Open Circle
John Stokdijk will present the program “What is Secular Spirituality?” at the Sunday, November 22, 10 a.m. meeting of Open Circle.
He says, “In 2014, Sam Harris, an atheist, published ‘Waking Up – A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion.’ Harris intended to stimulate a conversation and he certainly did. During the program we’ll look at some of the ideas from Harris’ extraordinary book.”
Stokdijk will also share his personal spiritual journey, which has four distinct phases: childhood, a cult experience, nothingness and a new beginning.
Stokdijk started life in the Netherlands, grew up in Nova Scotia, and later lived in Alberta. He is an avid reader and lifelong learner and is particularly interested in philosophy. He is a member of the Lakeside Freethinkers, where he first heard the term “secular Buddhist.” He and his wife, Pat, began vacationing in Ajijic in 2006. They moved to Lakeside in 2012.
Genealogy Forum
Pam Ames will continue the presentation on how to use FamilySearch.org more effectively when the Genealogy Forum meets on Monday, November 23, 2 p.m., in the Lake Chapala Society (LCS) Sala.
FamilySearch.org is one of the free programs available at the Family History Center (FHC) in the Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints, which is diagonally across the Carretera from Mom’s Deli in Riberas del Pilar. The FHC new hours are Thursdays from 10 a.m.-noon (English), Tuesdays 4-6 p.m. (Spanish) and Saturday morning for church members. As demand increases, more hours will be added as needed. Special arrangements can also be made for those who can’t attend during the regular hours.
The Genealogy Forum meetings are helpful to everyone interested in family history, from newbies to those who are old hands at genealogy.
LCS Learning Seminar
Fred Harland will moderate the Tuesday, November 24 learning seminar, noon to 1:15 p.m., when LCS members gather to watch a video by creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson entitled “How to escape education’s death valley.”
In this talk, Robinson challenges the way children are educated. He outlines three principles crucial for the human mind to flourish — and discusses how current educational culture works against them. In a funny, stirring talk he tells us how to get out of the educational wasteland and how to nurture the youngest generations with a climate of possibility.
New Rotary Dinner Date
The Chapala Sunrise Rotary Club’s Annual “End Polio Now” Fiesta Dinner, originally scheduled for October 30 and cancelled due to inclement weather, has been re-scheduled for Monday, November 30, 6 p.m. in the Estancia Salon of the Villa Montecarlo Hotel.
Entertainment will be provided by the famous Mariachis Las Aguilas and Ballet Folklorico dancers. Special guests will include Chapala Mayor Javier Degollado and his wife Elizabeth Guzman, along with Rotary International visitors from the United States.
A highlight of the evening will be the drawing for a three-day, two-night weekend stay at an all-inclusive hotel in Puerto Vallarta. Guests who originally purchased tickets are asked to retain their stubs for the drawing.
Due to the change of date, a few additional tickets at 250 pesos are now available. Contact Sandra Loridans at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (376) 766-2981.
Legion Football
American Legion Post 7 in Chapala is gearing up for some football. First up is the Grey Cup – the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) – on Sunday, November 29, with a 5 p.m. kickoff time. There’ll be football pools, artisan pizza and good camaraderie.
The next big football-watching day at the Legion is on Saturday, December 12 when the Army and Navy face off. Those arriving for the 2 p.m. kickoff of this annual classic are asked to bring a snack to share. It’s a great time to make new friends and drum up a new rivalry.
Holiday Sing-A-Long
Club Ukulele de Laguna is sponsoring the second annual Holiday Sing-A-Long on Thursday, December 3, 4 p.m., at Restaurante Maria Isabel (the old Posada) in Ajijic. Song books will be provided so audience members can sing along to the familiar tunes.
While there is no admission charge for this event which will include traditional holiday music of Chanakuh, Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, there will be a free will offering to help defray the continuing expenses of the Academia de Ukulele de la Ribera which was founded by and is supported by the adult group.
Guest performers at the event will include some of the 38 children who attend the Academia. Their instructor, Jose Eduardo Garcia Espinoza, will perform a ukulele solo.
Spanish Intro Classes
The next round of Introduction to Spanish language classes for Lake Chapala Society (LCS) members begins on Tuesday, December 1 from noon-1:30 p.m. The casual class for beginners covers the Spanish alphabet, simple vocabulary, phrases to use about town for shopping, and useful information about lakeside and Mexican culture. Sign up in the LCS office. The cost is 175 pesos.
A new series of three classes begins on the first Tuesday of every month.
Arts & Crafts Fair
The grounds of American Legion Post 7 in Chapala will be turned into a Christmas Wonderland during the annual Arts and Crafts Fair on Saturday, December 5, from 9 a.m. This event features artists selling their homemade crafts and Legion Auxiliary members with homemade foods to take and bake. Meanwhile, the onsite restaurant will offer a special quiche breakfast including fruit, a glass of wine and juice or coffee.
High Tea
The first monthly Senior’s High Tea, a new featured event at the LCS, is scheduled for Friday, December 11, 3-5 p.m. The goal of these very special teas is to actively encourage social exchange and provide a welcoming meeting place for the senior citizens of the Lake Chapala area who might otherwise feel they are becoming isolated.
The event will be held on the back patio of the LCS grounds with easy, level access through the side gate. There will be a lovely and generous selection of teas, scones, cookies and tea sandwiches, all for 50 pesos. Because the tea is scheduled in the midst of the holiday season, there will be a small gift for participants.
For reservations (which are not necessary but helpful for planning purposes) call (376) 766-1140 or (376) 766-2058 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Shrine Golf
Lakeside Shriners are alerting area golfers to mark their 2016 calendars with the date of the Monday, January 25 Lake Chapala Shrine Club’s golf tournament at Atlas Country Club.
This event will be a round of 18 holes limited to 72 players divided into 36 twosomes. Men and women are welcome to register. The format will be a go go/scramble. Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. and play will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.
The fee is 1,600 pesos (1,400 pesos for Atlas members) and includes a continental breakfast, green fees, golf cart for two persons, and the awards banquet following the golf. Caddies are not included in the fee.
The awards banquet will include a gourmet Mexican buffet, and prizes for the top three twosomes and the O’Yes holes, as well as a special prize for any hole-in-one on the designated holes. Family, friends and all others are welcome to attend the awards banquet. Tickets are 250 pesos.
Registration forms are available at the Atlas Country Club tournament office located by the starter, the Chapala Country Club pro shop or by contacting Denny Strole at (376) 766-0485 or 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.. Completed forms with fees should be delivered to the Atlas tournament office or to Strole.
All funds raised from this tournament will be donated to the Lake Chapala Shrine Club’s Transportation Fund. From 2006 through 2014, the Shrine Club has funded 735 trips to the Shriners Hospital for Children in Mexico City, and funded 491 treatments locally at lakeside and Guadalajara. The total cost during this period was 2,393,410 pesos.
Your support will be greatly appreciated by the Shriners and the children they assist!
Title Correction
In a recent article about a book party to celebrate the release of author Liz Moulder’s new book, the book title was skewed. The correct title of the book, edited by Kathy Koches, is “Tales of the Tropics: Stories of Hawaii, Guatemala and Mexico.” The book is available on Amazon.com.