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Last updateFri, 13 Jan 2017 1pm

Laguna Chapalac - January 7, 2017

Chapala Mud Fest  

Off-road motorheads will roar into Chapala Sunday, January 8 for a day of high adrenaline sport at the 4x4 Festival en Lodo.

The mud-bogging event for ATVs, UTVs, motor cross bikes and 4x4 vehicles takes place at a shoreline property located off the Chapala-Mezcala highway a short distance beyond Avenida Pepe Guizar, starting at 11 a.m. Visitors will also find dealership displays of off-track vehicles, food and drink stalls and DJ music to enhance the action.

Wisemen 

Look for the Three Kings to show up in Ajijic on the evening of Friday, January 6. Decked out in regal finery, Los Reyes Magos will take a spin around the village just around sunset, dispensing sweets and treats to children welcoming them along the way. The royal tour ends at the central plaza around 7 to 7:30 p.m., when local kids swarm for a festive piñata bashing celebration. 

The trio of Wisemen will appear in Chapala around the same time, handing out gifts and goodies as they parade southward along Avenida Madero on route to the San Francisco Church. Spectators congregating at the church entrance will be invited to share slices of Rosca de Reyes, the crown-shaped bread decorated with candied fruits that is the traditional Kings Day snack. 

British Society

The Lakeside British Society holds a luncheon meeting Saturday, January 7, 1 p.m. at Manix Restaurant, Ocampo 57 in Ajijic. The cost is 135 pesos plus tip. Call Arleen at 766-1742 or contact Sue Sterlini at  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to confirm your attendance and choice of menu. All visitors welcome.

Open Circle

Susan Weeks will give a presentation on “The Power of Forgiveness” at Open Circle Sunday, December 4, 10:30 a.m. in the garden of the Lake Chapala Society (LCS).

We’ve all had some life experiences that were not as we would have wished them to be. Through humor, philosophy and science, Weeks will explore how we might change our perspective on our past. So often we cling to repetitive and demeaning thoughts of comparison, judgment, blame and shame, yet we can make the choice at any time to let go of thinking that imprisons us. Weeks believes we can create our “reality” through our own thinking – through forgiveness.

Weeks, a new presenter at Open Circle, has led a nomadic life, Mexico being the eighth country she’s called home. Among her professions, she’s been an administrative assistant, editor, international tour director and spiritual leader. At present she is a Licensed Unity Teacher pursuing a Ph.D. in Spiritual Studies and ordination as an inter-faith minister. She is aware that any path we take to become better human beings leads to creating a better world. 

LCS Personal Enrichment

The Lake Chapala Society’s Personal Enrichment Program kicks off with the first of three seminars – all open to the public – with an Introduction to Lakeside Gardening by Francisco Gonzalez Nava, Tuesday, January 10. The eight classes are held Tuesdays, from 10 to 11 a.m. Cost is 500 pesos. 

A history of the Mexican Revolution with Judy King begins January 18 and runs through March 8 each Wednesday, 10 to 11:30 a.m. This course studies family life before and during the revolution and is based on well-respected books. The cost for the eight classes is 600 pesos.

An overview of Mexican history by Daniel Grippo begins February 27 and runs through March 3, Monday to Friday, 1:30 to 3 p.m. This seminar will enrich your understanding of Mexico by examining key movements and moments in history. The cost for the five classes is 480 pesos.

Buddhists

The workshop “Minding Our Own Business” will be offered on four Tuesdays in January, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Beginning Tuesday, January 10, participants will work together to become better prepared for the eventualities of illness, accident and death. There will be “homework” consisting of completion of documents which will be helpful to those who need to act on our behalf in cases where we are unable to do so ourselves. The workshops are designed to support participants in working through their natural resistance to these critical tasks. The workshop fee for materials is 350 pesos for Heart of Awareness members and 450 pesos for non-members.  Enrollment is limited to 20 participants and advance registration is required.  Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register.

The Heart of Awareness (HOA) Buddhist Sangha meets weekly on Wednesdays. The center opens at 3:30 p.m. for silent meditation. A 30-minute formal meditation period begins at 4 p.m. January 11, meditation will be followed with a video teaching by Gil Fronsdal from a series titled “Generosity: the revolutionary foundation for Buddhist practice.”

The center is open for hour-long silent meditation periods Sunday and Monday, from 9 to 10 a.m. and Thursday from 11 a.m. to noon.

A yoga class suitable for all levels of experience is offered at Heart of Awareness on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 9 to 11 a.m.

The Heart of Awareness is grounded in the teachings of the Buddha as preserved in the Theravada/Vipassana tradition. Prior experience or affiliation is not required. The sangha is at Guadalupe Victoria 101 in Ajijic. For further information, visit heartofawareness.org, or call Janet Reichert at (331) 043-4669.

