AROUND TOWN
Meetings & Lectures
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
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At this Sunday’s meeting, San Miguel resident Charlie Hall discusses learning to live, feel comfortable and be productive despite having a disability.
Born without arms and hands below the elbows and a speech impediment, Hall has nevertheless forged a productive life and formed a business to help others with similar obstacles find ways to meet needs for belonging and love, self-esteem and self-actualization. To that end, the 48-year-old native-born Texan has created an internet blog (http://todreamtotouch.blogspot.com/ ) to tell his story and describe his work. Among his many accomplishments, he has a college degree, types 40 words per minute, drives a car, played snare drum in his high school marching band and has written a book.
The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch.
Midday Rotary Club
On Tuesday, October 28, Michael Sudheer recounts his many outrageous, adventurous and humorous experiences during 10 years as a tour director for Globus, the world’s largest travel company. Sudheer took groups of 45 people to Fiji, New Zealand, India, Singapore, Bangkok and Hawaii. One summer he took Brits across America nine times.
Sudheer also produced television commercials for Young & Rubicam in New York City and is a photographer, documentary filmmaker, interior designer, actor, singer and color consultant.
The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets every Tuesday at Hotel Real de Minas at the intersection of Calles Ancha de San Antonio and Stirling Dickinson. Check-in time is 12–12:25pm and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30. Visit
www.rotarysma.org for more information.
Lions Club International
On Thursday, November 6, Director Hector Uilloa outlines the history of Instituto Allende, Latin America’s oldest and largest school of arts and language for English-speaking students. Art classes include painting, drawing, sculpture, jewelry, ceramics, batik, weaving and art history. Beginning, intermediate and advanced Spanish classes are offered year round. The school grants academic credit and awards MFA and BVA degrees. The Instituto was founded in 1938.
Lions Club International meets every first and third Thursday at the Don Quijote restaurant, Prolongación de Pila Seca 55. Check-in time is 12:30pm and the meeting starts at 1pm. For more information, contact Norma Robinson at 120-0726.
Classes & Workshops
Sustainable, low-income housing
Grupo Tierra and Tierra y Cal wrap up a conference Friday–Saturday, Oct 24–25, at the Biblioteca Pública on “A Systems Approach to a Sustainable, Low-income Housing Development.” Friday’s hour-long presentations, 9am–7pm, are on energy, drinking water, adobe and related topics. Saturday is a field trip to the site, demonstrations and lunch at Angelica’s. Visit
www.tierraycal.com for further information.
How to Launch Your Publishing Career
Susan McKinney de Ortega’s two-day workshop helps writers get their work published in magazines, anthologies, websites and blogs. The workshop runs Thursday–Friday, October 30–31, 10am–1pm. Contact Jody Feagan at
jody@sanmiguelworkshops.com
or 152-0478.
New classes at Actors Workshop
San Miguel Actors Workshop intensive acting classes are on Tuesdays and Fridays, 2–5pm, from November 11 through December 5. The series of eight classes, limited to 10 participants, is 1,500 pesos; call 154-0352 to register.
Artistic Director Alan Jordan has been a professional for 35 years, appearing in Hill Street Blues, Dallas, Falcon Crest and 100 other productions. Jordan directs Iguana Productions in San Miguel. Visit
www.theatersanmiguel.com for more information.
Tours & Excursions
Saturday Adventure Tours
Today the Adventurers learn how all the bricks, flooring and tejas are made that we see going into the scores of houses being built. Honoro Sanchez will explain and show us how clay “imported” from near Comonfort is first broken up, then sifted through a coarse screen. The clay is mixed, with the feet, with cement, sand and water. This is where you can help—you are invited to take off shoes and socks, and help make a good brick mix. When the “dough” is just right, it is put into brick or teja forms, then unmolded and left to dry before being fired in their gas kiln.
Out at the beautiful Rancho Encantado, Sra Carol gives a dressage demonstration in the ring originally used to train the horses used by bullfighters on horseback. The home is almost like a museum, with antiques, paintings and other interesting pieces. You will ooh and aah at every turn; by all means, take your camera.
This tour leaves from inside the Jardín, across from the Parroquia, at 10:30am.
Botanical Garden tour
El Charco del Ingenio (Jardín Botánico) offers two-hour tours on Tuesdays at 10am sharp. A hat, water and good walking shoes are recommended. Fees are 50 pesos for members and 80 pesos for nonmembers. Private tours are available for 150 pesos per person (minimum five).
The easiest way to Jardín Botánico is by taxi. Staff will call for a taxi for the return trip to town.
Reservations are not necessary. If you have any questions, email nzerriffi@yahoo.com.
