Open Circle
Mark Fogelquist will present “History of Mariachi” at the next gathering of Open Circle, Sunday, May 5, 10:30 a.m. in the garden of the Lake Chapala Society.
Fogelquist received his BA and MA in Ethnomusicology from UCLA. His master’s thesis (1975) was the pioneering academic work on mariachi music. From 1973 to 1993, he directed Mariachi Uclatlán, one of the Los Angeles area’s leading professional mariachi ensembles. In 1993, Fogelquist moved to Wenatchee, Washington, where he organized the state’s first school mariachi program and mariachi conference, programs which are still alive 30 years later. For his work as an educator and contributor to culture in Washington he received the Governor’s Heritage Award, as well as the Reconocimiento Ohtli, the highest award of the Mexican government for individuals contributing to the well-being of Mexicans abroad.
In 2001, Fogelquist returned to California to teach at Chula Vista High School and San Diego State University, where his students won numerous awards and competitions and were honored by the New York Times, the Music Educators National Conference, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and the Encuentro Internacional del Mariachi in Guadalajara. Fogelquist has been a presenter, speaker and instructor at mariachi conferences and festivals around the United States and Mexico. In July 2022, he was inducted into the Mariachi Hall of Fame, the only non-Mexican to receive this honor. He now lives in Ajijic where he is involved with the Escuela de Mariachi “Pedro Rey.”
Mint Julip time
Niños Incapacitados will hold a Kentucky Derby Party fundraiser, Saturday, May 4, 3:30 p.m. in a luxurious garden setting with multiple big screen TVs, Kentucky-style refreshments, fried chicken with all the fixings, pie and ice cream. Tickets, 1,500 pesos, are at a link on programaninos.com. Only 40 tickets to be sold.
Voter Assistance
Need help requesting—and returning—your ballots for 2024 U.S. elections?
Come to the Lake Chapala Society Monday, May 6 from 10 a.m.–1 p.m. The Vote From Abroad team can help. Strongly recommended: Get your ballot request in by May 31 at latest and avoid complications. If there are challenges, you will have plenty of time to fix.
Questions? Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cooking Club
The Lakeside Cooking Club meets Wednesday, May 15, 4 p.m. at the Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Calle San Jorge 250 in Riberas del Pilar. The theme is Asian Cooking in Small Groups. To register to cook savory or sweet (40 bites), email Michele Lococo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than May 8.
If you do not cook/present, the delicious and filling tasting menu costs 200 pesos, and everyone is welcome to enjoy these dinners.
To sign up to attend only, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by May 8. For more info, see Facebook/LakesideCookingClub.
LCS classes
• Rebeca Mayo gives the Introduction to Lakeside 101 seminar, Friday, May 10, 2:15 to 4:15 p.m. at LCS
• Is someone you know so good at sharing a story that you have difficulty discerning fact from fiction? Are some things just too good to be true, or too incredible to be believed? Join instructor Victor Martinez on his course, The Legends & Traditions of Mexico & Popular Folktales, Wednesday, May 29, 10 a.m. to noon at the Lake Chapala Society Neill James Sala. Cost is 485 pesos (30-percent discount for members).
• Ana Lauren Warren Vega will help you maximize your writing skills and learn the basis for creating a great story in a Literature and Writing seminar. The class is held on three days, Friday, May 24, Tuesday, May 28 and Friday, May 31, 2 to 4 p.m. a the Neil James Sala. The cost for all three classes is 620 pesos.
Sign up for these and other classes and/or become an LCS member at lakechapalasociety. org.
Spanish conversation
The Advanced Spanish Conversation Group has changed its location and will now be meeting at Casa Barragán (Ramón Corona 13, Chapala Centro), Sundays, 4 p.m. The group is diverse, easy going, relaxed and enjoys discussing a variety of topics. The group is aimed at those with an advanced conversational level, but we welcome those who wish to come to listen and join in whenever they feel comfortable. Our group includes one native speaker, and none of us speak “perfect” Spanish (does such a thing even exist?) and no one expects you to. Make all the mistakes you want—it’s a judgement free zone. Beyond that, more native speakers who’d like to meet new people, converse with people from other countries, and spend their Sunday afternoon in a fun and enjoyable setting are welcome.
Reaching Out
Created in March 2020 in response to Covid-19, the Reaching Out Program of the Lake Chapala Society asks volunteers to contact individuals who live alone, are sick, or elderly to make sure they are okay. This free service offered by LCS members, called “Reaching Out Companions,” is available to anyone living at Lakeside, from Jocotepec to San Nicolas de Ibarra.
Companions are contacted daily by email, phone call, messenger or WhatsApp, and asked to respond to let the volunteer know they are okay. Each companion has an emergency contact person whom the volunteer can contact in case their companion does not respond by a set time each day.
To volunteer, contact Glorine at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at +1-208-890-6265 or (52) 331-535-1935.
LCS goes to Mazamitla
Want to experience the beauty of an Alpine Village within less than two hours from Ajijic? Mazamitla is the place to be!
Explore the enchantment of Mazamitla when the Lake Chapala Society hosts a trip there Tuesday, May 28, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Cost is 1,850 pesos (30 percent discount for members). To reserve your place on this tour, and/or to become an LCS Member, go to lakechapalasociety.org.