isidro Xilonzochitl, Mayor Benton, Paul Durham, Judy Dyskstra-Brown, Gloria Palazzo, Gabriel Mariscal, Pat Apt, Cathy Chalvignac and Kiki Kaye.
West end cultural bonanza
A string of enticing music, dance and arts events are coming up over the next week in San Juan Cosala and Jocotepec.
Musical saint: San Juan Cosala celebrates the feast day of Santa Cecilia – patron saint of musicians – on Friday, November 22 with a religious musical procession through town starting at 5 p.m., and a full night of free musical entertainment at the plaza running from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Revolution in Jocotepec: Jocotopec’s Casa de la Cultura hosts La Nueva Revolucion, an art show opening Friday November 22, with cocktails, botanas and entertainment offered from 5 to 8 p.m. The exhibit features works by Isidro Xilonxochitl, Francisco Gonzalez, DePaul Durham, Antonio Lopez Vega, Jesus Lopez Vega, Manuel Santillon and David Mendoza. The inaugural party program includes live music performed by Moises Ramirez and Poncho Nava and poetry readings in English and Spanish by Judy Dykstra-Brown, James Tipton, Mario Z. Puglisi, Miguel Orozco and Adrian Habano. The cultural center is located just off the town plaza at the intersection of Miguel Arana and Hidalgo.
Music at La Rueda: Musical acts booked at the La Rueda Café Galeria, Porfirio Diaz 120 in San Juan Cosala, include jazz-rock artist Christian Cuevas, appearing Saturday, November 23, and folk singer-songer writer Xiujtik, on the bill for Saturday, November 30. Show time on both dates is 8 p.m.
Folk dance show: The renowned Ballet Folklorico Kimbamba from Poza Rica, Veracruz will appear Sunday, November 24, 8:30 p.m. at the central plaza in San Juan Cosala. The event is open to the public free of charge. Ballet Kimbamba takes its name from a fusion of the words “kimba,” meaning dance, and “bamba,” the emblematic song and dance of Veracruz. Founded in 1990, the group has earned critical acclaim at home and abroad, including recognition as the best foreign troupe at the 2000 folk dance festival held in Budapest, Hungary.
CASA
The Culinary Arts Society of Ajijic (CASA) held its monthly meeting and competition on November 11 with Poultry Main Dish for Category A and Cheesecake Dessert for Category B.
Winners in Category A were: Sally Myers (1st place) for her Chicken Marbella, Luzma Grande (2nd place) for her Pollo en Pipian and Carole Wolff (3rd place) for her Quintessential Chicken Breast with Mushroom Cream Sauce.
Winners in Category B were: Leslie Yanko (1st place) for her Black and White Cheesecake; Donna Milne (2nd place) for her Lemon Mousse Cheesecake and Collette Clavadetscher (3rd place) for her White Chocolate Cheesecake.
People’s choice awards went to Patrick Waite in Category A for his Chipotle Marinated Chicken 
and to Donna Milne in Category B. Winners for best presentation were Sally Myers in Category A and Leslie Yanko in Category B.
The November speaker was Tina Jones, who talked about the history of cheesecake and the intricacies of baking the “perfect cheesecake.”
The next meeting/competition for CASA will be at Min Wah Restaurant on Monday, December 16, 4 p.m.
For more information on CASA email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 2013 President Annie Green at 766-5243. You can also cisit the CASA website at www.ajijiccasa.org.