Students present ‘Wizard of Oz’

The Fine Arts & Technology Department of the American School Foundation of Guadalajara presents four performances of the musical “The Wizard of Oz” from November 4 to 6. 

More than 120 students, from elementary to high school, will participate in a production filled with singing, dancing and a lot of munchkins! 

The Wizard of Oz is based on the 20th century iconic book by Frank Baum and tells the story of Dorothy, a girl from Kansas who dreams of faraway places where “dreams do come true.” One day, she gets caught in a powerful tornado which takes her, and her house, to the magical Land of Oz. However, when Dorothy’s house lands on the Wicked Witch of the East, her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, vows to avenge her death! Frightened, Dorothy embarks on a journey to find the wonderful Wizard of Oz so he can help her. On her way, she meets a Scarecrow, who only wants a brain, a Tinman who is eager for a heart, and a cowardly Lion who yearns for courage. 

Performances are Friday November 4: 7 p.m.;  Saturday, November 5: 7 p.m. and Sunday November 6, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets, at 80 pesos for students and 100 pesos for adults, can be purchased at the door.  For more information see http://asfgwizardofoz.weebly.com. 

The American School is at Colomos 2100, Colonia Providencia.

Amsoc: Election watch, Book Club

The American Society (Amsoc) invites everyone to come and cheer or cry in their beer Tuesday, November 8, 7:30 p.m., as U.S. election night news programs are shown on the big screen.

Bring a tasty dish or snack to share. Enjoy a beverage from the cash bar. Amsoc asks for a 20-peso donation.

For those who don’t come in cars, attendees can help each other summon a taxi or Uber, utilize an impromptu “ride board” or walk as a group the three blocks to Lazaro Cardenas where there are passing taxis.

The American Society of Guadalajara is located a few blocks from the glorieta with the “Estampida” sculpture, at Avenida San Francisco 3332 between Juan Bernardino and Federico Javier Clavijero. (33) 3121-2395.

Discussion at the Amsoc Book Club to be held on Thursday, November 17 will center on “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai (2006).  Although it focuses on the fate of a few powerless individuals [in India], Kiran Desai’s extraordinary new novel manages to explore, with intimacy and insight, just about  every contemporary international issue: globalization, multiculturalism, economic inequality, fundamentalism and terrorist violence. The meeting starts at 10 a.m.

Film showing: ‘The Great Debaters’

The screening at the Democrats Abroad “Sunday at the Movies” event on November 13 will be “The Great Debaters,” about a black underdog debate team in the heart of Jim Crow Texas during the 1930s that wins a national championship. The film is directed by Denzel Washington, who also stars along with Forest Whitaker.

The movie will be shown at the American Society in Guadalajara during the lunch hour. The kitchen will be closed, so attendees are asked to bring something to share to eat and drink. Paper plates, cups, flatware and napkins will be provided. A donation of 20 pesos will go toward the use the salon and the big screen.

The American Society is located at Av. San Francisco 3332 between Juan Bernardino and Fco. Javier Clavijero. 

RSVP to Jude Wallesen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you plan to attend.

Bullfight season underway

The fall season of bullfights at the Plaza de Toros Nuevo Progreso ring in Guadalajara got underway last weekend.  

The next three corridas will be held on Sunday, November 6, 13 and 20, all starting at 4:30 p.m.

Some of the world’s most skilled matadors will be in action over the next three weeks.  On November 6, the bill features Miguel Angel Perera, Octavio Garcia “El Payo” and Diego Silveti. Ignacio Garibay, Fermin Rivera. Francis and Ureña are up on November 13 and Eulalio Lopez Zotoluco, Joselito Adame and Andres Roca Rey close out the series on November 20.

While bullfighting is classified as cruelty by animal rights groups, the activity enjoys a long cultural tradition in Mexico and corridas here are usually well attended. 

Supporters of the activity argue that bulls placed in a bullfighting program enjoy longer and more fulfilling lives than those that are exploited for meat. 

Tickets for bullfights run from 150 to 1,200 pesos. They are available at the door, or through Ticketmaster.

The Plaza de Toros Nuevo Progreso is at Pirineos 1930, Colonia Monumental, across from theEstadio Jalisco.

Pink beer with prickly pear

A collaboration between microbreweries in Guadalajara and Portland, Oregon – the “beer capital” of the United States – has led to the elaboration of “Sueño Rosa,” a batch of 1,800 liters of rose-colored beer made using prickly pear, guayaba and orange blossom.

Following a connection made through the Guadalajara-Portland sister cities agreement, local microbrewery Loba teamed up with “craft beer lab” Labrewatory  to produce a gose-style craft beer that coincides with the annual campaign to promote breast cancer awareness.    

Portland Kettle Works, the parent company of Labrewatory, supplied the hand-crafted kettles and tanks required to produce Sueño Rosa.

Gose is an ancient wheat beer style with a sour finish that hails from Goslar, Germany. It includes a lemon tartness, an herbal characteristic, and a strong saltiness (the result of either local water sources or added salt).

Ten percent of the profits from Sueño Rosa will be donated to the breast cancer awareness campaign.

Loba currently produces four craft beers: Sport, Alteña, Negra and Alfa, which retail for around 39 pesos for a 355-milliliter bottle.

For more information, call Loba at (33) 3641-0019.