Lakeside Living – November 2022

Kim LeMieux

Email: kimslakesideliving@gmail.com

The Lake Chapala Society host Open Circle every Sunday at 10:30 am, a popular community gathering in Ajijic, to enjoy a diverse range of presentations.

Entrance by the side gate on Ramón Corona, gate opens at 9:30 am. We recommend bringing a hat and bottled water, and please remove containers upon departure. Use of mask is optional.

Check their website for upcoming presentations, make your reservation if you want to attend and if you missed a past presentation, you could still enjoy it on line. https://opencircleajijic.org/

NOVEMBER PRESENTATIONS INCLUDE

November 6

Complicating the history of the US Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, and The Emancipation Proclamation

By David Ellison

Dave Ellison

There has been an insidious movement on both the political left and right to revise and simplify history. This has been especially true recently with the US Civil War and The Emancipation Proclamation (probably the most misunderstood document in US history). Dave Ellison, who fell in love with history only when he finally recognized its “messiness” (and then taught it for 36 years), will recomplicate the War Between the States in a somewhat controversial but most fascinating way.  

November 13

Grandmas, Children, the Disabled & More: Perilously Close to the Edge

By Steve Taylor, FoodBank Lakeside’s One Million Peso Challenge

By end of this year – within just weeks – FoodBank Lakeside could run out of money.

Hundreds of local families count on the organization’s monthly food donations to not only feed themselves, but free up precious pesos to afford rent, electricity, cooking fuel, water, kids’ clothes, and other items.

Losing this monthly help could lead to familial displacement, hunger, utility loss, or financial ruin.

Between now and Dec. 31, Lakeside ex-pats and others are being challenged to put FoodBank on sturdier financial footing. Increase the number of FoodBank supporters. Add those who auto-donate small sums a month for 12 months.

The One Million Peso Challenge seeks the public’s help from new supporters and more help from current supporters – or from supporters’ friends, neighbors, tourists, ex-pats or the public. The need is immediate. The crisis is critical. The Challenge is ours.

Two FoodBank Lakeside volunteers stand by their car, laden with despensas to be delivered to needy local families. The food bank now is “perilously close to running out of money.”

November 20 – An Illegal Gringo in Old Mexico

By Randy Brutsche

Randy Brutsche

This is the true-life story of an American tourist seeking a retirement lifestyle as an Ex-Patriot in Mexico. While traveling via bus to see the countryside, Mr. Brutsche had seen many instances of immigration agents entering the bus to randomly check a few passengers for proper travel documents. When it finally happened to him, he quickly found out he did not have what was required. As an illegal alien without a visa or tourist visitation form, he was taken off the bus, his luggage pulled out, and the bus drove away. What followed was a hair-raising ordeal thrown at him in a language he did not speak that included being imprisoned for six days in an immigration detention facility in Acayucan, Veracruz, Mexico. It ended when he was accompanied by two Mexican immigration agents and deported to Houston, Texas. Randy was born and raised in a small, football crazy town in northwestern Illinois, was stationed in Germany from 1975 to 1978 in the US Army, then moved to Alaska in 1981 and lived in the Anchorage to Wasilla area for 35 years. His first book, his own true-life story, An Illegal Gringo in Old Mexico, is available on Amazon as an e-book with a paperback edition coming soon.

November 27 –  Lila Wells

Lila Wells

The Snow Goose, by Paul Gallico, a parable on the regenerative power of friendship and love, set against a backdrop of the horror of World War II.

Critics called the book overly sentimental. Gallico made no apologies, saying “in the contest between sentiment and ‘slime’, sentiment remains far out in front.”

In 1971, a performance of The Snow Goose was broadcast on BBC television, winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy. It was shown in the US on the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

Lila has acted in community theatre from age 16. Since coming to Lakeside in 2015 she has been involved in many aspects of the local theatre scene. Her goal with this reading to make you weep, so bring your hankies.

