AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

In celebration and recognition of Mother’s Day, longtime San Miguel women Virginia Wheelwright, Judy McKay and Bobbie Bell share their reflections at this week’s meeting of their mothers and how they helped make them the people they are today.

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 

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. Visit www.rotarysma.org  for more information.


Lions Club International

The Lions Club meets every first and third Thursday at the Hotel Quinta Loreto, Loreto 15. 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.


Garden Party at St. Paul’s Church

In celebration of Mother’s Day, St. Paul’s Church hosts a special Garden Party on the lawn Friday, May 9, 10:30am–12:30 pm. The 51 children of Centro Infantil preschool, ages 3–5 years, will present a 40-minute musical event, “Cultures of the World,” led by their inventive director Patricia Palacios and supported by their other teachers Maria Magdelena Rubio Garay, Ana Oliver Zamora Frias and Cecilia Pina Lopez. The preschool in Independencia for needy Mexican families is one of St. Paul’s outreach programs. There will be refreshments and sales tables of handcrafts, cards and White Elephants.


Classes & Workshops

Chess: patio and terrace

Chess players meet Mondays 5–6:30pm in the north portal of the Biblioteca Pública’s central patio. Players also meet three times a week at Casa de la Cultura on Chorro: Saturdays, 10am–2pm, Wednesdays and Fridays, 4:30–7pm.



Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventure Tours

These tours benefit the Centro de Crecimiento school for disabled children and leave the Jardín, across from the Parroquia, at 10:30am.


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. The juice bar next to the gift shop has water and refreshments. The easiest way there is by taxi. Staff will call a taxi for the return trip. Reservations are not necessary. Information: www.elcharco.org  or email nzerriffi@yahoo.com. 


Lions in Tesquisquiapan

On Monday, June 1, the International Lions Club of San Miguel de Allende is sponsoring another bargain trip—this time an overnight stay in Tesquisquiapan in the State of Querétaro. This trip is special because we’ll be there for the Annual National Wine and Cheee Festival featuring the products of regional vineyards along with recreational, sporting and cultural activities.

The town is known as The Fountain of Eternal Youth, as the abundant thermal waters are touted to be therapeutic and contain lithium, magnesim carbonate and calcium.

This arts amd crafts center has wonderful shopping for pottery, handwoven baskets and rattan goods, as well as jewelry made from opals. The famous Temple of Santa Maria de la Asuncion graces the town’s main square. It was completed in l874 and boasts pink quarry stones and domes carved in neoclassical style that resemble clouds anchored to the earth. The Fiesta del Sol hotel features a large swimming pool and an American breakfast.

On Tuesday, June 2, the destination will be Hacienda Calindo, near Querétaro, for comida. According to legend, the hacienda was built in 1540 as a gift from Hernán Cortés to his mistress and interpreter, La Malinche. Still standing, in the center of the hacienda, is a seventeenth-century church considered a remarkable example of colonial architecture.

The cost of the trip, based on 35 people, is 1,100 pesos each for a double and 1,300 pesos for a single, which includes breakfast, entrance to the fair, bus, hotel and all tips, plus a donation to the Lions Club, which dispenses glasses and does diabetes testing every Thursday morning at Correo 63. Make reservations by May 13, with Jean Schickel at 152-0934. 

Performances & Events

Singles Social Group

Four years ago a small group of single people began meeting once a week at a local pub to socialize and lend support to each other. We later publicized the meeting and opened it to all singles in town, meeting at Romanos restaurant whose owner offered 2-for-1 drinks and provided complimentary botanas. Sadly, Romanos closed its doors a few months ago. We scrambled for a suitable location and settled on a delightful venue, the newly opened Woolis Kaban Restaurant at San Francisco 25, next door to HSBC Bank. We welcome singles, couples and anyone who is interested in meeting new people to join us every Wednesday, 5–7pm, for 2-for-1 national drinks delicious Mexican botanas.


Tardes de Tertulia at Bellas Artes 

Wednesday Cultural Gatherings are at 6pm in Café las Musas in Bellas Artes. In these comical performances in both English and Spanish, the count and countess of Bellas Artes tell you the history of the musical genre and the musicians interpret it. They are Christian Baumgartner, Laumuq, Xavier Hernandez (tenor), Liliana Gutierrez (piano) and Gabriela Perales (soprano). Tango is May 13. Tardes de Tertulia is for everyone and it’s a fun way to understand and enjoy music, poetry and theater. 


Masala full moon dinner

In the Buddhist tradition, every full moon evening is a time for reflection, but the full moon in May, with the rising of the morning star, when Siddhartha Gautama became the enlightened one, is particularly revered. In celebration, Shanti San Miguel’s Indian restaurant, Masala, is serving a special full moon dinner at 375 pesos on May 9. Cocktails and appetizers are 6:30–7:30pm, and dinner at 7:30pm, with time after to sit out on the terraces and watch the full moon with the lights of San Miguel in the distance. Reservations are suggested, at 044 (415) 100-8396 or info@shantisanmiguel.com. 



Films & Videos

Meditation Center

The Meditation Center at Callejon Blanco 4, near Quebrada, presents Christopher Tutmuss: The Emptiness of This and That, Part 1, Thursday, May 14, at 5:30pm. Please arrive before 5:30, as seating is limited and late arrivals disturb others. The films are free, though donations are always welcome.

This talk is based upon the teachings (Dharma) of the Buddha, who taught a practice leading to freedom from suffering. Christopher Titmuss teaches engaged spirituality and insight meditation worldwide. He is an active supporter of the green movement and a board member of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. He is cofounder of the Gaia House retreat center in England. This is the first of two talks made in Santa Rosa, California in August 1989. The subjects discussed are: Notion of stuff coming up, Story of Angulimala, Judging this and that, The impact of effort, How to form a new religion, and The wonder of revelation and immediate liberation. Part 2 will be shown the following week.