AROUND TOWN
Meetings & Lectures
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
This week’s Unitarian Univeralist Fellowship meeting features Executive Director Jean Gerber, who will report on the progress of Casita Linda, the nonprofit organization dedicated to providing simple, decent housing for San Miguel’s most disadvantaged citizens.
Gerber will talk about the collaboration with architecture students from the Rhode Island School of Design to create new ways of approaching the design and to reintroduce the craft of Adobe. She will also discuss the alliances Casita Linda has formed with other San Miguel organizations to provide social services to these disadvantaged communities.
The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. 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
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.
Adiós Is Not Good-bye and Mañana Is Not Tomorrow
Robert de Gast, a long-time resident of San Miguel, presents a not-so-serious talk and slide show he calls “Adiós Is Not Good-bye and Mañana Is Not Tomorrow: (Mis)adventures in Language and Culture” at 5pm on Tuesday, September 23 in Teatro Santa Ana at the Biblioteca Pública on Insurgentes 25.
De Gast, author of Behind the Doors of San Miguel and several other books about our fair city, will relate some of his adventures (and misadventures) in becoming acquainted with the culture of Mexico and the Spanish language and show some of its bizarre visual aspects.
“I’ll be telling tales on myself,” he explains, “and I’m sure many people will identify with the pitfalls and perils I encounter in my daily experiences with the very exotic life in Mexico.”
Admission is 60 pesos (50 pesos for members of the Biblioteca) and benefits the library’s many programs.
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.
Tours & Excursions
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 Friday, 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.
Saturday Adventure Tours
The Adventurers go from hot molten glass to exotic necklaces of Aztec inspiration. First to Ana Theil’s glass foundry, where she will show the process used in creating her unusual glass sculptures. You will see how she uses her penchant for collecting anything old, rusty, bent or burnt then molds glass around the object to form sculpture.
We move on to Eunice O’Hanna’s Necklace Emporium. Hundreds of them, each a unique design. You can also design your own. Her home is enchanting, and almost every wall is a work of art. You will love her kitchen and pick up some ideas in decor. Don’t miss this unusual home!
This tour leaves from inside the Jardín, across from the Parroquia, at 10:30am.
Sunday in the Parque with Audubon
On Sunday, September 21, Audubon Mexico will offer one of its day hikes in the local countryside. This one will be in the Monja Reserve, a sprawling nature preserve in the state of Querétaro not far from San Miguel. Participants are limited to 20 and reservations are necessary. To sign up, call M.C. Anderson at 044 (415) 117-7183.
There is a 10-peso entrance fee at the park, which boasts rolling hills, a little forest area, a ridge to walk along, various levels of hiking ease or difficulty and many beautiful birds. Estimated length of the event: 1.5 to 2 hours in; lunch; the same time to get back to the cars. There are certain essentials to bring along (besides lunch): good shoes, a hat, and a bottle of water.
Participants meet at 8am at the parking lot on Stirling Dickinson in front of the gym. Cars that can manage cobblestones will be needed. Carpooling can be arranged for those without transportation. Audubon members come along for free; nonmembers pay 100 pesos to join in. (But if you join up and pay your yearly dues of 300 pesos that morning, the hike will be free for you, too.)
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.
Performances & Events
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.
Registration opens for San Miguel dog show
Registration is now open for the 21st Annual San Miguel Kennel Club Dog Show to be held at the Hotel Real de Minas October 11–12.
All entries must be registered with the F.C.M. and have microchips. Dr. Alma Miranda (Stirling Dickinson 27) is qualified to insert microchips.
The entry fee will be 150 pesos a day and may be sent by fax to (01) (415) 152-2347 accompanied by a deposit slip from Bancomer 134 Account #044-307-5494, Club Canofilo de San Miguel, A.C. Entries close on October 4, and a late charge will be levied up to October 8.
For further information call 415-152-0286.
Films & Videos
Meditation Center: Gangaji videos
The Meditation Center at callejón Blanco 4 presents the third in a three-part series of videos of Gangaji on Thursday, September 25, at 5:30pm (free/donation). From heartfelt reports to songs and jokes, this compilation from meetings with Gangaji offers spontaneity, warmth and the opportunity to experience the joy of laughter. True laughter is transcendent of life’s limitations and opens the door to the deeper seeing of one’s true self.
“One of the glories of laughing is that you don’t need to know what you are laughing about. It’s totally unimportant. And, in fact, if you are really laughing you can’t know anything: it’s impossible to think. You just are—laughing,” says Gangaji.
 |