November 4 – 13, 2022

Lakeside Little Theater presents:Twelfth Night: A comedy by William Shakespeare

Directed by Dave McIntosh Assistant Director: Ann Swiston Stage Manager: Win McIntosh

One of Shakespeare’s finest comedies, Twelfth Night is a fast-paced romantic comedy with several interwoven plots of romance, mistaken identities, and practical jokes. Separated from her twin brother Sebastian in a shipwreck, Viola disguises herself as a boy, calls herself Cesario, and becomes a servant to the duke Orsino. He sends her to woo the countess Olivia on his behalf, but the countess falls in love with Cesario instead. Eventually Sebastian turns up causing even more confusion, chaos, and comedy.

For ticket information: www.lakesidelittletheatre.com;  $350 Pesos

November 25th, 26th & 27th Bare Stage Theatre’s production is Assisted Living, by David Laing Dawson

Anne, an aging widow and retired English teacher and actress, continues to live in her small family house, insisting on maintaining her independence. Katherine, her daughter, visits, delivering groceries and is prepared, once again, to have that “talk” about moving to an Assisted Living facility. When she discovers that her younger, and troubled brother has visited earlier that week showing unusual attentiveness to their mother, the conflicts unfold.

Assisted Living is dramatic comedy at its best, promises to touch your heartstrings at the very least and raise your ire when betrayal is exposed.

Directed by Roxanne Rosenblatt. Cast includes Arleen Pace, Darlene Sherwood and Frank Lynch.  Tickets are $200 available at barestagetheatre2018@gmail.com.

Warning, strong language.

We are located at #261 on the mountain side of the Carretera in Riberas del Pilar across from the Catholic Church. Door and Bar open at 3:00 pm. Seats are held till 3:50 pm. Auditorium curtains will be open for air flow. Please Like, Follow & Share our Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/barestagetheatre2018/

November 16 from 11 am until 3 pm. Bare Stage Theatre is having auditions for its December production of Christmas at Pemberley, by Lauren Gunderson and directed by Lynn Phelan. Show dates are Dec. 29, 30 and 31st.

Actors will be seen in small groups to read together. Scripts and the sections from which we will be reading will be provided and are available to you ahead of time by request when making your appointment. And for those interested but not yet in town, there will be auditions again in December. Dates will be advertised. 5 women 3 men.  Bare Stage is a reader’s theatre.  Acting and good pronunciation is required, but no memorization.

Please email for an appointment to roswilshere@gmail.com

If you cannot make Nov. 16, Lynn will consider seeing you at a private time, but you will need to make this request ahead of the auditions.

Centro Educativo Jaltepec

Christmas for Jaltepec. Restaurant La Bodega in Ajijic

December 1st at 6:00 pm the Dinner Event and

December 2nd, starting at 12:00pm, the Luncheon Event will take place with a donation of $950 per person. The students will serve hors d’oeuvres and a Roast Turkey Dinner with all the trimmings. No Host Bar. Complimentary music by DJ Walt who has a way of getting people up on the dance floor.

This is a Benefit for the students of the only “Técnico Superior Universitario en Hotelería & Hospitalidad” in all of Mexico. For more info or to make reservations please contact Linda Buckthorp at buckthorplm@gmail.com or call 333 4078 193.

FoodBank Lakeside ‘Perilously Close to Running Out of Money’

One Million Peso Challenge Launched to Ensure Help Continues for Hundreds

FoodBank Lakeside is seeking the community’s help as it confronts “becoming perilously close to running out of money” – threatening hundreds of monthly despensas of basic food to poor families, the elderly and disabled and free lunches to small, impoverished children.

“Now’s the time. COVID is largely behind us; ‘normalcy’ is upon us,” said FoodBank Lakeside fundraiser Steve Taylor, in a letter delivered electronically to charity supporters on Thursday, Sept. 22. “The bad news: we’re perilously close to running out of money.”

To fend off “unthinkable” consequences the charity announced its new One Million Peso Challenge.

During the next 100 days (until New Year’s Eve), FoodBank Lakeside seeks new supporters and greater funding from current supporters – but Taylor emphasized that “all monetary donations, large or small, are welcome. Every peso or dollar helps.”

