Crochet-A-Thon
The kick-off meeting for the Lakeside Granny Square Crochet-A-Thon to benefit economically-challenged children in the north of Mexico is set for Tuesday, August 18, 4 p.m. at La Bodega Restaurant in Ajijic.
Says event organizer Libby Townsend: “Winter can be especially bitter in the Copper Canyon, the home of the Tarahumaras. This two-part project is looking first for area residents who can crochet granny squares, or who would like to learn to make the simple designs. We hope to gather enough of the small squares to make small blankets for the 72 toddler beds at the Tarahumara Free Children’s Hospital.”
Townsend says friends and neighbors will be encouraged to pledge a specific amount of money for each square crocheted by the person they agree to sponsor.
The money will be earmarked for the Jeanne W. Chaussee Memorial Education Fund, which provides school supplies for an indigenous school in the Copper Canyon and scholarships for Tarahumara students’ higher education.
The Tarahumara project was co-funded by Townsend and Chaussee, her late mother and former Reporter columnist.
Those unable to attend the Granny Square Crochet-A-Thon kick-off event can contact Townsend at (33) 3495-7263 for additional information, including a granny square instructional video.
Legion hosts mayor-elect
American Legion Post Seven invited Chapala Mayor-elect Javier Degollado to dinner on August 4 for getting-to-know-each-other session. The group had a lively discussion about his plans for Chapala, how the Legion can help and what he can do for the expat community. Clockwise from front left, Adjutant Vincent Britton, Auxiliary President Yvonne Jensen, Martha Cervantes, Commander Tim Stern, Adriana Ruiz, Elizabeth Guzman de Degollado, Mayor-elect Javier Degollado, translator Belinda Lopez and Roy Lahti.
Gourmet gala sold out
Bad news for procrastinators: tickets are completely sold out for the “Sabor Es Ajijic” gourmet food fest to be held Sunday, August 18 at Chapala’s Centro Cultural González Gallo. Folks who booked for the event in time will have a chance to taste signature dishes from top dining spots Alex’s Pasta Bar, Gossips, el Jardin de Ninette, St. Remy du Lac and Tabarka and watch cooking demos by their respective master chefs Alex Sgroi, Ismat Jivani, Oscar Pérez, Saúl Nieto and David David Abadía. Everyone else will just have to wait for a repeat of the mouth-watering happening for foodies.
Tequila Festival
Tequila lovers will line up to wet their whistles at Chapala’s third annual Festiival del Tequila, opening Friday, August 14, 6 p.m., at the north-south leg of the waterfront Malecón, adjacent to Avenida Madero. Exhibitors will offer visitors free samples of more than 20 different pure agave brands presented in blanco, reposado and añejo age varieties. The lively event continues through Sunday, August 16. Admission is open to the public at no charge.
Learning Seminar
Moderator Fred Harland reminds Lake Chapala Society (LCS) members that they are invited to attend the Tuesday, August 18 learning seminar from noon to 1:15 p.m.
The featured TED talk is “Why We All Need to Practice Emotional First Aid” by psychologist Guy Winch.
‘We’ll go to the doctor when we feel flu-ish or have a nagging pain,” Winch says. “So why don’t we see a health professional when we feel emotional pain, guilt, loss or loneliness? Too many of us deal with common psychological or health issues on our own.”
In the talk, Winch makes a compelling case to take care of emotions and minds with the same diligence given to bodies.
Garden Club
The Lake Chapala Garden Club meets for lunch and a gardening program on Wednesday, August 19, noon at La Nueva Posada in Ajijic.
Since 1977, this group has been helping members with all aspects of gardening at Lakeside. On the third Wednesday of every month, members meet to tour a lakeside garden before their lunch and program.
Annual dues are 100 pesos for an individual, 150 pesos for a couple or 200 pesos for a family.
Guests are welcome, but those who plan to attend must email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information for the garden tour and to ensure an accurate count for lunch.
Lakeside Freethinkers
During the Wednesday, August 19, 4 p.m. meeting of the Lakeside Freethinkers at La Nueva Posada, Stephen Segal will present part two of the presentation on logic and critical thinking he began during the July meeting. This topic of this portion will be logical fallacies.
Segal says these fallacies occur when logic is misapplied or deliberately subverted. From ad hominem (attack the arguer) to the “slippery slope,” the discussion will help listeners recognize when logic fallacy appear in discussions or debates. Members may bring up other matters. Dinner and additional discussion follow the meeting.
Participants of this group define a “freethinker” as a person who identifies himself or herself 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.
Those who would like to attend or obtain additional information can 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..
Bus Trip
The next LCS bus trip is a shopping excursion to Galerias Mall in Guadalajara, and its adjoining Sam’s, Walmart and Costco stores, on Thursday, August 20.
The bus will depart at 9:30 a.m. from the sculpture in La Floresta. The cost is 250 pesos for LCS members and 300 pesos for non-members, with tickets available in the LCS service office, Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Legion Softball
The inaugural workout of the Coed Legion Softball group was held Tuesday, August 11, 5 p.m. at the Campo Nuevo Estacion Club Redes (Chapala Soccer Field).
The privately-owned field is very level, never muddy and is bordered by a large grass parking lot. The fee to play Legion Softball is 20 pesos per player, which pays for use of the field.
