One of the biggest parties of the season happened this week
in Loreto Bay – Mardi Gras, Mexican style!
This was the second annual celebration of “Fat Tuesday” and the party
got even bigger and better than last year’s (“Mardi Gras in Loreto Bay”,
February 2012) inaugural event.
The main instigator of this year’s festivities was the Nopolo Property Owners Association including my
friend Shelia, and her husband Manfred. This group is made up of Owners in the area surrounding Loreto Bay and, along with a dedicated team of volunteers, they spent much time in planning and
preparation for this event for months in advance. But the actual preparations on the ground
were in full force during the day of the party, when the Golf Clubhouse was
transformed by a crew of over a dozen, including Loreto Bay residents, who hung
decorations, set up a temporary stage in the Clubhouse Courtyard which would be
the dance floor, arranged bars and food stations and set out and decorated
tables and chairs under tents for over 200 party goers.
I dropped over to check out the preparations earlier in the
afternoon and was impressed with the “hive” of activity that was going on in
and around the Clubhouse. A crew of men
was setting up a cluster of shade tents on the edge of the driving range and
then arranging dozens of tables and hundreds of chairs under them. There were two large open air grills with
motor driven spits, each loaded with a full pork carcass slowly roasting over a
bed coals that were replenished over the 6 – 8 hour cooking time from a fire
barrel burning mesquite and ironwood.
The festivities got underway late afternoon, with the only
blemish being that it was an unseasonably cool day, albeit sunny, and there
were gusty winds, which thankfully died down somewhat as the evening
approached. Upon arrival people’s names
were checked off against a list of presales which had been available at a
number of businesses in town and Loreto Bay, and then we were given a wristband
and drink tickets and some Carnival beads, to get in the mood.
The large open air Courtyard at the Clubhouse provided a
great place to mingle and meet, see and be seen, and this year there was plenty
to see – with even more costumes than last year, many exotic and dazzling to be
sure! Lessons were applied from last year’s event and the logistics worked
well, food and beverage stations were set up along the south and west exterior
of the building, with the Brazilian Coconut Chicken entrée available on one
side and the Spit-Roasted Pork on the other, with a third area in between where
you could pick up the salads and side dishes.
With bars on each side serving the traditional Hurricanes, along with
wine, beer and water, the traffic flowed well around the building and even the
food lines moved more easily with the different entrées being served in
separate areas.
When most people had arrived the entertainment began, with a
solo Flamenco dancer and a quartet of Mexican folk dancers providing a colorful
start to the evening’s festivities. They
were soon followed by Los Beach Dogs – the ever popular house band for any noteworthy
events in Loreto Bay. This time the ‘Dogs
were backed up by a local Loretano drummer who added the backbeat that got
people up - and kept them dancing through the evening.
Those who were not indulging their “dance feet” (or watching
those who were) on the Courtyard dance floor, found places at the tables under
the tents where they could visit and socialize while enjoying watching the
sunset a few drinks and nibbling on snacks and appetizers . This was a great opportunity for people
watching and appreciating the time and thought that had gone into some of the
more amazing costumes. 
As it was beginning to get dark, and the gusty winds were
thankfully subsiding, food began to be served and lines quickly formed – and
kept moving steadily, no small feat when it comes to feeding over 200 people! The band called a break to enjoy their own
dinners, and soon most of the tables and chairs were full of people enjoying
their delicious meals. While we were
eating, another singer took the stage and serenaded the crowd with
Mariachi-style songs to a recorded back up and then moved outside with his
cordless mike and put on a side show for the diners.
After the break for dinner the ‘Dogs retook the stage and
kept the dance floor jammed for the rest of the evening, meanwhile people moved
easily around the colonnade surrounding the courtyard – listening to the music,
watching the dancers and enjoying each other’s costumes and conversations or
moved outside to refresh their drinks at one of the bars – because, even though
the wind wasn’t blowing, the Hurricanes were flowing (if you get my drift!).
As the evening wound down and it was getting close to “Baja
Midnight” (anytime after about 9:00 pm here) Shelia once again took to the
stage and announced a number of individual costume prizes for some of the most outstanding
getups. Along with these (that space and
my faulty memory prevent me from fully listing here) I too was selected to win
- for which I was most grateful, although the category of “funniest” men’s
costume, left me a little confused – recognition in any form is always
welcome! Let’s face it, the
opportunities for wearing my McNabb tartan kilt here in Mexico are few and far
between, but I trust the category was not a comment about my knees!
And so, another celebration came to an end, and as I made
the short walk back to my home that evening I was struck again by what a unique
and special community we are building here – big enough to successfully stage a
party like this for over 200 people, and yet small enough so that most of the
people there - knew most of the people there!
People from Loreto Bay and the surrounding neighborhood, Loretanos and
ex-pats from town, all coming together to share the spirit of celebration and
many of them going to great lengths to plan ahead and bring a costume in their
luggage, or make it from scratch – or pull something together with last minute
inspiration. Making their special
contribution to the magical energy of a special evening of Carnival spirit –
that is what makes it special “Living Loreto”!
