Gail Blizard
Wow! It’s been a very exciting January for the Spanish Culture Club!
January 7 was our Spanish-speaking lunch at the Mesquite Grill. Several members got together and had a lively discussion about holidays, books and iPhones. All topics are fair game as we’re just there to enjoy lunch and practice our Spanish skills.
Next, on January 18, seventeen club members had dinner at Carlota’s in Catalina, where we enjoyed Mexican food and were serenaded by an excellent Mariachi band. It always amazes me how many talented musicians there are in this area.
The highlight of the month was our monthly club meeting held at the activity center. We enjoyed a bountiful potluck dinner. During dessert, we elected this year’s slate of officers and thanked Marian Brook not only for serving as President this past year, but also for her vision to create the club many years ago and her continued active support.
Officers for 2019 are President, Kay Sullivan; Vice-president, Laurie Colen; Treasurer, Riley Jackson and Secretary, Linda Miles.
Last, but not least, we were treated to a presentation on Don Quixote de La Mancha and the musical Man of La Mancha. Susan Kravitz, who teaches in ILR, was both engaging and animated as she walked us through the story and drew comparisons from the 17th century novel and 1960s musical to contemporary issues. She punctuated her presentation with several video clips from original cast performances. Thank you, Susan!
Kate Grinnell and Judy Freeman were awarded a certificate and prize for having read the entire novel in Spanish. Way to go, Kate and Judy!
We had a monthly Spanish-speaking (or not) breakfast on January 28 at the Roadrunner Grill and our monthly Spanish-speaking lunch at the Mesquite Grill was on February 4.
For our February meeting on the 18th, James Cowlin, a local photographer and historian, will be talking about the Spanish Trail of New Mexico. Later in the month, there will be a group outing to the Tucson Rodeo, “Fiesta de los Vaqueros.”
Coming up for our March meeting is our annual trivia contest. (Questions in English, topics from the Spanish-speaking world.) We will also be attending the musical, American Mariachi, during its Tucson run in March. It is a heartwarming, hilarious new comedy about music’s power to heal and connect and the freedom to dream big.
We are a culture club, not a language club, interested in all aspects of Latin American and Spanish culture, including art, music and customs. Speaking Spanish is not required; however, if you’re interested in improving your Spanish, there are opportunities to do that as well.
The club meets monthly on the third Monday of the month. We generally have a potluck dinner, followed by our program. Our meetings are conducted in English.
Monthly Spanish-speaking lunches are on the first Monday at noon at the Mesquite Grill. Contact Audrey Tarchine by the prior Friday to reserve a spot at [email protected].
Monthly breakfasts are on the fourth Monday at 8:30 a.m. at the Roadrunner Grill. Try out a new word or two while you get to know other members in a small, relaxed setting.
If you are interested in joining or would like to attend an event on a trial basis, please contact our membership chairperson, Susan Durschlag,
at [email protected].