Games are played following basic slow pitch rules with minor adjustments for safety and local conditions. Bats, balls and gloves are provided. All players of any age are welcome.
Contact Peter Hodges at (376) 765-4775 or Eddie Prieto (33) 1513-9911 for details and directions to the field.
Lakeside Presbyterian
“The most basic belief of the Christian faith is that people are granted eternal life by their belief in Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior, and that this is an act of free grace on God’s part, rather than because of something we do to make ourselves worthy,” says Ross Arnold, pastor of the Lakeside Presbyterian Church. “But, in a rather mysterious way, what we do in our lives does make a difference. Jesus said: ‘if we do not care for the needy, then we have not cared about Him.’”
On Sunday, August 16, during the 10 a.m. worship service, Arnold discusses the relationship between our faith and our actions in, “If You Love Me, Care for the Needy.” After worship and refreshments, the Pastor’s Forum convenes in the church library at 11:30 a.m. Attendees can ask questions about the sermon, faith, or other topics.
Lakeside Presbyterian Church is at San Jorge 250 in Riberas del Pilar, two blocks south of Mom’s Deli.
St. Andrew’s Anglican
Sigmund Freud said that God is nothing more than ourselves projecting onto the universe our infantile wish to live forever.
In the Sunday, August 16 worship service at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Fr. Winston Welty’s sermon, “God’s Projects,” acknowledges the truth of projection, but then turns the theory on its head by suggesting that God is the One projecting unlikely, uncomfortable, sometimes offensive images onto people of faith, to demonstrate to the world what God is really like.
Sunday School begins at 9:45 a.m. The worship service is at 10 a.m. with refreshments in the garden afterwards. Every Sunday, the feeding program supported by St. Andrew’s welcomes donations of non-perishable food items which can be left in the baskets by the church doors.
St. Andrew’s is at Calle San Lucas 19, a block south of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar.
San Andres English
San Andres Catholic Church celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven at its Sunday, August 16, 9 a.m. English Mass.
“In Mary’s glorious Assumption we celebrate the fulfillment of our Christian destiny and with her we proclaim the goodness of the Lord,” says Fr. Basil G. Royston, D. Min.
Children from the Villa Infantil of Guadalupe and San Jose will attend the Mass to greet the English-speaking congregation. The members of the congregation are purchasing supplies and backpacks for the children to take back to school later this month.
Christ Church
The congregation of Lakeside Christ Episcopal Church will celebrate the Holy Eucharist Rite II at the Little Chapel by the Lake at its service on Sunday, August 16, 9:30 a.m.
Fr. Danny Borkowski’s message is entitled “You Want Us to Eat What?” and is based on John 6:51-58.
The congregations of Christ Church and the Little Chapel share a common coffee fellowship from 10:45 till 11:10 in the Fellowship Hall.
The Tuesday Bible Study sponsored by Christ Church meets at 2 p.m. each week in the Fellowship Hall. The group is continuing their in-depth look of the Gospel of John.
Open Circle
Dr. Sam Thelin, medical director of the Chapala Cruz Roja, will provide details of the Chapala Emergency Response System at the Sunday, August 16, 10:30 a.m. meeting of Open Circle, held in the back garden of the Lake Chapala Society (LCS).
“Not enough people know how the system functions in the Lake Chapala area,” Thelin says. “Worse yet, many are confused and totally unprepared when a serious emergency arises. That confusion is easy to understand given the variety of legal, cultural, language and regional factors involved.”
Thelin graduated from the University of Texas in Dallas with a degree in biology, and has a medical degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara. He has lived in Mexico for ten years and worked at lakeside with the Cruz Roja for more than three years.
The Open Circle program on Sunday, August 23 centers on jazz theology and is presented by Rev. Don Beaudreault, a Unitarian Universalist minister and professional jazz pianist.
Unitarian Universalist
During the Sunday, August 16 Unitarian Universalist (UU) service, Karyn Carpenter will examine the work of some of the photographers who have made a difference in the world. She will share images from two of her works of hope; one featuring cancer survivors, and the other focusing on individuals with mental illness. A coffee hour will be held after the service.
Those who attend the UU services respect each other’s different beliefs and come together as one faith, without religious creed or dogma. They are a caring, liberal, open-minded community that encourages others to seek their own spiritual path wherever it leads.
Guests are welcome no matter what their age, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or gender identity, who they love, or which of life’s challenges they face.
This is a lay-led fellowship that meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. in Plaza de la Ribera, Rio Bravo 10S, a wheelchair accessible facility.
Buddhist Community
When the Heart of Awareness Community meets on Wednesday, August 19, Noble Silence begins at 4 p.m., followed by a formal meditation, dharma teachings and discussion at 4:30 p.m. including a video teaching by Shastri Holly Gayley, “Working with Fear and Trusting Uncertainty.”
The Dharma Mover Matinee on Monday, August 17, 3 p.m. will feature the documentary “I Am” by filmmaker Tom Shadyac, highlighting ways people can improve how they live.
The sangha is at Guadalupe Victoria 101, suites A-B, in Ajijic. 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. For further information on the community and scheduled activities, visit www.heartofawareness.org, or call Janet Reichert at (376) 766-6069.