| | |  News from Around Banderas Bay 
Banderas Bay North Shores News
 Sue Fornoff & Harold Sokolove - PVNN
March 27, 2010
| | Amandine Porte runs the the Rancho Mi Sueño horse center near Bucerias. Plans are in the works to turn the facility into a "family friendly events center." | |
Sue Fornoff and Harold Sokolove keep us informed about all of the latest news and local happenings on the northern shores of Banderas Bay.
Story of Mexico
Bucerías resident and Mexican history buff Noble "Horacio" Dunson makes his second appearance at the Bucerías Bilingual Community Center (BBCC) next week.
Dunson will present his own unique and sometimes humorous slant on Comanches and Cowboys and How Mexico Lost Texas and the West! on Wednesday, March 31, 6 pm. The event is free and open to the public. The BBCC is located on 16 de Septiembre near the corner of Matamoros.
Information from his first talk on the history behind Bucerías street names appears in a 21-page booklet that Dunson is allowing the BBCC to sell to raise funds for the center. Call (329) 298-3381 to reserve a copy of The Streets of Bucerías for only $100 pesos.
2010 Altruism Festival
The 2010 Altruism Festival is scheduled to take place on May 2, beginning 6 pm.
You might remember that the 2009 Altruism Festival was cancelled last year because of the swine flu scare. Tickets are available for purchase now to this year’s annual fund-raising event for charitable organizations, held at the Marriott Casa Magna in Marina Vallarta.
The same Puerto Vallarta-area charities chosen last year to benefit have been selected again this year. Included are three Bucerías charities: Manos de Amor children’s shelter/orphanage, PEACE and the Rey Nayar Children’s Library.
The ticket entitles the bearer to all of the food and drink they care to have. The food booths are provided by many of the most popular restaurants in the Puerto Vallarta area. The non-stop entertainment consists of top-notch musical and dance performers.
Tickets are $300 pesos in advance or $400 pesos at the door. Each charity is obligated to sell 50 tickets in order to continue being a beneficiary. All proceeds are divided equally among the 24 participating charities.
If you would like to purchase tickets, contact Rita Kollock (from the children’s library) at (329) 298-1263, Valiene Heckart (Manos de Amor children’s shelter) at (329) 298-1013, or PEACE at 044-322-160-8874.
Ranch of My Dreams
Rancho Mi Sueño means "ranch of my dreams" and that’s exactly what Florence Berleand and her boyfriend, Stephane Rey, have in mind for the large multi-use area, primarily now an equestrian center.
Berleand envisions the facility becoming a "family-friendly events center" for weekend activities, birthday parties and special romantic dinner nights.
"I loved this place from the first time I came," says Breleand. "I just want to make it a nice place to come to, out in the country, for people who are looking for an alternative. Not everyone here goes to the ocean."
She says the mountain ambiance attracted her and her boyfriend to the ranch when they came to the north shore of Banderas Bay on vacation about three years ago. That’s when she first met Almandine Porte, who was opening her equestrian center. The center’s focus was, and for the most part still is, on teaching horseback riding and stabling horses.
But if Berleand has her way, Rancho Mi Sueño will become a destination for families looking for something "a little bit different" than the typical Mexican beach resort. Aside from her and Stephane’s El Ficus Café on the grounds, you’ll find a brincolin (air-inflated trampoline) and a swimming pool.
"We don’t have changing rooms built yet," says Berleand. "But we do have a room off to the side of the café that anyone can use to change into or out of their bathing suits." She pictures families coming for a swim and fun day at the ranch, taking a snack break at the café, which has a shady dining patio adjacent to the pool and lounger area.
She wants to keep things simple and that’s reflected in the café’s menu, serving simple fare for breakfast, lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday and a dinner menu only, Tuesday to Friday. Since customer volume is so unpredictable, Berleand suggests calling for the café’s operating hours.
Berleand says she will open the café for a group of ten or more who want to have breakfast "in the country." The facility is also "dog friendly," meaning visitors can bring their pet as long as it well-behaved and is "picked-up after."
Already, she has instituted a farmer’s market, featuring handcrafted items and organic food items, on Saturdays. At the end of high season, it will become a regular event, as long as there are vendors and customers, on the second Saturday of every month.
Berleand is thinking of having karaoke night and an "art day," where a massive canvas will be provided for aspiring artists to share their artwork with the public.
The road past Rancho Mi Sueño is now paved. Travel up Estaciones, about two kilometers past Colegio Bucerías and look for the sign on the right. It also has a presence on Facebook and you can find information at RanchoBucerias.com.
You Can Fight City Hall
The small Bahía de Banderas community of San Ignacio has shown that you can fight City Hall. For several years, the leaders of the pueblo have asked the authorities to provide speed bumps or other speed control on the section of Highway 200 through the town. Many accidents have taken place due to the speed of the vehicles and the fact that it is a straight part of the road where vehicles often pass. Recently, a cyclist was hit and killed by a Pacifico bus that was passing a truck in the town.
Community leaders threatened to block the highway on Sunday afternoons until the situation was corrected. True to their word, the highway was blocked on Sunday, March 14. A promise was made to have the speed bumps installed within the week. Another blockade was threatened, but highway authorities came through and speed bumps were installed by March 16.
Congratulations to San Ignacio residents for doing what it took to get the job done.
Bucerías Bilingual Community Center on Facebook
You can now follow the BBCC on its new Facebook page. There will be information on upcoming events, classes, needs, and opportunities. There is a place for discussion, a chance to get to know other people in community and potential for enhanced communication. You will also find basic information such as office hours, location, staff etcetera.
To become a fan, search on Facebook for "Bucerías Bilingual Community Center." There will be a BECOME A FAN badge to click on, and you will be a member of the BBCC community.
Reprinted from the Guadalajara Reporter
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