AROUND TOWN

The Biblioteca Pública and its enterprises, Atención, Teatro Santa Ana & Café Santa Ana, will close 2pm, Monday, September 15 and all day Tuesday, September 16.

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship meeting

Dr. Cliff DuRand and Atahualpa Caldera discuss the Center for Global Justice’s Summer Intern program at this Sunday’s meeting.

Twenty college students from seven countries were sent into several rural San Miguel communities to do social investigations into ways to benefit the local people. The encounter with the realities of Mexico’s campo proved to be an intense and fruitful learning experience for the interns, who ranged from undergraduates to Ph.D. students from the US, Mexico, Guatemala, Chile, Canada, Spain and Turkey.

Dr. DuRand, a research associate at the center, is a retired professor of social philosophy and a full-time San Miguel resident. Caldera is a field representative of the center and a specialist in watershed management.

The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am at La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15 and welcomes people of all ages, races, religions, sexual orientation and gender identity. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch.

Midday Rotary Club  Our regular Tuesday meeting has been cancelled for September 16 to honor Mexican Independence Day. We intend to celebrate with our Mexican brothers and sisters while we pay homage to our great host country. ¡Felicidades y Viva Mexico!

A club assembly is set for Tuesday, September 23. An important bylaws amendment is on the agenda and all club members are urged to attend to cast their vote. Visiting Rotarians are also welcome to attend.

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. For more information, visit www.rotarysma.org. 

Bereavement Support Groups

Hospice San Miguel is sponsoring two free bereavement support groups for area residents who have lost loved ones. The groups are small, so reservations are necessary.

The first group is led by Anne Howells, a board member of Hospice and an experienced counselor. It is for English speakers and meets on Mondays, 2–3:30pm at Hospice San Miguel, Manuel Rocha 35 in La Lejona. Contact Anne directly at 185-8218 or email anne_howells@yahoo.com to arrange to attend the group.

The second group is for Spanish speakers and is led by Leticia Gonzáles, a Hospice staff member and experienced psychotherapist and thanatologist. This group meets on Thursdays, 5–6:30pm at Hospice San Miguel. Contact Leticia directly at 044 (415) 114-8331 or email lego_2000_mx@yahoo.com.mx to arrange to attend the group.

For more information about the groups or any Hospice service, call the office at 154-4287, email mail@hospicesma.org  or check the website at www.hospicesma.org.  

Classes & Workshops

Chess in three places

Adults meet Mondays 5–6:30pm in the north portal of the Biblioteca Pública’s central patio. The library closes at 7pm, but Café Santa Ana lets players carry on for another hour or two.

Players also gather at Mamma Mia, Umarán 8, on Thursdays, 5–7pm.

Chess players meet three times a week at Casa de la Cultura on Chorro: Saturdays, 10am–2pm, Wednesdays and Fridays, 5–8pm.

Rancho Los Labradores

The clubhouse at Los Labradores offers classes in painting, yoga and photography for 450 pesos per month. The painting class meets in the gallery at 11am Wednesdays, yoga students gather in the gym Thursdays at 7pm and aspiring photographers assemble on Saturdays at 11am in the workshop. Two weekend workshops meeting in the theater are QuantumTouch (September 6–7, 9am–6pm, 2,000 pesos) and Self-Discovery (September 26–28, 9am–9pm, 2,300 pesos).

For reservations or inquiries about transportation, call Norma Sánchez at (415) 185-2202. 

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventure Tours

The Adventurers go from art to ancient today. First to the studio of Eschwan Winding, a studio envied by many. She paints in all media, in both realistic and impressionistic styles, though her first love is mural painting. She also does decorative pieces such as small screens to be used as table decor. Her home is a real artist’s home, the furniture painted in soft colors, and the view from her rooftop is enchanting indeed.

