Mother’s Day festivities in Ajijic will be extended beyond Mexico’s customary May 10 holiday date, with two special events spanning this weekend.

Festejo Cultural del Día de las Madres, on Saturday, May 11, 8 p.m. at the Malecon amphitheater, will feature a program of music and dance staged by Collage. The group’s forte is in the genres of jazz, flamenco and French song. The event is jointly sponsored by the cultural collectives LagoGris, El Tachihual, El Faro and restaurant El Jardin de Ninette.

After more than a year of planning and input from parishioners, the makeover of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church got underway this week.

The history of Mother’s Day is centuries old and the earliest  celebrations can be traced back to  ancient Greece in honor of Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. During the 1600s, Christians in England celebrated a day to honor Mary, the mother of Christ. By a religious order the holiday was later expanded in its scope to include all mothers, and named as the “Mothering Sunday.” Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent (the 40-day period leading up to Easter), “Mothering Sunday” honored the mothers of England.

Self-assurance, eloquence and a dazzling smile gave Maria Guadalupe Hernandez Romero the edge to win the 2013 title as Chapala’s Senior Citizen Queen. The 66-year-old Atotonilquillo housewife was crowned at the Reina de la Tercera Edad pageant held Friday, April 26 at DIF Chapala headquarters.

Members of Axixic Masonic Lodge arrived at the principal plaza in the Lakeside village of San Nicolas de Ibarra April 13 to set up shop for their ongoing ‘Tape-A-Bike’ program.

A big bash for local kids scheduled for Sunday, April 28 at Ajijic’s Lienzo Charro bullring ties into the April 30 national celebration of Dia del Niño (Children’s Day). Youngsters will be treated to a lucha libre wrestling show, gifts and refreshments.  The general public is welcome to attend at no charge.