By Khaki Scott
Topic: Events
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This Week… starting August 17, 2009

There are not many events scheduled for the city this week. As 33 million Mexican children get ready to head back into a new school year, everyone has made arrangements to enjoy this week  either at the beach or with family and friends. Even baseball has taken the month off! This is the perfect time to rest and relax. Experience has taught us well that these little blips of inactivity usually explode with more events in the next few weeks and months than anyone can imagine!

Municipal Fiestas This Week

Fairs vs Fiestas
We often hear that someone went to a fiesta and could not find it or could not find the artisans. We thought we would clear up the difference between a Fair and a Fiesta so that won’t happen anymore. At a fair, one can expect to see all of the booths set up by all of the local artisans – all in one area. Fiestas, on the other hand, are usually religious events that have a smaller, less well organized area for games and such. At a fiesta, there will be processions by different groups of workers, with plenty of church services in which visitors can admire the newly renovated churches throughout the state. At a fiesta, if you came looking for the work of artisans, more than likely, you will have to ask around and visit the artisans in their homes or workshops. Whether an event is a fair or a fiesta, there is always something interesting to see and something good to eat, just around the next bend in the road in Yucatan!

This week – with up to 20 fairs and fiestas already in progress, we add just two more:

Buctzotz Fiesta: 8 Day Event
August 22 through August 30
Believe it or not, Buctzotz begins a new fiesta before the current fiesta ends! This fiesta is based around a pilgrimage in honor of the Immaculate Conception. We found a 4 minute section of a road trip into Buctzotz on YouTube here. Be sure and look for paintings by the children of Buctzotz, as shown on the Mundo Maya website

Seye Fiesta: 5 Day Event
August 23 through August 27
This fiesta is in honor of St. Bartholomew. If you are looking for a fine hemp hammock, you can find one in Seye. If you are looking for a great place in the country, Seye is close enough to Merida to ride out to the fiesta and take a look around. This is old henequen country, the very spot where much of Yucatan’s 19th and early 20th century history took place. The men that built the house for the Working Gringos all came into Merida every day from Seye. In addition, did you know that Yucatan has an endangered species of hairless pig? They are being raised by 8 farmers in 3 communities, one of which is Seye. Read all about them here.  

In the City This Week

Monday (Lunes) August 17, 2009

Salon at Cafe Chocolate
This weeks reading is Dan Ariely – It has become increasingly obvious that the dismal science of economics is, well…. dismal! Are we in control of our own decisions?
Location: Cafe Chocolate, Calle 60 x 55 y 53
Time: Mondays: 5:00 PM
Admission: Suggested donation of $20 pesos

Cairo Cinema Movie
On Monday nights, the movie shown at Cairo Cinema Café is chosen by audience vote.
Location: Calle 20 #98-A x 15 y 17
Time: 7:00 PM
Admission: Free

Tuesday (Martes) August 18, 2009

Music at Café Peña
A Collective Show of the Workshop of Yucateca Song. On hand tonight will be the ultra-talented Mtro.Felipe de la Cruz. A special treat will be a rock/pop performance by GUVA.
Location: Café Peña K’aay T’aan, in Casa de la Cultura del Mayab, Calle 64 x 65
Time: 8:30 PM Tuesday
Admission: Free

Wednesday (Miercoles) August 19, 2009

Movie: Deep Crimson
This Arturo Ripstein movie is based on “The Lonely Hearts Murders.” The life of a man who preys on unsuspecting women for a living is changed when he finds an accomplice in the woman who loves and controls him. This is a Mexican movie, released in 1996, that won over 20 awards, including multiple Ariel Awards (Mexico’s Oscar) and Best Music and Best Original Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival that year. This crime film is in Spanish, but it might be a perfect chance to practice your comprehension skills!
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98-A x 15 y 17, Col. Itzimna
Time: 7:00 PM Wednesday
Admission: Free

Thursday (Jueves) August 20, 2009

Movie: Storytelling
This 2001 Todd Solondz film presents college and high school as the backdrop for two stories about dysfunction and personal turmoil. The film stars Selma Blair, John Goodman and Paul Giamatti, and features original music by Belle & Sebastian.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98-A x 15 y 17, Col. Itzimna
Time: 7:00 PM Thursday
Admission: Free

Friday (Viernes) August 21, 2009

Second Annual Urban Break-Dancing Contest
All or Nothing – The Real Battle! This should be great fun! It was a smash hit last year and can only be better this time around. Breakdancing is getting BIG in Merida… come out and see how they do it here! We’re guessing that after Michael Jackson’s death, there will be some moonwalking and other tributes to this great dancer.
Location: Teatro Merida, Calle 62 x 61
Time: 4:00 PM Friday
Admission: Tickets available in the box office

Movie: The Transporter
This film is about a man (Statham) whose job is to deliver packages without asking any questions. Complications arise when he breaks those rules.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98-A x 15 y 17, Col. Itzimna
Time: 7:00 PM Friday
Admission: Free

