Puerto Vallarta, Mexico - There's always so much going on in Puerto Vallarta and around Banderas Bay, it can be difficult to keep up with it all. Here's a look at some of this week's Puerto Vallarta news headlines and community announcements, plus a couple of this weekend's events that you won't want to miss.

PV Kids to Play Sister City Soccer Tourney

The Highland Park Sister Cities Foundation is hosting a Youth Soccer Tournament over the Fourth of July weekend that will include a team of 12-year-old players from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, one the community’s kindred cities. The Puerto Vallarta team will be accompanied by members of the Puerto Vallarta Sister City Committee and parents of some children participating in the tournament. Guests from Puerto Vallarta will march with the Sister Cities Foundation in the Highland Park Fourth of July Parade. During their stay, they also will be escorted on a tour of Chicago and participate in other local events. Other teams participating in the tournament include Deportivo Highland Park, a team formed by the Hispanic community in Highland Park and Highwood; AYSO Highland Park; Lake Forest Select and Chicago Fire Juniors North. Parent Power Chicago, a nonprofit organization, is the event sponsor. Bernardi Securities is the Puerto Vallarta team sponsor. The Highland Park Sister Cities Foundation was founded in 1989 to further global understanding through people-to-people exchanges. In addition to Puerto Vallarta, Highland Park is a Sister City to Modena, Italy, and Yerucham, Israel.

Radio Disney Launches in Puerto Vallarta

On Monday, June 23, Grupo Acir, in conjunction with the Walt Disney Company, officially launched Radio Disney on the 89.5 FM station. Radio Disney plans to air more than just the kids' favorites. The station will also broadcast music by national and international artists with an emphasis on pop-rock in Spanish and English to entertain all family members with carefully programmed broadcasts based on quality, values, humanism and professionalism. According to the executive vice president and director of Grupo Acir Nacional, Antonio Ibarra Fariña, this format currently has an international presence and aims to strengthen the communication company's link with local society. "It will be a station for the whole family, and a bond between family and friends. It will be a vehicle that brings people together because everyone is going to be listening and listening... This is the sixth city to have this station, and we are very pleased to bring this new concept of radio to Puerto Vallarta. In the end, there will being a string of 10 stations in Mexico... 10 cities that will be sharing this dream... a dream that brings us all closer together," he said.

Analog Photography Workshop at Cultural Center Cuale

Whether you are a nostalgic analog photographer or just want to know about the art of photography, the Vallarta Institute of Culture invites you to take the Caja Negra ("Black Box") Photography Workshop that is taught by Yesika Felix on Mondays and Tuesdays at the Cultural Center Cuale. In this workshop, students will come to know the basic principles and visual rules of photography in small groups of three people to ensure individual plans and personalized treatment. The classes last two hours and are available in three shifts, with the first one beginning at 10:00 am. The course is divided into three stages. In the first stage, students bring five previously taken photographs, which are studied to distinguish the composition. After an analysis, the trainees are given a plan that will work to their advantage and exploit their concerns. "Most students are young and have never had experience with an analog camera. They just take pictures with their cell phone and do not stop to watch what they are taking," says Maestra Felix. She added that in analog photography every shot is at least a photograph, not just one more picture in the digital world. In the second stage, students learn to process negatives and contact sheets. The third stage is photo production. They learn that all of the effects that can be made to a photo in digital programs can also be performed in the "Black Box' (dark room). This workshop aims to sharpen students' vision and meditate on images with the necessary tools and intentionality. The results are always encouraging, so two exhibitions are held each year. The next student photo exhibition will be held in November.

Weekend Events in Puerto Vallarta and Around Banderas Bay
Click on titles for more information

• The Flavors of Oaxaca at Daiquiri Dick's

• 'La Habitación Mágica' at the Cuale Cultural Center

• Mamas in PV Breakfast on the Beach Bash, June 28th