Regulars to the Rally know Mogollon. The Arizona band has played a few Rallys, and their mix of country and rock is just about the perfect mix to motivate the crowd to dance, party, and what have you. That’s what they’ll be doing at the Saturday night Beach party, a real highlight of the Rally.

Up and coming country star Matt Farris takes the stage Friday night at Puesta del Sol Restaurant. And Thursdays opening to the Rally will have the outdoor stage at Banditos working overtime, as various groups will perform.

The count down to the Rally continues. With just weeks to go till things kick off on Thursday November 6th, excitement is building in Rocky Point. Come down and experience The Greatest Motorcycle Fiesta Just South of the Border.

Seaside Reservations is proud to be a Gold sponsor for the 2014 Rocky Point Rally.

 

Sent from my iPad

 

The group that helped start the popularity of Cumbia throughout Latin America, Sonora Dinamita, will be coming to the Rocky Point Convention Center Saturday, September 27th.

Hits like “Mi Cucu” and “Amor de Mis Amores” brought Columbian Cumbia to a worldwide audience starting in the 1980’s. The latest incarnation of the group is still on the road, and September’s event will help local charities through the sponsorship of the Rotary Club International.

At a recent press conference, club President Eduardo Vallejo Vazquez and members of the Puerto Penasco Mar de Cortez Rotary Club announced the event. After a long history here, the Rotary Club had been dormant for a number of years. Re-accredited just his Summer, the local Rotarians are wasting no time organizing an event for the benefit of the community. Proceeds from this event will be put to good use helping the local general hospital.
Saturday, September 27th will be a night for dancing. The opening act is Los Venturas de Caborca. Tickets for Sonora Dinamita are $200 pesos, $250 at the door.

 

If you are coming down for the Labor Day Weekend, you are sure to notice something new on the Rocky Point skyline. This wind generator is a first for the town, and is the talest structure in the entire state of Sonora.

Wind energy seems like a natural here, and this may be the start of a project that looks to lower energy costs for local residents.

Take a little break from the sun this Labor Day Weekend at the Mermaids Market, happening in the lobby of the Sonoran Spa Resort. One Saturday every month, the local artists and crafts people who make up the Mermaids Market bring a varietry of handmade products for sale.

Jewelry, clothing, art made with found objects from the beach, even homemade fudge, they are all on display. Did I mention home made fudge?

You can enter and park through the resorts main gate, or walk up from the beach.

The Mermaids Market is this Saturday, August 30th from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

 

While October is still a ways off, you might want to start planning now for the next appearance of singer/songwriter Mark Mulligan in Rocky Point. For the second time this year he will be entertaining fans at the Carribean Parrot.

While a show by Mark is a near perfect way to get into that laid-back beach vibe, this next show will be offering something special. Mark will be joined by singer/guitarist David Sheehy out of Phoenix. The two will make the night less of a Mark Mulligans greatest hits, and more of a sing-along.

Well known songs by the Eagles and other favorites from the 70’s will be the focus, so be ready to raise a glass and have a great time Friday, October 10th at the Carribean Parrot located just off of the Mirador (near Capone’s). There is NO cover, but as the proceeds go to local charities (as in all Mark Mulligan performances), please donate at on your way in at the door.

by Richard Scott

Now it was the teachers turn to learn. Seated at tables in the ballroom were thirty or so of Rocky Points’ best educators. They had come to pick up new tools, and to hear about a philosophy where the science of how people learn is combined with respect for the individual. For more than 10 years, Star Shine Academy has been making this vision a reality for the children of Phoenix.

“Do all of you have water for the kids in your classrooms?” Trish McCarty is the director and Founder of the Academy. She leads todays’ orientation that includes lots of interaction with the local teachers. Big things and small can have an impact on classroom learning. “Studies show us that without enough water, the brain will not be in the mode for learning, it just won’t happen.”

Nuts and bolts details about how to make sure a day at school is always a day of learning, are mixed with examples of the beliefs that Starshine feels makes a better classroom, and a better world. At the Starshine Academy in Phoenix, children work in a community garden, and make decisions about what they want to learn, and help each other acheive their goals.

“Music is a BIG part of the program” says Steve McCarty. A successful musician, Steve and his wife Trish are tireless advocates for improving the lives of children through education. “So much research shows that music is a universal language. It can be used in so many ways stimulate the learning process.”

The McCarty’s are regular visitors to Rocky Point, and are excited to share what they do with the local community. “This orientation will help us identify the educators that we want to work with” says Trish. “The goal is to bring the Starshine principles here, and document the improvement in the outcome for local children.” If we succeed, we we can get the support we need to have a regular presence here.”

This event was hosted by the Sonoran Sky Resort and took place in their Los Volcanes Ballroom. Want to learn more about Starshine? You can go check out their website at www.StarShine.org, or at their Facebook page.