“FoodBank Lakeside needs to attain firmer financial ground heading into 2023,” Taylor said. “This would be a monumental achievement, led by Americans and Canadians to help our local neighbors meet their most basic, vital need for food.”

Taylor’s letter notes FoodBank Lakeside’s strengths:

The charity provides monthly despensas to more than 700 of Lakeside’s poorest residents in seven local communities (Ajijic, San Antonio Tlayacapan, Riberas, Chapala, Santa Cruz, San Nicolás and San Pedro).

FoodBank Lakeside is “all volunteers” working at home, with no office or warehouse costs, so 95 percent of all donations go to feed families.

The charity relies on a dedicated cadre of Mexican volunteers, who are both eyes and ears in their respective Lakeside communities. This ensures those in need get despensas over those no longer in need. Each client is routinely reevaluated.

FoodBank-supported Kids Kitchen provides healthy lunches five days a week to 700 children at risk of severe malnutrition and kidney disease. FoodBank Lakeside also provides special despensas to families in nearby indigenous villages who suffer from advanced kidney disease.

In addition, bags of dog and cat food  go to pet-owning families via Pet Food Bank Lakeside whose pooches and felines would otherwise go hungry or beg food that humans need.

“Just $18 USD or $23 CAD or $370 MXN can help feed a family of four for a month. If we meet this challenge, the FoodBank can start 2023 with some reserves for essential programs,” Taylor said.

Children at FoodBank-supported Kids Kitchen enjoy a free lunch made possible by food bank donors.

FoodBank Lakeside is recognized by the Foundation for Lake Chapala Charities, a 501(c)3 organization, allowing U.S. donors to make year-end, tax-deductible donations and receive tax receipts.  To donate; www.foodbanklakeside.org. There also is a new Go Fund Me page. Search for the “One Million Peso Challenge.”

November 11-13, 2022

2022 Feria Maestros del Arte 

Friday & Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Sunday 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Admission: $80 pesos, under 12 years old are free.

Club de Yates de Chapala, Ramón Corona #1, Chapala, Jalisco

We are a non-profit donataria organization in Mexico and 501c3 non-profit in the United States and are run entirely by volunteers.

Mexico’s folk-art traditions are disappearing at an alarming rate. Artisans need opportunities to sell their work — the Feria offers them a venue at absolutely no cost to the artisan — no booth fee, no percentage of sales, we pay their transportation to and from the event and find them host families where they sleep and eat for the three days of the show. For some artisans, the sales they make at the Feria represent a major portion of their annual income.

There is a charity raffle each day of the Feria. Because the artists pay nothing to attend the show, we ask each to donate two pieces of their work. One piece goes into the Raffle booth, the other into the Artists Supporting the Feria booth. You do not need to be present to win.

We have mariachis, strolling musicians, singers, ballet folkloric and other regional dancing. 

All three days have lectures scheduled and normally given by artists who are attending the Feria. They start with a short video, then a short talk about the artisan’s work and then questions and answers and/or demonstrations.

Ricardo from Pakmail in Mexico City travels to the Feria to pack and/or ship your purchases. He is reasonable and an expert packer.

There are several food booths — everything from tacos to pizza — and the yacht club sells wonderful pastries as a fundraiser for their yearly regatta.

If an artist has registered with us, you will be able to pay with your credit card.

Check-out our new website at www.feriamaestros.com for photos and short biographies on all the artists attending the Feria this year.

Zeny Fuentes is a Zapotec Indian and 4th generation alebrije woodcarver from San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca, Mexico

ADVENT OF PEACE: Breath of Heaven

This December, rediscover the sacred nativity by sharing beautiful songs and readings offered by the Lake Chapala Baptist Church Choir. “ADVENT OF PEACE: Breath of Heaven” is a program that will open your heart and fill it with joy. Sing favorite carols with the choir (words provided) and be blessed by the music of the season and readings the choir is preparing as their gift to the Lakeside community. Watch for exact dates and venues!


For more information about Lake Chapala visit: www.chapala.com


Kim LeMieux
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