Felines need homes
The non-profit Lakeside Friends of Cats will sponsor an adopt-a-cat day Saturday, January 23 at their Cat Shelter and Pet Store at Hidalgo 212 in Riberas del Pilar. To view cats and kittens looking for a good home, go to Facebook/Lakeside-Friends-of-the-Animals.
Kindred Quilters show
Lakeside’s Third Annual Quilt and Fiber Art Show is set for Saturday, January 23, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Paseo de Las Canoas 29 in La Floresta. The handmade works on display and for sale range from traditional, modern and art quilts, clothing, accessories and fabrics.
Open Circle
Dr. Todd Stong will give an annual update on Lake Chapala and Lakeside villages at the Open Circle meeting, Sunday, January 24, 10 a.m., at the Lake Chapala Society (LCS).
Stong will report on the current and future state of the lake (water levels, fishing, aquaculture and water quality), as well as the progress of various water-related projects in ten villages.
Stong has served more than 30 years as a civil engineer, half in construction overseas and half in directing research laboratories and programs in the United States. He has spent the past 20 years in Africa, Asia and Latin America as a volunteer engineer with a focus on rural water supply. His most recent 13 years have been spent serving the infrastructure and employment needs of 42 villages around Lake Chapala and testing the lake and its fish.
Open Circle takes place within the LCS complex, located at the corner of 16 de Septiembre and Ramon Corona in Ajijic. Arrive at 10 a.m. for complimentary finger foods, beverages and social time. The program begins promptly at 10:30 a.m. and concludes at 11:30 a.m.
Robbie Burns
Don’t miss the Niños Incapacitados fundraising Robbie Burns Supper, which will feature Scottish dancing, tartans and bagpipes, Monday, January 25 in the patio area of the Hotel Real de Chapala.
Contact Anne Flaningam at (376) 766-1609 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for tickets at 375 pesos. Tickets can also be ordered from programaninos.com.
Genealogy Forum
The Genealogy Forum meets Monday, January 25, 2 p.m. in the the LCS Sala. The topic for discussion will be “Googling Your Family Tree.” Using Google Search for genealogy can unlock countless resources, but learning how to successfully use Google takes some skill. Just when you think you’re getting good, Google changes the search parameters. The talk will be based primarily on Lisa Louise Cooke’s new book, “The Genealogist’s Google Toolbox,” 2nd edition. The group will also briefly discuss Ancestry’s decision to discontinue Family Tree Maker and what it could mean to both Ancestry and FTM customers.
LCS seminar
LCS members are invited to attend the Tuesday, January 26, noon learning seminar featuring business leader Margaret Heffernan’s Ted talk on “Why It’s Time to Forget the Pecking Order at Work.” Bill Frayer is the moderator.
Organizations are often run according to “the superchicken model,” where the value is placed on star employees who outperform others. And yet, this isn’t what drives the most high-achieving teams. Heffernan observes that it is social cohesion — built every coffee break, every time one team member asks another for help — that leads over time to great results. It’s a radical rethink of what drives us to do our best work, and what it means to be a leader. Because as Heffernan points out: “Companies don’t have ideas. Only people do.”
Neill James Lecture
Michael A. Gilbert presents “Three Pillars of Argumentation” at the Neill James lecture on Tuesday, January 26, 2 p.m. in the LCS Sala. Argumentation is a common daily activity whose frequency belies its complexity. While there are many ways to approach the ways in which we handle disagreements, decisions, problem-solving and the like, Gilbert will present three essential components that form the core of his theory of argumentation: context, audience and ethos.
Dr. Gilbert is a Professor of Philosophy at York University where he has taught since 1975. His books include “How to Win an Argument,” the novel “Office Party,” and most recently, the monograph “Coalescent Argumentation.” His new book “Arguing with People” will be published this Spring.
La Ola
La Bodega Restaurant is hosting a fund-raiser on Wednesday, January 27 featuring heartwarming performances by the young ladies who live at La Ola Casa Hogar Girls Shelter. They will present songs, dance routines and a bell chorus. All proceeds from this evening of dining and dancing go to the shelter.
Tickets are 250 pesos per person, and available at La Bodega Restaurant, 16 de Septiembre 124, Ajijic, or by calling 331-336-9340.
Hospitality school
Find out about one of Lakeside’s most important educational jewels, the all-female Jaltepec Centro Educativo, at an open house set for Thursday, January 28. The presentation will start at 11 a.m. and cover the hotel/hospitality technical university’s history, academic and scholarship program. A tour of the facilities will be followed by lunch.
