AROUND TOWN
Concert
Historietas de la Vida Real
(Stories of a Real Life)
with La Guitarra de Paspartú
Javier Estrada
Fri, Aug 7, 5pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
100 pesos
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Meetings & Lectures
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
20 de Enero, 28 de Abril, 20 de Julio. Ever wonder what those street names mean? This week Manuel Leon will reveal the origin of street names and other San Miguel curiosities. Manuel, a Spanish and English teacher for the Warren Hardy Spanish Language School, is a 12-year resident of SMA.
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
On Tuesday, August 4, James Hallock, a building consultant, speaks about compressed earth blocks and the advantages of “breathable” walls.
For the past 15 years Hallock has promoted earthen construction as a solution to environmental and global housing concerns. He founded Earth Block, Inc. in Colorado and in recent years expanded his efforts on an international scale, serving as a consultant to the USDA in the reconstruction of Honduras following Hurricane Mitch.
Through his Mexican-based company, Tierra y Cal, Proyectos Sustentables, he continues to focus on bringing healthy, high-quality housing to those in need and has established an institute outside San Miguel for training in methods of sustainable construction and living.
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.
The Geology of San Miguel
Only early birds will catch retired geologist Wayne Colony’s one-hour audio-visual presentation on Friday, July 31, at 10am. A shuttle (20 pesos) departs at 9:30am from the corner of calles San Francisco and Juárez. General admission is 100 pesos; members of the garden, 70 pesos. The site is the Botanical Garden’s Bóveda.
Lions Club International
The Lions Club next meets Thursday, August 6, at Don Quijote restaurant, Prolongación de Pila Seca 55. Check in time is 12:30pm and the meeting begins at 1pm. You may order lunch from the special menu and parking is ample. For additional information, contact Norma Robinson at 120-0726.
Center for Global Justice
The Summer Symposium continues through August with a talk every Wednesday morning and a film every Thursday afternoon on current social issues. This week we focus on the Middle East with a panel discussion of the bestselling book Three Cups of Tea and the film Iran Is Not the Problem (see Cinemateca section of “Que Pasa”).
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time is the gripping modern-day account of Greg Mortenson’s quest to build schools for girls, first in the primitive Karakoram Mountain range of Pakistan, and ultimately in war-torn, Taliban-run Afghanistan. San Miguel residents Barry Devine, Silvia Elguea and Louisa Field review this stirring book on Wednesday, August 5, at 10:30am in Sala Quetzal.
Classes & Workshops
Circus Camp
“Circomania” is the summer camp for children and young people to learn the circus arts and discover that the “magic of circus” is available to everyone. This fun and safe space allows participants to learn and practice circus skills while developing individual confidence.
One or more weekly workshops are available. Activities include warm-up, stretch, flexibility, aerial acrobatic dance on silks, hoop, trapeze and straps, gymnastics, dance with pois and sticks, ballet, hip-hop, arts and circus design, make-up and circus movies.
The program runs weekdays, 10am–2pm, at the GravityWorks School in Casa Hacienda El Caracol, where parking is available as well. The program started on July 6 and continues until August 21. For more information, contact Cecilia Corona at
ana59@yahoo.com, 154-4915, or cellular (415) 103-3836.
Tours & Excursions
Saturday Adventure Tours
August starts with brilliance and glamour with a visit to the home and studio of William Harris and Luis Pantoja, Jewelry Designers. The gems abound on this tour, from glittering strands of semiprecious stones to their precious home with enchanted garden.
The glamour continues at Rancho “El Encanto,” a charmed estate with extensive gardens and a home like a European museum, filled with antiques and classic works of art. And to finish with a golden touch, we hear there will be a dressage show! Bring your camera and also a hat for protection from the sun.
These tours benefit the Centro de Crecimiento school for disabled people and leave the Jardín, across from the Parroquia, at 10:30am. Bring a camera!
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. Entry is 30 pesos (waived for members) and the tour is 50 pesos. Wear a hat and closed shoes. A shuttle is available now from the corner of Juárez and San Francisco, leaving at 9:30am, 11:30am, 1:30pm and 3:30pm. Return trips are available, 11am–5pm. The cost is 20 pesos per person per trip. Reservations are not necessary. Information:
www.elcharco.org or email nzerriffi@yahoo.com.
Performances & Events
CEREKA resets lunch benefit
Due unforeseen circumstances, the July 18 lunch at Restaurant El Padrino in benefit of CEREKA was cancelled. The benefit has been rescheduled to Saturday, August 8, 1pm at El Padrino, Zacateros 52, 154-8841.
Summer arts and crafts fair
Instituto Allende hosts its one and only arts and crafts fair for the summer season on Saturday and Sunday August 8–9, 10am–6pm. Admission is free.
Over 100 artists and craftspeople from San Miguel, Guanajuato and a number of surrounding Mexican states attend, show their wares and sell them. Many say it’s the town’s best fair.
The atmosphere is family-oriented and easy-going, with food and continuous entertainment.
The eclectic fair produced by Lou Christine, Gabriela Zavala and Martin Villafranco has grown in stature and popularity.
Tables are now available to vendors at 650 pesos for the weekend. Visit Instituto Allende, Ancha de San Antonio 20, or call 152-0226.
Singles Social Group
San Miguel Wednesday Social Group meets at Restaurant Bacco, Hotel Sautto, Hernández Macías 59. 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.
Wine and Organic producers fair
The Feria de la Vendemia ’09, the second Encounter of Organic Producers, at the beautiful Rancho La Romita brings out the best of local and regional organic products at the three-day festival August 21–23. Festival highlights include conferences, workshops, the stomping of the grapes and, of course, food! To join the fair and display your organic products, call 152-8146 or Estela Barragán 045 (415) 153-3470.
Biblioteca and VIP Club team up for membership drive
Sign up for San Miguel’s VIP Club card during August at the Biblioteca Pública and the VIP Club pays for your new library card! This deal applies to new and old VIP Club members who purchase their card at the Biblioteca.
The VIP Club, founded in 2000, offers discounts of 10 to 20 percent off services at scores of San Miguel restaurants and many other service providers such as hairdressers, dentists, spas, doctors, boutiques, dry-cleaning and laundry, house paint and much more, plus chances to earn free shuttle trips to and from León’s airport.
This offer is only valid through August 2009, and Club membership will be good until August 31, 2010.
Films & Videos
Meditation Center
The Meditation Center of San Miguel continues to screen the Eckhart Tolle videos, Touching the Eternal, from a retreat in India in 2002. It is here on the banks of the holy Ganga River, amidst the snow-capped Himalayas and the tremendous beauty of scarlet sunsets, that a group of determined souls from around the globe met to sit together in silence. Join them in this transformational experience and allow yourself to be guided through words and stillness into the state of presence.
The series continues Thursday, August 6, at 5:30pm at Callejón Blanco 4. Presentations of the Center are free; donations are gratefully accepted.
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