Saturday (Sábado) August 22, 2009

Movie: Sunshine
This Denny Boyle movie is about a team of astronauts are sent to re-ignite the dying sun 50 years into the future.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98-A x 15 y 17, Col. Itzimna
Time: 7:00 PM Saturday
Admission: Free

Second Annual Urban Break-Dancing Contest
More great dancing from Merida’s dancers… check it out!
Location: Teatro Merida
Time: 2:00 PM
Admission: Tickets available at the box office

Sunday (Domingo) August 23, 2009

Documentary: Dragons of Today
This documentary is about the hold-over animals that remind us of the dragons of the dark and mysterious past. These include many reptiles, inhabitants of the deep, and such animals as alligators and crocodiles. There are even quite a few bugs that still have protective armor.
Location: Museum of Natural History on 59 next to the Zoo
Time: 12:00 PM Sunday
Admission: Free

Movie: Stalag 17
This is a 1953 Billy Wilder film. When two escaping American World War II prisoners are killed, the German POW camp barracks black marketeer, J.J. Sefton, is suspected of being an informer. Stars include William Holden, Otto Preminger, Robert Strauss, Harvey Lembeck, Peter Graves, Neville Brand, Michael Moore, and many more. A real classic not to be missed.
Location: Cairo Cinema, Calle 20 #98-A x 15 y 17, Col. Itzimna
Time: 7:00 PM Sunday
Admission: Free

Coming Soon

Wednesday August 26
Music: "Remembering the Composers"
Tonight the Caballeros composers are to be honored. These include: Víctor M. Martínez Herrera, José Díaz Bolio, Jorge Peniche Peniche and José Antonio Zorrilla (“Monís”). The performance will be by the Trio Ensueño and the Rondalla Universitaria, a group that is getting ready to celebrate its 43rd anniversary. This is a program that remembers composers during the month in which they were born.
Location: Museum of Song, Calle 57 # 464 x 48 y 50
Time: 9:00 PM Wednesday
Admission: $10 pesos
More Information: 923-72-24 or 928-38-60

Vienna Boys’ Choir to Sing in Merida
Get Your Tickets NOW! Performance Date: Sept. 5
The Vienna Boys’ Choir will be performing, along with the Symphony Orchestra of Yucatan, at the end of their tour of Mexico. This is the only performance in Southeastern Mexico, so everyone south of Puebla is going to want to be here. In addition to performing works by German composer Carl Orff, the choir will, for the first time, be singing Mexican songs, as well as portions of the opera Carmina Burana, as well. These tickets are on sale now and are not expected to last long.
Location: Salón Uxmal in Centro Yucatán Siglo XXI, on the road to Progreso
Time: 9:00 PM
Admission: VIP ($1,200), Platinum ($900), Diamond ($800), Gold ($600) y Silver ($400). These prices are in pesos. Tickets go on sale on August 5.
For Reservations and Information Call:  240-89-74 or 9999-47-32-34

Concert: Celebrating The Life
Sept 10, 2009
This concert will present the unpublished songs of Felipe de la Cruz, among others. For those who do not know him, Mtro. Felipe de la Cruz is an outstandingly talented composer and no one can interpret Yucatan’s trova quite like he can. There is every reason to believe that this will be a star-studded Yucateco case of voices we will hear tonight. This is a "must see" performance, so do get your tickets early.
Location: Teatro Merida
Time: TBA
Admission: Ticket Outlet: Calle 38 # 295 x 81 y 83, Col. Montes de Ame
Information: 927-14-14 and 9999-00-98-98

September 15
Singer Pedro Fernandez will perform during the Grito Ceremony.
Location: Plaza Grande, Calle 63 x 60
Time: 11:00 PM
Admission: Free

Nuestra Belleza México 2009 Comes to Merida
Sept. 19, 2009
“Our Beauty Mexico” 2009 is a national beauty contest that will take place in Merida this year. Contestants will arrive for instruction and final training on Sept 3. The first phase of the contest will be on the 12th of September. Then, on the 17th of September, there will be the bathing suit and cocktail dress competition. Finally, on September 19th, the 15 finalists will compete for the title of Nuestra Belleza Mexico 2009. Competition will include intellectual preparation, as well as physical beauty. This final competition will be broadcast lived throughout the nation. During the course of the competition, these young ladies will tape their presentations from a number of places throughout our state. These include Celestun, Progreso, Sisal, Valladolid, Uxmal, Chichen Itza, and Merida. These tapes will then become part of their competition and will be shown throughout the nation on the final night of the contest. This will present our state to all of Mexico and will serve to show the Mexican people that Yucatan is a wonderful place to both vacation and to live, and is expected to significantly boost tourism from other states in Mexico.
Location: Siglo XXI Convention Center, Salon Chichen Itza.
Time: TBA, Sept. 19
Admission: TBA

For Merida Month-at-a-glance Calendar, click here

or

For ongoing events and classes in Merida,
please click here for our Ongoing Events Calendar

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