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Loreto Fest 2009 News: April 30, 2009 - May 3, 2009
LORETOFEST NEWS
The time is approaching for Four Fabulous Days of Fun with Loreto Fest starting April 30th and continuing on through May 3rd. This year, Loreto Fest will be held at the Singlar facilities. The surroundings are beautiful and include a host of amenities: the bathrooms are great and there is a convenient dump station for the cruisers. Singlar is offering a 20 % discount to all cruisers mooring during Loreto Fest. Constanza at Singlar would appreciate it if the cruisers could please pre-register as early as possible with Singlar to make everything run smoother. You may contact her at: cnoriega@fonatur.gob.mx.
Please make sure that you have your boat registration on board, along with your insurance for the boat and if you have been enjoying Mexico for longer than 6 months, you will need your import permit.
Seminars are being firmed up, activities are coming together and we are excited!
We will start the fest on Thursday, April 30th with the celebrated Annual Chili Cook Off. If you are interested in having your own chili included, please bring a big pot to share. Our dinner that evening will include the chili and an appetizer potluck.
Friday, May 1st, is our Mexican Fiesta Day. The day starts with a swap meet, so bring your treasures from the bilge or palapa to swap or trade for coconuts! We will be having a kid’s carnival and local vendors will be displaying their crafts. Dinner will be a “make your own” potluck taco bar with many of the local women bringing goodies to share. We hopefully will have Mexican Folk Dancers to top off the evening.
Saturday, May 2nd will start off with the annual Bay Clean-up. There will be kids activities again including Jim and his puppets! Tune up your motors for the annual dinghy race. Members of the Hidden Port Yacht Club will feast that evening on a FREE spaghetti dinner, courtesy of the Commodore. If you are not yet a member, you’ll have opportunities to join during Loreto Fest. Dessert that evening will be root beer floats at the soda shop. The dance theme for evening is: “Blast from the Past, the 50’s”. Anticipate “the 50’s” costume contest during the dance; prizes will be awarded. So, pull out that 50’s attire and come dance the night away!
Sunday, May 3rd will start with another freebie (if you’re a Hidden Port Yacht Club member), the annual pancake breakfast! The games (bocce ball, horseshoes, cards, over-the-line) will wrap up on Sunday and the afternoon will feature a dinghy parade. The silent auction will end and the meal that evening will be a potluck affair. After dinner we will be having “The Ted Mack Amateur Hour” so bring your talent to share.
As always, Happy Hour starts at 4:00 pm every day and hot dogs and beer will be served all day long. We look forward to seeing you at the 2009 13th Annual Loreto Fest!!
If you would like to sign up for your membership (200 pesos) early, please contact Connie “Sunlover” at the Hidden Port Yacht Club website:
http://www.hiddenportyachtclub.com She will have your cards waiting for you when you get here. See you there!!!
Bay Fest Background
Proceeds from the ever - popular Silent Auction and other LoretoFest activities are donated annually by Hidden Port Yacht Club to the Internado schools and to students which have begun their university education.
LoretoFest is “pet friendly” and well-behaved dogs on leashes are welcome.
Please visit our website: http://www.hiddenportyachtclub.com to view pictures of last year’s LoretoFest.
HPYC started as an idea the afternoon of Nov. 1, 1993 when Bob & Peetie "Vela" and Norm & Gigi "Phase II" were sitting have a cool one, Bob said "Let’s start a yacht club." What an idea for Puerto Escondido. The first thoughts of a "Harbor Clean Up Day" were mentioned in the June 10th, 1994 minutes. As the story goes, everyone thought cleaning up the harbor and land area was a great idea, but getting everyone together at one time seemed to be the big challenge. A pot luck dinner was announced, all those coming to the dinner were met with a surprise – before the dinner there was going to be a "Harbor Clean Up". All agreed this was so much fun "Let's do it again next year". January 1996 started the planning for the first "Loreto Fest" Now has become a four day event.
