Street art, food crafts
The 3rd Annual Bucerias Street Festival is actually three events in one, featuring a chalk walk, a gastronomic tasting and a crafts fair.
Sponsored by the Bucerias Art Walk Plaza, the festival takes place January 18, 19 and 20 and benefits Manos de Amor Orphanage and PEACE.
The three events comprise:
- The Bucerias Chalk Walk, featuring Madonarri-style chalk drawings etched on the street and sidewalks. This year’s theme is “the culture of Mexico.”
- The Taste of Riviera Nayarit, which offers samples of signature dishes from restaurants throughout the Bahia de Banderas area.
- The Bucerias Craft Faire, showcasing artisans and handicrafts from the area.
Sponsors are being sought for each of the chalk artists. Sponsorship includes a banner with your company’s name/logo placed at your artist’s “sweet spot” (where the public is instructed to stand and photograph the chalk drawing for optimum effect) throughout the three-day event.
According to the event organizer, you will have the legal right to use photos of the drawing in any future advertising, websites and publications that you wish. Most importantly, you will be supporting the arts in Nayarit. The deadline for sponsoring an artist is January 10.
For more information, email www.thebuceriasstreetfestival.com. Details will be finalized in the first week of January.
New restaurant
It may look like an early NASA rocket but actually this is the chimney for the grill for a new campestre-style restaurant just south of Bucerias on Highway 200, called La Veletta. It is scheduled to “launch” soon.
Santa’s coming
For 18 years, Ron and Arlene Tackett have been handing out Christmas presents to the children of Bucerias.
Known locally as Mr. and Mrs. Santa, the couple began a toy giveaway from the back of their truck in 1996, as they drove around one of Bucerias’ poorer neighborhoods. Over the years, many of their friends and neighbors supported their idea and pitched in with toys or money. Last year, the number of children receiving gifts had grown to about 1,200.
The Tacketts now set up in the courtyard of a small Catholic church in Colonia Javier Ovando, where the kids line up to see Santa Claus and receive a present.
Thanks to several successful fundraisers leading up to the big day, more than 350 soccer balls – the most ever – have been purchased, to go with the cars, trucks, dolls and other treasures that are gift-wrapped, then sorted by gender and age group. Each child also receives a small bag of candy.
Organizing gifts for so many kids requires lots of volunteer elves, so the Tacketts and their helpers will be wrapping toys and bagging candy at their home on Tuesday, December 20, 10 a.m. It only takes a couple of hours and all “elves” are more than welcome.
The big day is Saturday, December 24. Volunteers who want to participate should meet at the Tacketts’ home by 3 p.m. for the traditional group picture and then the sleigh gets loaded. Toys are given out promptly at 4 p.m.
Please contact Ron and Arlene at 329-298-1729 or email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you need directions to their home or if you’d like to make a donation.
Can you spare a pair?
Big hearts know no bounds. Arlene Tackett says she and husband Ron have become interested in a project to provide a pair of shoes to every person living and working in the Puerto Vallarta dump. Close to 300 people live in the area and many of them work barefoot, sorting through the dump to glean recyclables.
“For health, safety and comfort reasons, our friends would love to make sure each and every one of these folks has a decent pair of shoes,” Tackett says.
If you can spare a pair of clean, “gently used” shoes, any size, the Tacketts will have a bin set up at their house. Any and all sizes are needed.
Again, contact Ron and Arlene at 329-298-1729 or email them at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Now open or moved
The most recent opening was the Cinepolis six-screen cinema in the Lago Real (Walmart) Plaza. Their movie prices, which are probably only introductory, are excellent: 27 pesos (except Wednesdays, 22 pesos) and 42 pesos for 3-D movies.
The Chedraui Supermercado opened, as expected, to packed crowds and has been featuring in-store print ads with good sale prices. One interesting find was the 8 oz. Velveeta Cheese for 80 pesos or the 1 lb. Velveeta Cheese for 76 pesos.
The municipal Transito (traffic police) office has moved away from the traffic lights in Mezcales. If you have to pay a ticket or have some other business with the department, you must now turn inland at that intersection. Their office is located on the right, behind the OXXO at the first tope (speed bump) you encounter.
Boat light contest
The Five Nights of Lights contest will take place in the Riviera Nayarit Marina in La Cruz, Wednesday, December 21 through Sunday, December 25, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
There will be an award ceremony on December 26 at the Skybar in the marina.
All boats are invited to participate and everyone is invited to join in the fun of judging each vessel.
Stop by Restaurante Ikuai in the marina to pick up the voting ballot and receive half off the price of your first cocktail. Walk the docks to pick your favorite decorated boat then return the ballot to Restaurante Ikuai.