Sometimes timing and circumstances conspire to challenge my
aim to deliver a regular and up to date snapshot about what has been going on
here in Loreto Bay - like in the case of one of the "signature"
events that has been held here for the past three years, the Loreto Food &
Wine Festival which took place yesterday afternoon. With my self-imposed schedule of posting by
noon on Sundays, Blog worthy happenings on the weekend pose an obvious
challenge between my wanting to make the post timely and the simple logistics
of getting it done between when it took place and my publishing deadline. So with that said, here is my offering,
composed Sunday morning within about 12 hours of this event taking place.
For the second year this Festival was held on the grounds of
the Loreto Bay Golf Resort and Spa, which is now under new management since it
became part of Carlos Slim's empire late last year. For the first time it was planned as an
afternoon event between 1 and 6 pm, rather than the afternoon/evening timing of
the previous two Festivals. Once again, about
14 local restaurants provided samples of specialties served from tented booths
set up in the patio gardens of the Hotel and four regional wineries were in
attendance serving their vintages by the glass and bottle as well as offering
special discounts for case and half case quantities. 
It is also a high profile occasion for entertainment, this
year featuring two local bands; Aguas Negra, a Loreto based group of musicians,
and Loreto Bay's own Los Beach Dogs who have become one of the most popular attractions
among the ex-pat community and beyond.
The combination of these two groups illustrated the vibrant local music
scene and the high level of talent that we enjoy here between the Mexican and
Foreign communities. A fact that was
underlined by the exchange of musicians between the two groups during the
afternoon's performances, with members of each "sitting in" during
the other's sets, to the obvious appreciation of those in attendance who kept
the dance area in front of the bandstand filled during most of the afternoon. 
When I arrived about a half an hour before the 1:00 pm start
time, final preparations were underway at the food booths with the fragrant
smell of Mesquite smoke from several wood fired grills mixing with the careful
display of previously prepared samples of a mouthwatering selection of local
delicacies ranging from Mexican style chicken mole and chilles rellenos to
ribs, clams, sushi and sashimi, topped off with an impressive and tempting
display of deserts. Volunteers were busily
making final preparations to the various ticket booths and check in counters,
while the wineries were arranging their displays of product and the bands were
doing final sound checks of their equipment.
By 1:00 a lineup had formed through the lobby of the Hotel
as people arrived for the afternoon's event and they filed past a table affixing
their wristband passes, depositing a numbered tab for later raffle draws,
receiving a souvenir glass and a sample service of sparkling wine to get the
festivities underway. Drink tickets were
available for purchasing wines, beers, soft drinks and water and people soon began
mingling, finding tables, and checking out the food selections soon to be
available. The Silent Auction area was a
popular venue with a steady flow of potential buyers, and as more and more
people arrived the large pool/patio area of the Hotel was soon mainly filled
with Festival patrons who far outnumbered the regular Hotel guests who must
have been curious with the transformation of their otherwise sparsely occupied
resort.
Soon Aguas Negra took to the stage with gusto and played
several high energy sets of classic rock and blues mixed with some more
traditional Mexican style numbers. In a
small town like Loreto there are few local musicians that can make a living
just from their music, most have "regular" businesses or jobs and play
as a creative outlet, perhaps covering their equipment investment and expenses
from occasional paying "gigs".
So in addition to enjoying the music, many in the audience know some of
the musicians in their other roles, like Gustavo who played lively percussion
with the band and is familiar to many of us as the owner of a popular local
furniture and decor store.
After most people had arrived and found a beverage and
a table, the food booths were opened and 
Later Los Beach Dogs took over the stage and performed their
smoothly professional repertoire of classic rock and blues, accented with
several of their own compositions, which have become crowd favorites among this
audience. Some of whom have developed almost
"groupie" like enthusiasm for these "local heroes" whose
diverse musical backgrounds have melded together into an ensemble that provides
many of us who live here with what has become a sound track for our Loreto
lifestyle.
Auctioneer
raised a substantial contribution to the eventual charitable fundraising totals
for the day, but this event could never have taken place without the enthusiastic support of many hardworking volunteers, some of whom have spent many hours over several months organizing this day. And so the afternoon continued, with return sets by both bands,
featuring some of the members of both groups joining each other for variety
which encouraged enthusiastic dance participation from many of those in
attendance. While conversation and
socializing was the activity of the day for the rest.
After several raffles for gift certificates, sponsored by
many of the participating restaurants, the afternoon turned into early evening
and another successful Wine and Food Festival came to it's conclusion by 6:00
pm. Leaving sufficient daylight for most
of us to wander through the landscaped pathways back to our Loreto Bay homes
with the feeling that we had both enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of food and
drink and made an important contribution to the community that we have adopted
as our winter home. Bringing together
the enjoyment of good food and drink, with local music, arts and crafts, and
resulting in raising significant funds being raised to make a difference for
many who live in our community, is a perfect blend of what is best about
"Living Loreto"!
