AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

José Luís Mendoza will talk about “The Biblioteca: San Miguel’s Cultural Center” at this Sunday’s meeting. The Biblioteca’s Director of Art and Culture and arguably best-known public face, José Luís will address the institution’s multicultural blend, the effort to attract Mexican audiences and the library’s expanding activities despite the world economic crisis.

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 8, chiropractor Dr. Gabriel Monterrubio will discuss the importance of good alignment to health for older and younger people alike. He will show how he uses his equipment and expertise to help improve the posture and general health of his clients. 

Dr. Monterrubio completed his studies in Iowa, has been working for 20 years in his field and is a member of the Asociacion Quiropractica Deportiva. He also works with animals. 

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.

Classes & Workshops

GravityWorks School of the New Circus Arts

Thee GravityWorks circus troupe does aerial dance performances on trapeze, silks, hoops and straps, as well as hand balancing and fire dancing. In September 2008, GravityWorks opened the School of the New Circus Arts, offering classes in Circ-Dance and Aerial Dance. The classes are open to anyone and you can start at any level. Groups are small, attention is specialized and students work at their own pace. Regular classes begin on September 7. For information, contact Cecilia Corona at 154-4915, cellular (415) 103-3836, or email ana59@yahoo.com. The GravityWorks School is located at Libramiento al Caracol 135, Casa Hacienda El Caracol. 

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventure Tours

Today, the Adventurers go first to the home of Kathy and Steven Zazula and then to their ranch La Capilla. Their home is a mix of old and new, with large tree limbs used as beams in one room, trunks of trees as part of decor or supporting a tejado. The theme is elegant Mexican country—antique furniture, crafts artifacts and a collection of old straw hats displayed on an antique ropero (wardrobe). An intriguing wishing well is in the center of the patio. 

Now off to their ranch of century-old stone buildings, a restored stable and a seventeenth-century fresco-filled chapel. This is the place to ride through the picturesque countryside, to see shepherds tending their goats and sheep, oxen plowing the fields, colonial ruins and stunning vistas at every turn. The view from their terrace is breathtaking; no one wants to leave.

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.

Lions Club Valle de Bravo trip

The Lions Club is off to the Switzerland of Mexico, Valle de Bravo, for a 2-night/3-day stay Thursday–Saturday, October 1–3. The town is an hour from Toluca and close to a beautiful lake created by a hydroelectric project in the forties. Valle de Bravo became a blue-and-green waterside paradise and popular weekend spot. The daring can enjoy hang gliding. Others sail and waterski on the lake, bike, hike, sit in the zócolo or lounge around the swimming pool and spa at the lovely Loto Azul hotel. 

The trip is 2,800 pesos each, double occupancy, or around US$215, for two nights at the hotel, all breakfasts, tips, first-class bus and a donation to the Lions Club, which does free diabetes testing and gives free glasses to the needy at their clinic every Thursday morning at Correo 63.

Reserve by September 9, with Jean Schickel at 152-0934 or email her at jeanschickel@yahoo.com. 

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 an engaging version of Mexican colonial history.

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 16 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

Thrift shops need donations

The Bodega de Sorpresas at the Biblioteca accepts donations of books, clothing, household items and even furniture each week. Bring what you can carry on Wednesdays from 10:30am to noon, or call 152-0293 if you have furniture to donate. Sales are on Thursdays, 10am–1pm, and help fund the Biblioteca’s scholarship programs.

ALMA sets up tables for their super sale the last Saturday of every month. You can drop off donated items every day at ALMA (Jacaranda 148, Fracc. La Lejona, four blocks from Mega), or call 152-7210 for pick up of your clothes, books, household goods, potted plants, jewelry, luggage, picture frames and art. Sale of the donated items helps to cover operating expenses for the old folks’ home.

The Hospice Thrift Shop accepts donations of good quality used/clean clothes and small items at the Hospice office every day, 9am–5pm, at Manuel Rocha 35, col. La Lejona. Their space is limited, so they can’t accept larger items. On Saturdays, stop by the shop near the Mirador, Salida a Querétaro 54.

Films & Videos

Teatro Santa Ana closures

The Biblioteca’s Teatro Santa Ana will be closed Wednesday–Friday, September 9–11, for general maintenance and to install an air-conditioning system. Events that might be affected are re-scheduled for the Sala Quetzal. Teatro Santa Ana also will be closed Monday–Wednesday, September 14–16. For Independencia, the Biblioteca has short hours (10am–2pm) on Monday and Tuesday, and is closed on Wednesday, September 16. 

Meditation Center 

The Meditation Center of San Miguel presents Video 8 in the 12-week Eckhart Tolle series, Touching the Eternal, from a retreat in India in 2002. The series continues Thursday, Sep 10, at 5:30pm at Callejon Blanco 4. Presentations of the Center are free; donations are gratefully accepted.