LAKESIDE LIVING

Sandy Olson
Phone: 331-283-8529
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February 2017

 

 

 

THE PASSION PLAY

The 16th annual fundraiser in support of the Easter Passion Play in Ajijic will be held in the garden of La Nueva Posada on February 10, from 3 pm to 6 pm.

An art auction will feature fine art works by well known local artists.  Efren Gonzalez will be the auctioneer.  Traditional Mexican food will be prepared and served in the garden by Passion Play actors.  There is a cash bar. Entertainment will be presented by the Ballet Folklorico, directed by Carlos Rayo. Music by the Medeles family will add to the enjoyment of the event.

  

 

Tickets can be purchased at the Art Gallery Efren Gonzalez, Diane Pearl Colecciones and Hotel La Nueva Posada.  The price is 250 pesos.   

HERE IT IS AGAIN

The 39th Chili Cook Off is on February 10, 11 and 12 at Tobolandia Water Park in Ajijic.  There are lots of good things to eat and local artists will sell handcrafts, jewelry, sculpture, and clothing.

Look for details in the Guadalajara Reporter or check the website: www.mexicannationalchilicookoff.com.

AND HERE’S ANOTHER….

The fabulous Northern Lights Festival de Febrero is back! The program this year runs February 12-25. There are far too many events to mention here, so check January and February’s Ojo del Lago notices, also the Guadalajara Reporter. For online information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

OPEN CIRCLE

Sunday morning finds many Lakeside residents at the Lake Chapala Society and Open Circle, a forum on a variety of stimulating topics. A social hour with coffee and snacks at 10:00 a.m. is followed by an interesting lecture and discussion at 10:30.

February 12   Abraham Lincoln and Mexico

Presented by Dr. Michael Hogan

 


Dr. Michael Hogan

 

This Sunday we celebrate the birthday of Abraham Lincoln with a presentation by historian/educator Michael Hogan from the American School Foundation of Guadalajara. Dr. Hogan will discuss Lincoln’s support for Mexico during his service as US Congressman and as President.

Immediately following Open Circle, attendees are invited to meet Dr. Hogan during a book signing event for Abraham Lincoln and Mexico (2016) in the patio of La Nueva Posada in Ajijic.

February 19   Opera as You Like It

Presented by Ad Líbitum Compañía de Ópera de Guadalajara

Returning to Open Circle by popular demand are María de Jesús Cárdenas (soprano); Teresa Banderas (mezzosoprano); José Luís Villarruel (tenor); and Ricardo Lavín (baritone).

February 26  Tenth Annual Update on Global Warming Climate Change and Renewable Energy

Presented by Don Aitken, PhD

This Power Point talk covers the last two years. It looks at the development of the global temperature statistics, the apparent effect on climate change during that period, and the continued growth of renewable energy worldwide, as well as in the U.S. and Mexico.

This  talk will take place at Club Exotica on the Ajijic Plaza  from 10:30 to noon. The Club Exotica is in the NE corner of the Ajijic Plaza inside El Jardin Restaurant.

March 5 Update on the Condition of Lake Chapala and Area Village Infrastructure  

Presented by Todd Stong

 


Todd Stong

 

Dr. Stong will tell us about the level of the lake, its purity, the fish, and the long-term prognosis of the regional water supply.  He will review his ongoing projects in the villages of six counties about the lake, and provide a perspective on area government directions. 

He is a licensed professional engineer and is in his 15th season of volunteer service to county governments and villages surrounding Lake Chapala, with a focus on water supply, wastewater treatment, and job creation. Please note that Dr. Stong’s talk will adjourn at noon.

FOR YOU FILM BUFFS OUT THERE

Every Sunday afternoon in January and February, Lakeside residents look forward to the annual Jewish Film Festival sponsored by the Lake Chapala Jewish Congregation. 

The festival continues in February at the Cinemas del Lago at the Bugambilias Mall in Ajijic.  The films begin at 1 pm.

February 12 A Stranger Among Us (1992, USA)

A murder mystery! In order to solve a brutal murder and jewel heist, a tough, beautiful New York City police detective (Oscar-nominee Melanie Griffith) moves into the home of a Hassidic Jewish family. As she struggles with the case and the clash in cultures, she finds herself falling in love with a rabbinical student.