Pueblos Unidos festival

Staff and friends of Zona Fitness Gym in Riberas del Pilar pedaled on the Ajijic Malecon Sunday, December 19 during the Pueblos Unidos festival, which gathered donations for the area’s underprivileged.

Lakeside Progressives

At their Tuesday, January 10 meeting, the Lakeside Progressives will discuss participation in the January 21 Backlash Begins march and rally in Ajijic, sponsored by the Lakeside Progressives for Action (LPA). 

Paula Dunn Breitling and Jill Flyer of LPA will answer questions about the event that is being held in conjunction with the January 21 Women’s March in Washington D.C. 

An Internet forum called Ajijic Progressives is up and running on Yahoo Groups. Chair Mel Goldberg and Vice-Chair Chad Olsen will answer questions about the forum. If you have joined the Ajijic Progressives Yahoo Group, you can post your comments on 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.. You can also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

The Lakeside Progressives, a group of like-minded people looking for progressive solutions to political problems, meet at 4 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Peacock Garden Restaurant on Colon in Ajijic. The group’s Facebook page is Lakeside Progressives. Join them and bring a progressive friend.

LCS seminar

LCS members are invited to attend a TED seminar, Tuesday, January 10, noon to 1:15 p.m. This seminar, hosted by Fred Harland, features philosopher Peter Singer speaking on “The why and how of effective altruism.” 

If you’re lucky enough to live without want, it’s a natural impulse to be altruistic to others. But, asks Singer, what’s the most effective way to give? He talks through some surprising thought experiments to help you balance emotion and practicality — and make the biggest impact with whatever you can share. 

Neill James Lecture

Dr. Otto Rand is featured in a video presentation, “Faith and Reason,” at the Neill James Lecture Tuesday, January 10, 2 p.m. The presentation will examine the relationship between faith and science, looking at compatibility rather than hostility. We will examine the main areas of discord, and how they can be bridged, referring to views on religion of such scientists as Darwin, Newton and Einstein.

Rand was born in 1932 in Czechoslovakia to a Jewish family and spent his childhood years in hiding from the Nazis. After the war, he emigrated to Israel and then to Canada. He received a B.A at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in History; an M.A. at the University of Toronto in Near Eastern History and a PhD in Near Eastern Religions. He taught history at high school and university. Since his retirement, he has delivered courses and lectures on historical subjects. His latest interest lies in the relationship between science and religion.

Canadian Club

Rosi Cepeda will be the featured speaker at the next meeting of the Canadian Club of Lake Chapala, Wednesday, January 11, at La Nueva Posada in Ajijic. A social hour begins at 3 p.m.; the program at 4 p.m. 

Cepeda and her husband Carlos are the owner/operators of Charter Club Travel Agency and tours. She will give a brief history of the highlights of the top ten travel destinations to visit in Mexico. 

You do not have to be Canadian to attend. There is a 50-peso charge for non-members. For more information, see www.canadianclubmx.com.

Military Ball

The 904 Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association will host this year’s gala Military Ball on Saturday, January 14 at the Real de Chapala Hotel. The event was originally conceived and organized by the Shrine Legion of Honor and now includes all of Lakeside’s military groups: the Shrine Legion of Honor, the 904 Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association, the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 1 Chapala, the American Legion Post 7 and Post 9 and the Navy League.

All military veterans and supporters of the Lakeside military groups are welcome. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information and tickets. The deadline for ticket purchase is January 10.

Regenerative medicine

Regenerix will give an informative talk about regenerative medicine and antioxidents at the Lake Chapala Society, Monday, January 16, 2-4 p.m. 

Topics at the free event will include an immunotherapy program for fighting cancer and chronic diseases; tactics for anti-aging and the use of vitamin B-17/vitamin C. Also covered will be EDTA chelation therapy, and cellular nutrition, ozone therapy, plasma, carboxy therapy and intralipotherapy.

Democrats Abroad

The Lake Chapala Chapter of Democrats Abroad Mexico will explore “What does it mean to be a Dreamer?” with Dr. Jill Anderson of Mexico City, together with several local “Dreamers,” Monday, January 16, 4 p.m. at La Bodega Restaurant, 16 de Septiembre 124 in Ajijic. Learn about the benefits these immigrants who came to the United States as children bring to the the country and their many challenges going forward.

Scots unite!

The annual Rabbie Burns supper – a  yearly celebration of the Bard to benefit Niños Incapacitados – will be held Wednesday, January 25, 5 p.m. at the Hotel Real de Chapala. Included are dancing, bagpipes, tributes and toasts, a traditional dinner including Haggis, singing and a wee dram of Scotch. Tickets, 400 pesos, are available through Mary Steele, 765-3226, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via programaninos.com.

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