AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Reverend Dennis Hale presents “Reflections on Death” at this Sunday’s meeting. Mexico mocks death on the Day of the Dead. People from the US may try to camouflage death with embalming and elaborate burials. Comedians joke about it. Most people attempt to postpone it, although many welcome it as the doorway to a better life in Heaven. Whatever our attitude, death is inevitable, for life is terminal. We hope Rev. Hale helps us put death in perspective, on a light note.

Mayor-Elect Lucy Núñez is our featured speaker Sunday, August 30.

The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am 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, August 25, Edgar Cancino will speak about the need for better equipment and training for his firefighting comrades at the San Miguel de Allende Fire Department (SMAFD).

In 1987, at age 16, Cancino joined the SMAFD as a telecommunications dispatcher, and later signed up for the Fire Academy and graduated as a Firefighter/EMT, finishing first in his class. In 1991, after college, Cancino moved to the US where he worked for international companies. After 9/11, he joined the Wayne Township Fire Department in Indianapolis. In 2008, after 17 years away from home, Cancino returned to San Miguel and reunited with the SMAFD.

The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets Tuesdays at Hotel Real de Minas, intersection of calles Ancha de San Antonio and Stirling Dickinson. Check-in time is 12–12:15pm and the meeting starts promptly at 12:30. The meeting is followed by a luncheon and visitors are invited to stay for lunch and fellowship. Visit www.rotarysma.org  for more information.

Lions Club International

The Lions Club meets Thursday, September 3, at Sappos Restaurant at calle Nueva 10. 

Check in time is 12:30pm and the meeting begins at 1pm, on the first and third Thursdays of each month. You may order lunch from the special menu and one-hour validated parking is available next door. For additional information, contact Nick Maguire 152-7523.

Mattress Project

St. Paul’s Mattress Project needs your clean plastic bags. Drop off in the special box at Bagel Cafe, Correo 19, or at La Conexión, Aldama 3; Biblioteca Pública, Insurgentes 25; or St. Paul's Church, Cardo 6.

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventure Tours

No tour on August 22, but an arts & crafts fair. On Saturday and Sunday, August 22–23, Instituto Allende hosts a fair featuring ceramics, papier-mâché, jewelry, rugs, hats and rebozos. The fair is a benefit for Centro de Crecimiento, a therapy center for disabled children and adults. Rain or shine, come enjoy a carnival spirit and help the disabled enjoy a better life!


Botanical Garden Tour 

A guided tour in English of El Charco del Ingenio each Tuesday and Thursday, 10am–12:30pm, is a fun and informative activity for people of all ages. Enjoy a stroll in nature while learning about our conservation project and garden. Entry is 30 pesos (waived for members) and the tour is 50 pesos. We suggest you wear a hat and closed shoes. Reservations are not necessary. Information: www.elcharco.org  or 154-8838.

Haciendas in the Heart of Mexico

Mexico’s haciendas open their doors each Thursday, 9am–7pm, during July, August and September. The owners and staff of Hacienda de Monjas, Hacienda de San Juan Pan de Arriba and Hacienda La Jaula, in the municipality of San Diego de la Unión in Guanajuato, welcome tourists to learn about the richness of the history of these large dwellings. Visitors are treated to an engaging version of Mexican colonial history as the people of the haciendas share their customs, their knowledge and their food.

Tickets at 900 pesos are available at Teatro Santa Ana, or call the project’s headquarters at 045 (442) 274-3540 or 274-3541. The full-day tour includes transportation, guide/translator, explanations of each Hacienda, visit to production areas, meals and tastings.

Bird Walks 

Signe Hammer leads bird walks in El Charco del Ingenio on the first and third Wednesdays of each month. Join her on Wednesday, September 2 at 9am for a 2.5-hour exploration of San Miguel’s botanical garden.

The walk is for birders of all levels, no reservations are needed and you are free to leave the walk at any time. Bring binoculars and water, and wear comfortable walking shoes and a hat. Cost is 50 pesos for members of either El Charco or Audubon, 80 pesos for nonmembers (includes El Charco entrance fee).

Pozos House & Garden Tour

Homeowners invite you to discover the beauty of living in Pozos during the House & Garden Tour on Saturday, August 22, 11am–2pm. Two homes are in town and three lie on the outskirts, thus showing some of the gorgeous views of town and the outlying areas.

Bus transportation from San Miguel is available for Saturday, August 22, leaving Liverpool at 10am and departing from Pozos at 5:30pm for the return. Tickets for 150 pesos are available in the Biblioteca Pública patio on Friday, August 21, 10am–1pm. Tour tickets at 100 pesos are available at the Pozos Jardín the day of the event, 9:30–10am. Limited tickets are available at Liverpool on Saturday, August 22.

Performances & Events

Countercultures

The “Re-Grand Opening” of a new, expanded showroom of faucets and hardware at countercultures, Zacateros 21, is set for Friday, August 21, 7–11pm.

Arts and crafts fair

Instituto Allende, Ancha de San Antonio 20, 152-0226, hosts an arts and crafts fair on Saturday and Sunday, August 22–23, 10am–6pm. Admission is free to the Centro de Crecimiento benefit. Over a hundred artists and crafts people from San Miguel, Guanajuato and a number of surrounding Mexican states attend. The atmosphere is family-oriented and easy-going, with food and continuous entertainment. 

Arthur Murray Dance Studio

Tuesday is the Newcomer Party at 7:45pm, students and visitors gather on Friday for the Studio Party at 8:30pm and Saturday is the Latin Party, also at 8:30pm. Every other Wednesday is Singles Night at 8:30pm; upcoming dates are September 3, 16 and 30. Parties are free to Arthur Murray students and 200 pesos for non-students (Singles Night is 100 pesos). Call today to schedule a free first lesson: 152-0095 or 044 (415) 106-4401, or stop by Hernández Macías 68.

Singles Social Group

San Miguel Wednesday Social Group now meets at the Sunset Bar in Casa Linda, Mesones 101, diagonally across the street from Teatro Ángela Peralta. Singles, couples and anyone interested in meeting new people are welcome every Wednesday, 5:30–7:30pm, for 2-for-1 national drinks, delicious Mexican botanas and lively conversation.

Biblioteca and VIP Club membership drive 

Buy a San Miguel VIP Club card for 500 pesos during August at the Biblioteca Pública and let the VIP Club pay for your new 80-peso library card! This deal applies to new and old VIP Club members who purchase cards at the Biblioteca. The VIP Club offers 10–20 percent discounts at some of San Miguel’s most popular restaurants plus discounts at many service providers. 




Films & Videos

Meditation Center 

The Meditation Center of San Miguel presents Video 6 in the 12-week Eckhart Tolle series, Touching the Eternal, from a retreat in India in 2002. The series continues Thursday, August 27, at 5:30pm at Callejon Blanco 4. Presentations of the Center are free; donations are gratefully accepted.