By Richard Scott

 

 

As I came home from a muggy afternoon. I sit down and answer a phone call from my niece. I talk with her and look out the window to notice a group of people gathered around the protective fencing directly below. I rush down the elevator. “Great” I think, they must be hatching. “I’m anticipating getting to see them making a run for the water.” As I approach the beach it seems odd to me that I don’t see tracks or little turtles. I only and see children and adults standing inside the fenced area exactly where the eggs should be.
I tap a gentleman on the shoulder. “Sir, what’s going on? Are the turtles already gone?” It turns out its “Larry” who owns several properties I manage.
Larry proceeds to tell me that the turtle that laid her eggs here must have confused her location. Unfortunately it was too hot for the eggs to survive and when the Ocean Biologists checked on the eggs none the embryos had survived.
The little black bag that this child is holding is what is left of what our little city or Puerto Penasco held our breath for waiting for the Turtles to return to the sea.
Steve Schwab

From three blocks away, I could tell someone was cooking with chile, garlic, lemongrass, and ginger. I am used to the scent of grilled steak, or a warm smell of a bowl of tortilla soup. The exotic flavors of Thailand have come to Rocky Point with the brand new El Patio Thai Restaurant. With many years of cooking the cuisine of Asia, and also travelling to Thailand to learn first hand, the chef wanted to share her ‘street’ style Thai food in this new venture.

You enter El Patio Thai through a hallway that leads to an interior courtyard. So you are inside and outside. The kitchen is right in front of you, making for a nice, aromatic show while you wait for your food. The big blackboard lists the menu full of Thai classics, and that menu is always changing. “There are so many different things to make in Thai food, so we change. Plus, it’s boring to do the same thing all the time” the chef tells me. “Our first idea was to open a Chinese restaurant, but we looked around and saw that there where already a few. That’s when I decided the style of Thai food I had studied would offer something new here.”

Try the Red Curry, the classic Thai dish. A mix of chile, coconut milk, and lemmongrass, the combination of flavors makes a unique taste all it’s own. Pad Thai noodles, papaya salad, stir fries, and fish cakes with cucumber relish are all on the menu too. Is it hard to find the ingredients you need here? “Yes a little. We work with what we have. For example, there is basil here, but it is not exactly the same flavor I am used to. So probably we will start growing our own.”

On the Malecon near Beachbums, on a Friday night you can hear their house band playing salsa while you enjoy the flavors of Southeast Asia. Located near the intersection with Zaragosa, El Patio Thai is a nice adddition to this area of creative and interesting businesses.   by Richard Scott

*El Patio Thai is located on the Malecon by the Caldwell Banker Real Estate office,

*Open 7 days a week from 6:00pm to 11:00pm

* Phone 638 116 5136 for home delivery

 

This week, the city of Rocky Point opened a Visitors Information Center on the Malecon. Walk in for help in English or Spanish, and take a look at the material that is available from the hotels, tour companies, and others in business of appealing to vacationers. The Center is in the stone building across from Portofinos Restaurant at the start of the Malecon.

High powered viewing binoculars have been installed on the Malecon too, and you can see in detail everything out to the resorts on Sandy Beach. Is that our condo? Did we really leave the Mini Mouse beach towel hanging on the railing? Oh well.

While you are looking, see if you can spot where the sea turtle nest is. Earlier in July, a Pacific Olive Ridley sea turtle came ashore to lay a clutch of eggs, now buried on busy Sandy Beach. Look for the protective orange mesh that has been set up around the nest to shield them. An environmental official from the Mexican government is there monitoring the safety of this protected species.

Not a regular event like it is down south in the state of Nayarit, the nesting of a sea turtle happens once in a while around Rocky Point. In about twenty more days we should see the baby turtles make their mad dash into the surf. The question is, will they stop for a selfie first?

Art events are popping up around town in the form of movie nights, photography shows, and dance events. In the past week, the Plaza de la Madre has hosted two of these. Plaza de la Madre is the public park next to the baseball stadium, and is dedicated to mothers (there is a statue of a drowsy mom cradling one baby while reading to another child. Way nicer than a soldier on a horse or a politician).

On Sunday, the monthly Cultural Corredor brought together painters, photographers, and musicians by the old fashioned Kiosk at the center of the park. The Soundsets, piano, bass, sax, and vocals, played Jazz with a pop touch.

Wednesday night saw the second in an on-going series of events to be held here. Music from the duo of Vania and Heber (known to regulars of the Mare Blu restaurant) accompanied a show of low-rider customized bicycles. Ballet was performed by the Mariana Zatarain Dance troupe, and body painting was realized by Izreal Garcia with make up from Lourdes Rivera.

Watch the Seaside Reservations blog for more about the events and activities you can find when visiting Rocky Point.   by Richard Scott

 

 

Bella Sirena means the ‘Beautiful Mermaid’. Part of that beauty comes from the lush landscaping, pristine pools, and luxurious interiors.  A unique and beautiful resort, plan your next stay with Seaside Reservations.