Tennis tourney
The Chapala Cruz Roja (Red Cross) is putting on its first Tennis and Pickle Ball fundraising tournament Saturday, June 11, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Raquet Club in San Juan Cosala.
The event is double round robin for both men and women in all categories.
The cost of 500 pesos per player includes lunch and an awards ceremony.
Registration must be completed by Friday, June 10.
Spectators are invited for a donation of 50 pesos per person to be paid at the entrance.
To register contact Yolanda Martinez at (331) 485-9048, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Carlos Castro at (331) 486-7173, 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..
American Legion events
American Legion Post Seven in Chapala is asking U.S. citizens to turn in any unserviceable (faded, frayed, stained) national flags before Flag Day, Tuesday, June 14. The Legion will properly dispose of them.
Post Seven will hold a fundraiser to send 12 students from the Miguel Hidalgo Normal (Teacher Training College) in Atequiza, Jalisco to a training conference in Guatemala in late June. The fiesta is scheduled Saturday, June 18, 4-8 p.m. at the legion and includes a traditional Mexican meal, drinks, live music for dancing and lots of fun. The cost is 200 pesos per ticket. For more information and tickets, call Ivan Contreras at (333) 965-8284 or Donna Williams at 765-5937.
A “Singing in the Rain” lasagna dinner will be held at Post Seven on Wednesday, June 22, 4 p.m. Daniel Cordero will provide the live music. Tickets are 150 pesos.
Delightful kids
Open Circle
Greg Laviolette will present “Eating in the 21st Century” at the next meeting of Open Circle, Sunday, June 12, 10:30 a.m. in the Lake Chapala Society garden.
Laviolette’s talk will focus on three compelling reasons why people should adopt a plant-based diet. He will also share his personal experience of transitioning from KFC and Burger King to a fully plant-based diet.
Laviolette is a plant-based chef from Sarnia, Ontario, where he kick-started his career as a food activist in 2011. Realizing that Facebook posts won’t change the world, he organized “Sarnia Grows,” a documentary film festival focusing on urban agriculture. Later that year he started a weekend pop-up restaurant which he successfully ran for 14 months before opening Green’s Organic Cafe and Market, a full-time cafe that consistently garnered five stars from Trip Adviser. Greg sold the cafe in December 2014 and returned to Mexico, where he and his partner had built an off-grid house in Santa Cruz de la Soledad.
For more information on this talk and Open Circle, see opencircleajijic.org.
U.S. voter registration
Democrats Abroad will be at the Lake Chapala Society Tuesday, June 14 to assist U.S. citizens applying for an absentee ballot. The event takes place from 10 a.m. to noon under the blue umbrella in the LCS garden.
Citizens of the United States can also request absentee ballots online using the web site provided by the non-profit U.S. Vote Foundation.
Buddhists
The Heart of Awareness Buddhist Sangha meets weekly on Wednesdays. Noble Silence begins at 4 p.m., followed at 4:30 p.m. by a formal meditation period, dharma teachings and discussion. June 8, the teaching will be the third of a video series on “The Four Nourishments of Life: The Third Nutriment: Intention,” presented by Brother Phap Hai, a senior monastic disciple of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.
The Center is open for hour-long silent meditation periods on Sunday and Monday, June 12 and 13 from 9 to 10 a.m., and Thursday, June 16, from 11 a.m. to noon. A “Drop-In” Practice/Study group meets every Friday at 2:30 p.m. All are welcome.
A yoga class suitable for all levels of experience is offered at Heart of Awareness on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 to 11 am. A donation of 50 pesos is requested for the class.
The Heart of Awareness is a non-sectarian community grounded in the teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. Prior experience or affiliation is not required. The sangha’s location is at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. For further information on the community and scheduled activities, visit www.heartofawareness.org or call Janet Reichert at (376) 766-6069.