Loreto
Fest 2009 plans are in the making, and the hopes for this year’s event
to be the best. Everyone, land or sea is invited to come have fun and
participate in the music, games, kayak parade, seminars, clean up. There
are some different ideas for the Candeleros Regatta this year. Please
read our web page for full details a schedule of events will be posted
closer to the dates.
From Previous Loreto Fests...
Fred "Casa Anuja" the beer bar committee head had a surprise
when the ice was delivered a day early. Some years it has not been delivered
till noon on Thursday. It is always is 
a miracle how 1 week before Loreto
Fest one thinks it is never going to happen, then all the boats start
arriving, with everyone's hands helping, it all falls into place. It is
amazing; and all have a wonderful time seeing new and old friends.
Thursday kicked off with ham test, Mel "T'N Honey" arrived from La Paz to give the test. Rob "Drue Anne" passed, (the amazing part was he only studied the night before) and Jim "Moody Base" passed his code test. The Green T-Shirt was received by Fred" "KF6IGY". The day also included water color workshop, slow jam session, music harmony workshop, and then a hors d' oeuvre pot luck and a sing along.
Friday, started off with a swap meet, then workshops on Katadyn water makers, beading, Mexican weather, games of Baja Rummy, Mexican Train, Chess and Horse shoes, and a slow jam session. Beer swilling and hot dog consumption was in full swing all day. This was followed by a potluck dinner and a fine music program. Bags and bags of garbage were collected along with some larger items like a refrigerator! Workshops on water colors, beading and crafts, guitar and baja rummy, and Mexican train continued. Chess games went on throughout the afternoon and dinner. The Beer Garden was a popular playing area
At 5:00 PM we had a wonderful show of the Ballet Folklorico de la Casa de Cultura, this is a group of college students who do a very professional and colorful hour of folk dances from various states of Mexico in the appropriate costumes of each state. A donation hat was passed for the Casa de Cultura.
Spaghetti dinner, free with paid Membership, followed the dancers. A musical program was given after dinner.
Sunday’s first event was the Spam and Bimbo contest. There were few entrants but they produced some fine entries. The HPYC pennant was faithfully represented with white bimbo and red and green spam. Bob Marlee, the reggae king, turned up in spam to win the top prize. This was followed by a great pancake breakfast. The Over the Line games started on Sunday, with the Singlar team winning the event. Beading, crafts and board games continued. The Dingy parade added some colorful moments to the afternoon. Happy hour and the potluck dinner followed. The evening started with awards and the completion of the silent auction. The musicians entertained with another wonderful show.
Loreto Fest has also become a music fest, each year there are more people coming to add to the entertainment.
What is the purpose of HPYC? Helping our national friends and neighbors and for the education of children has been our goal. During the last 10 years we have helped send children to school, donated medical supplies to the hospital, helped the cultural center, donated air conditioners to the handicap school, aided the Internado School in Loreto and Lugui, helped the bicycle club of Loreto, gave financial aid to the battered mothers and children program in Loreto, drug and alcohol for men and women, Green Angels, plus help some of our cruiser friends when they have had disasters.
People joining the Club, attending Loreto Fest, purchasing burgees, T-Shirts and participating makes everything possible. Becoming a member of HPYC not only can help others, it is a internationally recognized club with privileges at other yacht clubs. Children under 18 are considered Jr. Members.
Puerto Escondido is considered a safe harbor for hurricanes, you enter the harbor from the waiting room to the inter harbor that is surrounded by hills with two windows that look out to the Sea of Cortez. The mooring and anchoring is operated by two separate agencies, API and Singlar. Singlar maintains the inter harbor and is building a Pemex station and facilities. API the waiting room and ellipse Nearby there are many islands, Isla Carmen being the largest, and many other anchorages only a short distance away.
We look forward to seeing you in Loreto!
Hidden
Port Yacht Club
Alternate Sec.-Treasurer