AROUND TOWN

Meetings & Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Former Biblioteca Públíca President Ali Zerriffi explains The San Miguel Project at this week’s service. The project seeks to encourage volunteer participation and to help promote the community by providing information, training and research to organizations, particularly nonprofits. It is designed to encourage collaboration among key segments of our society, including government, nonprofits and the private sector.

Zerriffi retired to San Miguel with his wife Naomi eight years ago, after selling Global Electronic Supplies, a company he founded in 1981 in Montreal. Prior to his move to Canada in 1975, he served as an advisor in the Office of the Minister of Tourism in Morocco. He is a 1969 graduate of Oberlin College with a degree in social sciences.

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.


Lions Club International

The Lions Club meets Thursday, October 1, 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.



Classes & Workshops

Changes in danzón class schedule

Danzón classes at El Sindicato, Casa de las Artes Escenicas provide a half hour more of class time per week with the new schedule. One-hour Beginners classes are Wednesdays, 6–7pm; the two-hour Intermediate/Advanced classes are Tuesdays, 6–8pm. Donation per class per student 

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventure Tours

This Sataturday, September 26, we visit the rug “factory” of Sr. Jimenez, where we will find the sheep are missing, but their wool is there—dirty and full of burrs. He will tell us how it is washed, carded, spun into skeins, dyed, then hung out to dry. We will actually see the skeins bubbling away in their colorful bath in a huge cauldron. Inside, where the montrous looms are, we marvel at the dexterity of the workers’ hands as they manipulate the shuttle between the warp and woof. We will be shown rugs of all sizes, colors and designs, all at factory prices. Sr. Jimenez will make your purchase into a compact bundle to “take-with” or he will ship.


A ride through flowering countryside brings us to the elegant ranch “Olivos,” where a lagoon with black swans floating across sets the tone. A couple of ducks, whose plumage is so brilliant they appear painted, share the lagoon. Among other animals are two llamas, two miniature horses, a pair of normal-size horses and a most amazing talking parrot. Entering the home of Becky and Robin, we are immediately soothed by the soft tones of the painted furniture—the decor is definitely elegant French country. We “ooh” and “aah” our way through this lovely home. Please bring your camera!


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.


No House & Garden Tours on October 4 or 11

The House & Garden Tour skips two weeks because processions close the streets for two consecutive Sundays. On October 4, the town celebrates Día de San Miguel. October 11, San Miguel celebrates the Feast of San Francisco. Join the tour October 18, when they will be back on the regular Sunday schedule.


Lions Club Valle de Bravo trip: The Sequel 

The Lions Club is off to the Switzerland of Mexico for a 2-night/3-day stay Thursday–Saturday, October 1–3. That trip proved so popular it sold out and a second trip is now filling for the following week, Thursday–Saturday, October 8–10. Both trips are the same in all details.

A beautiful lake created by a hydroelectric project in the forties made Valle de Bravo a blue-and-green waterside paradise and popular weekend spot. 

The trip is 2,800 pesos each, double occupancy, for two nights at the Loto Azul hotel, including all breakfasts, tips, first-class bus and a donation to the Lions Club. The Lions Club does free diabetes testing and gives free glasses to the needy at their clinic every Thusday morning at Correo 63.

Reserve the October 8–10 trip by September 30 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 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.



Films & Videos

Meditation Center 

The Meditation Center of San Miguel presents Video 11 in the 12-week Eckhart Tolle series, Touching the Eternal, from a retreat in India in 2002. The series continues Thursday, October 1, at 5:30pm at Callejon Blanco 4. Presentations of the center are free; donations are gratefully accepted.





Folklore Harp & Flamenco Guitar

Sergio Basurto uses the folklore harp to play traditional rhythms from Latin America and Mexico. The rhythms interpreted on the folklore harp will then be combined on the guitar with the original rhythms of Spanish flamenco from which they derive.

Basurto plays Monday, September 28 and Thursday, October 1, at 7:30pm in the Sala Quetzal at the Biblioteca, Reloj 50A. Tickets are 150 pesos.

Gypsy Guitar Concert 

The message of Javier the Gypsy is the life story of the exotic nomadic people of the world, the gypsies. Their marginalized existence and their wild reputation have influenced Javier’s rhythmic style to the core, giving him the passion and dedication for which he has taken the name Gitano. A true gitano is one who has traveled, guitar in hand, to places all over the world with the sole purpose of spreading the music to those who wish to learn the story of the gypsies. 

Javier Gitano Estrada plays Friday, October 2, at 5pm in the Sala Quetzal at the Biblioteca, Reloj 50A. Tickets are 100 pesos.





Volunteer Opportunities

Does your nonprofit need some extra help, perhaps for an upcoming event? Send new, short requests for volunteers to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org  with “Volunteer Opportunities” in the subject line. Listings run for four issues.



Bilingual translators for the Biblioteca 

The Biblioteca Pública needs translators to convert articles and documents for our website and newsletter from English to Spanish, and Spanish to English. The documents and articles will range from 50 to 200 words.

All work can be done via email and by the individual article and/or document. The time commitment for this volunteer opportunity will vary by the individual.

If you require more information or if this volunteer opportunity appeals to you, contact General Manager Michel Amanton at the library, email michel@bibliotecasma.com  or call (415) 154-6000.



Proofreaders needed for Atención

Sharp-eyed people needed to proofread newspaper copy weekly. You could join a crew reading galleys on Tuesday, or if you have copy-editor inclinations, you could read manuscripts Thursday or Friday afternoons. Background in editing or technical writing preferred. Contact Suzanne, Jesús or Micha at the Atención office on the second-floor terrace of the Biblioteca, or email edit@atencionsanmiguel.org.  



Pro Musica

Pro Musica is San Miguel’s leading promoter of classical music, staging over 20 concerts every year at St. Paul’s Church. We hold wine and botanas receptions, champagne parties and dinners after many of the concerts. We are looking for a part-time volunteer to help us organize and oversee these functions between September and March each season. This is a fun role and an opportunity to meet a wide range of people on a social basis. Contact Pro Musica President Michael Pearl at 152-2688 or 044 (415) 100-1458, or email mpearl5493@aol.com. 



Patronato pro Niños

Patronato pro Niños is looking for caring volunteers who wish to work with the schoolchildren and teachers in the areas surrounding San Miguel. They are searching for children in need of medical and dental care. Volunteers should have Spanish capability and/or a car that can withstand back roads. Volunteers are teamed to complement capabilities and are asked to dedicate two mornings a month during the school year. Contact Steve Livingston at steve@stevelivingston.com.