February 19  Bottle in the Gaza Sea (2011, France/Canada/Israel)

A bottle thrown in the sea by a 17-year-old French Jewish immigrant in Jerusalem, and retrieved by a 20-year-old Palestinian youth in Gaza, begins an email correspondence that explores the current conflict.

February 26 My Mexican Shivah  (2007, Mexico)

Set in Mexico, this hilarious comedy, with hints of magical realism, intermingles cultures sometimes in the extreme, when family members gather from near and far for the shivah of their Mexican/Jewish patriarch.

 

 

COOKING CLASS, WINE, POETIC LICENSE…

What could be better? CASA has announced that Celebrity Chef Greg Couillard from Toronto,  New York, Ajijic and La Manzanilla will present two cooking classes on February 21 and 22, from  1 pm to 5 pm.

The cost will be 700 pesos for one class and two glasses of wine.  The food will be from the Indian Subcontinent and flavored by “Chef Greg’s Poetic License.”  The same class will be repeated on both days.

These classes fill up fast. To register contact Monica Molloy at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Directions will be given upon payment in full.

You are not confirmed until paid in full.

ON THE BUS TO GUADALAJARA

Here’s what’s in store musically in the next couple of months, thanks to Viva la Musica.

Jalisco Philharmonic at the Degollado Theater

Thursday February 9: Shostakovich: piano concerto #1; Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody; Dvorak: Slavonic Dance No. 2. (Bus departs 4.30 pm*)

Sunday February 19: Ballet de Jalisco: The Piper of Hamelin, with flautist Miguel-Ángel Villanueva, this will be a sell-out ($550/650 pesos) (Bus departs 10.30 am)

Sunday February 26: Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique; Sarasate: Gypsy Melodies; Oscher: Trumpet Concerto. (Bus departs 10.30 am)

Thursday March 2: Brahms: Symphony No.1; Álvarez: Metal de Tréboles with the Tambuco Percussion Quartet. (Bus departs 4.30 pm*)

Sunday March 12: Lalo: Spanish Symphony; Márquez: Danzon No. 2; Debussy: Iberia. (Bus departs 10.30 am)

Thursday March 16: Dvorak: New World Symphony; Corigliano: Clarinet Concertó with Jeslán Fernández, clarinet. (Bus departs 4.30 pm*)

Sunday March 26: Verdi: Nabucco Overture; Saint Saens: Samson & Delilah - Bacanal; Respighi: The Queen of Sheba. (Bus departs 10.30 am)  

*Thursday trips stop in a fine restaurant area for dinner before the concert.

Bus trip tickets are available at the LCS ticket booth on Thursdays and Fridays, 10 am to noon.  The cost for members is 450 pesos and 550 for non-members (ballet tickets are slightly more).

MURDER, BETRAYAL IN CHICAGO

The next show in the Lakeside Little Theatre’s season is Chicago. It’s directed by Barbara Clippinger.

 


Barbara Clippinger

 

The plot: In roaring twenties Chicago, chorine Roxie Hart murders a faithless lover and convinces her hapless husband Amos to take the rap...until he finds out he’s been duped and turns on Roxie. Convicted and sent to death row, Roxie and another “Merry Murderess” Velma Kelly, vie for the spotlight and the headlines, ultimately joining forces.

The show dates are February 17-28. The curtain is at 7:30 pm in the evenings, and 3 pm for the Sunday matinee. Make sure you get your tickets early.

LLT Box Office hours are 10 am to noon every Wednesday and Thursday plus 10 am to noon every day during the show, except for Sunday. For phone reservations, call 376-766-0954. Messages are okay. Also email at   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

FOR BETTER…AND FOR WORSE

Clever Little Lies is the next Naked Stage production. It’s directed by Lila Wells

 


The Cast: Fred Koesling, Maryanne Gibbard, Jennifer Wiesnewski, Harry McFadden

 

About the play:  A mother always knows when something is wrong. When Alice notices her beloved husband Bill has returned home on edge after a tennis match with their son, she grows suspicious and springs into action. Alice digs for the truth, resulting in even more honesty than anyone expected. Clever Little Lies is a story of long-term love and marriage… for better… and for worse.

The show runs February 24, 25, 26.  The new suggested donation is $100 pesos. 

Naked Stage is in Riberas del Pilar, at Hidalgo #261, on the mountain side and directly across from the Catholic Church.