Lakeside Progressives
Local progressives will meet Tuesday, June 14 to discuss the current status of the U.S. presidential campaigns. What do the results of the California primary mean to them? What do they plan to do to help Bernie Sanders and his progressive agenda move forward? Members and guests may suggest other topics.
The Lakeside Progressives meet at 4 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month at the Peacock Garden Restaurant on Colon in Ajijic. This is a group of like-minded people looking for progressive solutions to problems not being addressed by the major political parties.
Most attendees have an early dinner at the restaurant following the meeting. The group’s Facebook page is Lakeside Progressives. Email Chad Olsen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have questions. Bring a progressive friend.
Lakeside Freethinkers
John Stokdijk will present a book report for the June 15 meeting of the Lakeside Freethinkers. His subject is Patricia S. Churchland’s book, “Touching a Nerve: Our Brain, Our Selves.” Churchland may be the world’s leading neuro-philosopher today. This recent book is an exploration of the latest brain science – and its ethical and practical implications. “What happens when we accept that everything we feel and think stems not from an immaterial spirit but from electrical and chemical activity in our brains?” It should provoke a lively discussion.
The Lakeside Freethinkers meet at the La Nueva Posada restaurant on the third Wednesday of each month at 4 p.m. Dinner and additional discussion usually follow.
The Lakeside Freethinkers define a “freethinker” as a person who as an atheist, agnostic, secular humanist or skeptic. They believe that individuals should not accept ideas proposed as truth without recourse to knowledge and reason. They reject belief in the supernatural and rely on science and reason to guide their lives.
If you would like to attend, or just obtain additional information, 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..
LCS summer picnic
Join in with fellow expats and friends at the Lake Chapala Society Summer Picnic for some good old-fashioned fun complete with food, drinks and games for everyone.
The event is on Saturday, June 18, from 2:30 to 6 p.m. with hamburgers and hot dogs and all the trimmings, corn on the cob, pies, cakes and a cash bar.
There’ll be a watermelon seed spitting contest, line dancing and a 50-50 raffle. Dance to the music of the Tall Boys in their farewell appearance on the LCS stage.
Admission is 180 pesos at the door. Advance tickets are 100 pesos for members and 150 pesos for non-members. Tickets are for admission only. Food and drinks are available for purchase.
Biker Dad’s Day
Jocotepec is hosting a Motorcycle Fathers’ Day event Sunday, June 19 together with the Moto Clubes Unidos (United Motorcycle Clubs) de Jalisco and Escuadron biker Caballeria motorcycle club from Guadalajara.
The town’s mayor will welcome bikers in the main plaza at 10:30 a.m. before the bikers head out for a ride on Lakeside byways. A blessing of helmets is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at the Parroquia del Señor del Monte church in the center of Jocotepec. A parade of bikes around the principal streets will commence before the party ends up at the Jocotepec Malecon for live rock and ska music at 3 p.m.
LCS Spanish classes
The Lake Chapala Society has announced the start of its next term of Spanish language classes for members. Classes will run from July 5 to August 22.
Classes meet two days a week for an hour and a half each session at the Wilkes Education Center (Biblioteca) in Ajijic.
The LCS Spanish program uses the Warren Hardy Spanish language course which is designed for the adult student. Several levels of instruction are available as students progress in the program. Registration for the upcoming classes is underway at the LCS office or online. A representative of the program will be available to answer questions and take registrations every day during the week of June 26 to July 1, 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. at LCS on the blue umbrella patio.
The LCS also announces its next round of Introduction to Spanish language classes for members. This is a casual class offered for the beginner that covers the Spanish alphabet, simple vocabulary and phrases to use about town for shopping, and other useful information about our area and Mexican culture.
Classes are held each month starting the first Tuesday of the month and continue for three weeks. July classes start on Tuesday, July 5 and will be held at the LCS campus from noon to 1:30 p.m. Learning materials are provided.
Sign up is available at the LCS office during regular office hours. For more information, see www.lakechapalasociety.com.