AROUND TOWN
Meetings & Lectures
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Mayor-Elect Lucy Núñez presents her vision for San Miguel’s future at this Sunday’s meeting. The city’s first woman mayor will address issues such crime, development, the economy, healthcare and how she intends to involve expats in her administration. A question and answer session follows. Special music for this Sunday is vocalist Sibyl-Lee English.
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, September 1, Executive Director Stephanie Hough Lanier will describe the Festival de Musica Barroca de San Miguel de Allende. The first Baroque Music Festival was held here in 2007, bringing together musicians from the US and Mexico to introduce a Baroque city to the magic of Baroque music. By 2009, the festival had grown so much that it was made a permanent institution, which has expanded its network and initiated concert and musician exchanges throughout Mexico.
Lanier will focus on the festival’s plans for educational programming, including Master Classes for young musicians and music appreciation workshops designed for preschool children. Adopting the theme “Surrounded by Baroque,” musically focused on masters of the era Bach and Handel, and the music that inspired these composers, has allowed the organization to introduce elements of Baroque art and antiques into the program.
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.
Classes & Workshops
Chess workshops
Free chess workshops for adults meet Mondays 5–6:30pm in the central patio of the Biblioteca Pública. Players also gather at Casa de la Cultura on Chorro, 10am–2pm on Saturdays and 4:30–7pm on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Bereavement Support Groups available
Hospice San Miguel sponsors two free bereavement support groups for area residents who have lost loved ones. The groups are small, so reservations are necessary.
The first group, led by Dorie Beach, is for English speakers and meets on Wednesdays, 11:30am–1pm in Centro. Contact Dorie at 154-7605 or
delaplaya3@yahoo.com to arrange to attend the group.
Leticia Gonzales leads the second group, for Spanish speakers, on Thursdays, 5–6:30pm at Hospice San Miguel, Manuel Rocha 35 in Col. La Lejona. Contact Leticia directly at 044 (415) 113-9806 or
lego_2000_mx@yahoo.com.mx to arrange to attend the group.
For more information about the groups or any Hospice service, call 154-4287, email
mail@hospicesma.org or visit www.hospicesma.org.
Tours & Excursions
Saturday Adventure Tours
On August 29, we become “pilgrims” at the Shrine of Atotonilco, now listed as a World Heritage site. It was begun in 1754, as a place for Otomí Indians to atone for sins after Padre Luis Alfaro caught them cavorting in the warm springs nearby. To this day, pilgrims from all over Mexico come to be purified. Colorful rope whips used in the act of purification are sold in the stands outside. The inside walls are covered with Biblical history murals and mystic poems written by Padre Alfaro. No flash cameras!!
A ride through green countryside brings us to the marvelous ranch home of Ricardo Gonzalez. A lagoon to one side has an island in the middle. We visit one of the oldest chapels in this area, built long before Atotonilco. The home, though new, is built colonial-style around a central patio with a fountain of cantera stone. It is furnished with family heirlooms or European antiques. A noteworthy decorative piece is a larger-than-life rooster covered with long, dried, red Cascabel chilis. The kitchen is a cook’s dream. Cameras for the ranch.
These tours benefit the Centro de Crecimiento school for disabled adults and children and leave the Jardín, across from the Parroquia, at 10:30am on Saturdays and Wednesdays.
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).
Performances & Events
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 7 in the 12-week Eckhart Tolle series, Touching the Eternal, from a retreat in India in 2002. The series continues Thursday, Sep 3, at 5:30pm at Callejon Blanco 4. Presentations of the Center are free; donations are gratefully accepted.
 |