For more information and reservations, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For those who use Facebook, look for The Naked Stage for breaking news and updates.

FLOWER CHILDREN BLOOM AND GROW…

…and that’s what they do at Villa Infantil Orphanage. Support this very worthy cause by attending the annual fundraising luncheon on Saturday, March 4 at the La Huerta Eventos (Tuesday Market), starting at 12:30 pm. The theme this year is “Flower Children – They Bloom and Grow at Villa Infantil.” The children will be singing, dancing and playing the ukulele. There will also be music, a fashion show, raffle, and both a silent and live auction.

There are two ticket prices. General admission is 350 pesos. These tickets will be sold at Diane Pearl Colecciones, Mia’s Boutique, and Yoli’s.

Benefactors of the Orphanage, at 1500 pesos, will have special tables and a special luncheon with wine and extra treats. There will be a maximum of 20 Benefactor tickets available. For these tickets, contact Connie Ondola at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Michele Lococo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

AND THERE’S MORE

We hear from Jaltepec Centro Educativo…

 Their annual March Dinner will be held on Thursday, March 16. It starts with a no host bar at 6 pm. Hors d’oeuvres will be prepared and served by the students, and a three course dinner will follow at 7:30 pm.  The cost will be 450 pesos per person, with proceeds going to the Jaltepec General Scholarship Fund.

Please email or call Linda Buckthorp at 766-1631 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WE LOVE THOSE OLDIES  

Don’t miss this one. Mac Morison’s upcoming annual show, “Simply Standards,” is a tribute to The Great American Songbook, the most important and influential American popular songs and jazz standards from the early 20thcentury.

 

 

Appearing with Mac this year are two great vocalists Judy Hendrick and Cindy Paul. A special treat will be Alexis Hoff and Christine Moily performing highlights from the musical “Chicago,” on stage at the Lakeside Little Theatre this month.

It’s showing on one night only, March 14.  The venue is Club Exotica on the Ajijic Plaza. The door opens at 6 pm and the show is at 7 pm. Tickets are only 350 pesos. They go on sale by February 15 and are available at Diane Pearl Colecciones, Mia’s Boutique and Chica’s at the Laguna Centro Mall.

Once again this year the show will benefit “Ajijic Cares”, a program that goes into our local schools educating and providing free testing for AIDS, HIV and STDs.

WE LOVE RIBS AND SHRINERS, TOO

The Lake Chapala Shrine Club is pleased to announce their Eleventh Annual Ribfest.  This event will start at 1 pm on Wednesday, March 15, at the beautiful Cumbres Garden event center located above Chula Vista Norte Colonos.  Parking is available and  shuttle buses will provide transportation to and from Black Coffee at the corner of the carretera and the libramiento.

 

 

This year’s Ribfest promises to be bigger and better than ever. Adelita’s will cater the ribs and waiters will provide individual table service.

The Ajijic Jamm Band will play popular music sets for your dancing and listening pleasure. There will be door prizes and a 50/50 raffle (Save your tickets for extra bonus prizes this year).

All funds raised from the 400 peso Ribfest ticket donation will be used by the Lake Chapala Shrine Club exclusively for the transportation and treatment of Lakeside children.  Tickets are available from any Shriner, at Diane Pearl Colecciones, O & A Investments or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling David at 331-017-1724 or Perry King at 763-5126, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

LAKE CHAPALA WRITERS’ CONFERENCE

This 12th annual gathering of writers will happen March 15-17 at Hotel Danza del Sol in Ajijic.  The conference schedule includes an opening reception, workshops, lectures and panels. The conference finishes with a wrap party and raffle drawings on Friday, March 17.

The cost is 2000 pesos for early registration by February 28, and 2500 pesos from March 1 through the conference. Registration includes two lunches and beverages during breaks.

For more information, contact Victoria Schmidt at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 


Editor and Presenter Sandi Gelles-Cole

 

LET’S WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

Niños Incapacitados does it again with an inspired theme. The gala will be held on Thursday, March 16 at the Hotel Real de Chapala, from 5 pm to 10:30 pm.

For inspiration in what to wear to the Walk on the Wild Side Gala, look to https://es.pinterest.com/elcorazonc/.

 

 

The ticket cost is 550 pesos per person. Contact Sue Williams at 766.0487 or email her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Ticket payment and pickup information is TBA.

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