Reservations are a must as seating is limited to 60. Call Linda Buckthorp 766-1631 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more information or to make a reservation.
Golf tournament
There are still a few spots for duffers at the Lake Chapala Shrine Club golf tournament, to be held at the Atlas Country Club on Friday, January 29. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and play starts at 9:30 a.m.
The fee of 1,600 pesos includes a continental breakfast, green fees, a golf cart for two persons and the awards banquet following the tournament. Caddies are not included in the fee.
The banquet will feature a gourmet Mexican buffet and is open to family and friends (tickets 250 pesos).
Call Denny Strole at (376) 766-0485 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details.
All proceeds raised from the tournament will be donated to the Lake Chapala Shrine Club’s Transportation Fund.
Mardi Gras!
The Lake Chapala Society presents a Fiesta Carnival Masquerade Party Saturday, January 30, 3-7 p.m. on the LCS grounds. This festival serves as LCS’s major fund-raiser for all of its community education programs. These include the Children’s Art Program, Spanish Classes, Career Day and other programs.
Food will be provided by Gossips Kitchen, and music will be courtesy of Dirty Black Beans, a well-known Guadalajara rock ‘n roll and blues band. There will also be a special performance by Caballo Pasion Ecuestre, with modern Charro gymnastics and dancers.
A prize of 5,000 pesos will be awarded for the best costume and there will be a silent auction with top prizes.
Tickets for this worthy fundraiser event are 399.99 pesos and may be bought at LCS or Diane Pearl.
Presbyterians
Lakeside Presbyterian Church invites everyone to an open house and the dedication of their new worship facility, at San Jorge 250 in Riberas del Pilar, Sunday, January 31.
Tours will be given from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The dedication ceremony is scheduled at 11 a.m. Food by local restaurants will be on hand, as well as entertainment and activities for children. For more information, call (376) 106-0853.
Fur Ball
Lucky Dog and Friends of the Animals(FOA) are putting on their first annual Fur Ball Tuesday, February 9, 5-10 p.m. at La Cima de Copal in San Juan Cosala.
The black-tie-optional event will include dinner, live music and a silent auction. Tickets cost 600 pesos per person. For more information, call cel 331-300-7144.
Red Cross
The Chapala Cruz Roja is sponsoring an Emergency Medical Information Kit seminar, Tuesday, February 2, 2 p.m. at the Lakeside Presbyterian Church. Contact tmkassierlive.com or call 766-4337 for more information.
It’s Your Future
The Lake Chapala Society, Chapala Rotary and Siker Publishing are working to encourage and challenge Lakeside area students to stay in school and help them to find career opportunities that match their skill sets. This group is using the Holland Codes Career Model, and has begun distributing 200 of these posters with the headline “It’s your future” to local schools.
Teachers will be using these posters as a launching pad for discussion of how important school is for the students’ future and help them to begin thinking of what type of career to pursue. The colorful posters each have a different set of questions, leading students to judge their skill sets and list a multitude of careers for them to investigate.
This new program is a result of LCS’s student career day. If you would like to become involved contact the LCS office.
Spanish at LCS
The next round of Introduction to Spanish language classes for LCS members is beginning soon. 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 the area and Mexican culture.
Classes start February 9, and run for three weeks at the LCS campus, from noon to 1:30 p.m. A tuition cost of 175 pesos includes learning materials. Sign up is available at the LCS office during regular office hours, Monday through Saturday or at www.lakechapalasociety.com.
English Scholarships
A 15-month, six-level English course will provide local residents the opportunity to obtain an internationally recognized certification from Cambridge University via Escuela Alfa de Inglés, a school with 30 years teaching English, based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. This course is being offered to students for 999 pesos each. That fee also entitles an additional two students to take the courses at no additional cost, although they must be related family members or working for the same employer of the applicant student. Everything is included. The normal cost is 9,100 pesos per student.
A minimum of 30 students are required to bring this course to Ajijic beginning in February. Students must be at least nine years of age (and attending school) and complete an application. The course is planned to be taught on Sundays.
For more information and to complete an application, prospective students should come to Centro de Salud (Ocampo and Six Corners) between 10 a.m. and noon on Sundays and speak with Barbara Naisby or Bob Foster.
Chili Cookoff
The 38th annual Chili Cookoff will be held February 26, 27 and 28 at the Tobolandia Water Park.
A 5,000-peso prize for best chili is given daily and a 5,000-peso grand prize is awarded for the best margarita. For event details, contest rules and competitor registration go to www.mexicannationalchilicookoff.com.