The Grapevine | by Greg Brady
 The Grande Prairie Rotary Club is keeping up the good work that it has been doing for many years, giving its sister city Mazatlán more help on wheels. Two new ambulances, a fire truck and a school bus bring to a total of 27 the number of motorized vehicles that have been added to the local fleet. But wait, there’s more! 55 functioning wheel chairs made the long journey down, making life more mobile for dozens of needy residents. Another 45 wheelchairs are bound for southern Sinaloa areas, including Concordia, Rosario and Escuinapa. Also, there are a whole lot of clothing and toys to be distributed to orphans. And to bring the sister cities closer together, a direct Grande Prairie to Mazatlan charter flight is in the planning stages.
Two new gambling establishments have been approved by Mayor Jorge Abel Lopez and his cabinet. One has already opened on Avenida Ejercito Mexicano, with little fanfare, no liquor license and no ceremony, while a more ritzy, high profile casino is planned for the booming Marina area.
 Mazatlan’s foremost musical maestro Enrique Patron de Rueda is coordinating a special seminar for the development of vocal perfection May 17-22. Three to four dozen songbirds from throughout Mexico and the United States will attend, and a celebration of opera is scheduled at the Angela Peralta Theater for the closing night, Thursday May 22.
Starting June 1st, a new luxury cruiser will be a frequent visitor to the Mazatlan port: the Chihuahua Star, recently overhauled and redecorated by the Carnival Cruise Company. It will be making the 12 hour journey across the Sea of Cortez (also known as the Gulf of California), transporting people and cargo from Mazatlan to La Paz, Baja California and vice versa, replacing (and greatly improving on) the aging California Star. The Chihuahua Star is equipped to accommodate 1,400 passengers, features 135 quadriplex cabins, 11 personal suites, a swimming pool, 2 restaurants, a nightclub/ theater and 2 retail stores.
 National tourism, that is, Mexicans vacationing in their own country, is up 50% over the last five years, according to local marketing director Javier Paez of the Association of Hotels and Tourist Businesses. He noted that the highway improvement has made Mazatlan more accessible to inland population centers such as Guadalajara, whose residents can now drive here in the same time it takes them to reach Puerto Vallarta. Watch for Mazatlan’s streets and beaches to fill up with Spanish speakers during the summer months
Last week Mazatlan’s port (API) played host for a few days to a unique US Coast Guard sailing ship, the training vessel USCG Eagle. The three masted cutter was originally built in Hamburg Germany in 1936, and was seized as a prize of war by the US in the aftermath of WW II. She survived a hurricane on her maiden voyage under a US flag in 1946, and another en route to the Bahamas in 1954. Local maritime students were invited aboard to inspect the seacraft before it set sail.
Mexico’s federal anti-smoking law officially went into effect last Monday, May 12, theoretically limiting public smoking to designated areas, so be sure it’s OK before you light up that after-dinner stogie! The Law Page 5
On a sad note, two deceased whales were discovered beached some 4 kilometers south of the Estrella del Mar golf resort. Raquel Briseño, investigator with the Mexico City University UNAM’s Institute of Limnology identified the unfortunate creatures as an Eschrictus robustus, or gray whale, of 14 meters, and a Globicephala macrorheneus, pilot whale also known as a Calderon dolphin, of 4.7 meters. She reported that the mammals had apparently died at sea and washed ashore.
The Las Cabras beach festival, Escuinapa’s annual May bash, starts tonight, Friday May 16, at 8 PM, with the coronation ceremony of the new 2008 Las Cabras Queen. Saturday, Sunday and Monday will see sporting events including boxing, and a varied lineup of live musical acts with headliners Liz Vega on Saturday and Pilar Montenegro on Sunday. At midnight Saturday the Women Only beefcake revue will shake some booty. Mayor Sergio Crespo is anticipating an attendance of some 30,000 revelers over the long weekend. Escuinapa Vodeo
Guess that’s all for now! |