Now to the ancient: the eighteenth-century Hacienda Landeta, owned by the first governor of this area. Note the façade, built by the Otomí Indians, who used their own artistic ability in placing the stones. The inlaid mosaic walkways use different shades of grey stone to form flowers and even a scorpion. We will visit the original chapel, where fading frescos can still be seen. Notice the huge bóveda ceiling in the vast room inside the hacienda; once used to store grain, they say, but now wedding receptions are held there. How grain was separated from the chaff by the wind will be explained. You will wish you had 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 Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 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.  

Wildflower Identification Walk Richard Cretcher, author of Flores Silvestres: A Pocket Guide to the Wildflowers of San Miguel, offers a walk in the botanical garden September 19 to identify the multitude of gorgeous flowers blooming at this time of year.

The walk starts at 9:30am and costs 100 pesos for nonmembers and 70 pesos for members of El Charco. This is a popular activity, so please reserve a space early by emailing nzerriffi@yahoo.com. 



Performances & Events

Arts and Crafts Fair at Instituto Allende

Instituto Allende at Ancha de San Antonio 20, hosts a special arts and crafts fair Monday and Tuesday, September 15–16, 10am–6pm. The fair is produced by Gilberto Castillo from Oaxaca and features marimba music. Vendors should sign up with Castillo early Monday.

A “private” exhibition of Linares folk art

On Saturday, September 20, Rick and Deb Hall open their El Cortijo home for an exhibition and sale featuring the fantasy folk art of Los Linares. Net proceeds benefit Ópera de San Miguel. There is no charge for entrance into this one-day exhibition. See article for additional details, call 152-0663 or stop by Zócalo Folk Art, Hernández Macías 110.

Auditions for Iguana Productions

Iguana Productions announces auditions/interviews for their 2009 productions. Prepare a short contemporary monologue for the auditions, held by private appointment on Sunday, September 21, 10am–noon. Call Kirsten Dehner 152-1112 for appointment.

Iguana presented Blown Sideways Through Life, Love Letters, The Love List and two other main stage productions in the last three years They are looking for men and women who have had professional actor training and/or experience. They announce new play selections at the end of September. The first productions run throughout February 2009, with rehearsals throughout January. There will be some compensation.

Visit www.theatersanmiguel.com  for information about Iguana Productions. 

Films & Videos

Meditation Center: Gangaji videos

The Meditation Center at callejón Blanco 4 presents the second in a three-part series of videos of Gangaji on Thursday, September 18, at 5:30pm (free/donation). This collection of conversations with Gangaji clearly illustrates how a moment of choice not to follow our habituated conditioning can be easily recognized in the willingness to consciously investigate our own tactics of avoidance. “It is possible, in an instant, to recognize the impulse to escape, and in the face of that, to stop. Choice is the most supreme power of mind,” Gangaji notes.



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.



English Book Committee needs volunteers

The English Book Committee at the Biblioteca Pública needs librarians with an extensive background in children’s and adult literature, and catalogers experienced in using electronic systems. Call Robin Velte at 154-4661.

Red Cross seeks new board members

The Red Cross association of San Miguel seeks new volunteer board members. The association is the vehicle through which the foreign community supports the efforts of the Red Cross and generates revenue through memberships, emergency medical classes, the sale of medic alert bracelets and bingo every Tuesday night (a new feature of bingo is one unannounced large cash game). If you are interested in helping those who are always there to help us, call Barbara Lichter at 152-2303 to discuss volunteer opportunities.

Teach English

F.I.N.O. (Fundacion de Ninos Olvidados), A.C. is looking for volunteers who love children. F.I.N.O., A.C. is in its third year of teaching its unique "Leading With English" program to elementary age rural children. This program designed to help identify leaders and inspire leadership skills through English language acquisition. Currently, we are working in the village of Jalpa on Wednesdays from 12-3pm starting October 1st. Leading With English uses a unique combination of interdisciplinary, experiential approaches and resources, reinforced by teams of English speaking volunteers. We also open up our small new community library to other children at the same time for those who are interested. Transportation provided. Contact Elizabeth at www.finoacmex.com  for your interest to serve once a week for a minimum of 4-6 weeks.