Lions Club treks to Cuernavaca and Taxco
On Tuesday, November 18, Lions Club International embarks on a three-day trip, arriving in Cuernavaca in time for lunch and sightseeing around the Palacio de Cortes, the Jardin Borda, the cathedral and the Museo Robert Brady. The day ends with a BYOB cocktail party at a five-star hotel.
On Wednesday, the group stops at Xochicalco, one of central Mexico’s most important archaeological sites. From there, the group goes on to Taxco, an old silver mining town, for shopping and sightseeing. An optional side trip is to the caverns of Cacahumilpa, similar to Mammoth Caves. Shoppers and spelunkers alike will welcome another cocktail party at a five-star hotel.
Thursday, on the return trip, the Lions stop at Metepec, renowned for the Tree of Life sculptures created by artisans there. Travelers are expected to return to San Miguel at 9pm.
The trip includes first-class bus, hotels, breakfasts, tips and a donation to the Lions Club clinic, open on Thursday mornings at Correo 63, which gives glasses to the needy and does free diabetes testing. The cost for each person in a double is 2,255 pesos, and a single is 3,430, based on 35 people. Reserve by October 28, through Jean Schickel at 152-0934.
Performances & Events
Auditions for Mame
Auditions for the Broadway musical Mame are on October 27, 10:30am–1pm, in Teatro Santa Ana, for performances February 9–15. Needed are actors and singers, ages 20s to 70s; a boy 10–12 years who can sing and act; and a man who can do an accent to play the houseboy. Singers of any age also are needed. Please come prepared to sing and/or read. Rehearsals begin in December. For information, call 152-2603 or email
judyinmx@cybermatsa.com.mx.
Authors’ Sala celebrates Beat writers
A Beat Cabaret Dinner Show highlights “A Celebration of the Beat Writers” on December 13, 5–10pm. John Cassady and George Walker are the guests of honor. John is the son of Neal Cassady, the muse behind Dean Moriarity from Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. George was one of the original Merry Pranksters and was on the legendary bus “Furthur” on their 1964 US cross-country trip and traveled to Mexico with Neal two times in the late sixties. Cassady died in San Miguel in February 1968. If you have associations with or personal stories about any of the Beat writers, contact Susan Page:
susan@susanpage.com.
Films & Videos
Meditation Center: The Presence of Being
On Thursday, October 30, at 5:30pm, the Meditation Center at Callejon Blanco 4 shows The Presence of Being with Adyashanti, a California-based teacher and author of Emptiness Dancing, The Impact of Awakening and My Secret Is Silence. Adyashanti offers nondual teachings that have been compared to those of the early Zen masters and Advaita Vedanta sages.
The Meditation Center is Buddhist oriented and open to all forms of silent, still meditation. A donation of 20 pesos is suggested for film presentations. Please arrive early as seating is limited and late arrivals disturb others.
Volunteer Opportunities
For a list of nonprofit organizations in San Miguel, visit the Community Connections section of the Atención website at www.atencionsanmiguel.org. Dozens of organizations in San Miguel assist children and families; promote education and schools; provide food, potable water and medical treatment; and even take care of animals and the environment. This section provides descriptions, contacts and information for donors or volunteers.
Does your nonprofit need some extra help? Send your short requests for volunteers to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org with “Volunteer Opportunities” in the subject line. Maybe you have an event coming up and some extra support would be appreciated.
Day of the Dead altar
The Biblioteca Pública needs volunteers to build and set up the Day of the Dead altar in the Jardín on October 31, at 9am. Interested people please confirm at the Biblioteca´s administrative office, 11am–2pm, email gm@bibliotecasma.com or call 152-1210.
If you would like to make a donation, please send it to the Biblioteca’s Banamex account: 04 83 80 07 093.
For a donation of materials, you may bring veladoras (candles), china paper, alfeñiques (traditional candy figures), etc.
Biblioteca needs rare book dealer/collector
The Biblioteca Pública plans a major fundraising Book Fest sale this winter. Rare and collectible books accumulated through donations over the past several years will be a featured section of the sale. We need someone in November and December to evaluate and price about 400 volumes. Contact Kathleen at the library office or Kennedy at Atención.
Proofreaders needed for Atención
Sharp-eyed people needed to proofread newspaper copy weekly. We have a crew reading galleys on Tuesday, but need two more people with copy-editor inclinations to read manuscripts Thursday or Friday afternoons. Background in editing or technical writing preferred. Contact Suzanne, John or Kennedy at the Atención office on the second-floor terrace of the Biblioteca, or email edit@atencionsanmiguel.org.
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