Directors Leticia Alvarado & Cecilia Sanchez unveil a full calendar of activities, events & workshops

Entering the tall wooden doors of the unpretentious colonial in Centro throws you into the dynamic and joyous world of Leticia Alvarado Fuentes and Cecilia Sanchez Duarte, directors of Recrea, where the creative energy of artists and young people is barely contained by the thick walls, and a flurry of ideas bounce off the high-beamed ceilings.

Trinidadian steel drums come to town

With a name like Peggy Bryant, you might expect her to be marching in a Scottish bagpipe band, and you would have been right several years ago. Now her two passions are teaching English and teaching and playing steel drums, or pans, as they’re known. She’s ready, her studio’s ready, and her pans are ready to play.

Baseball season is happily upon us once again

The Mexican Pacific League Baseball season has started. I can’t help but get ‘ball’-obsessed and tell you about Maz’s AAA team. It certainly isn’t a secret: the Venados (direct translation: the deer) are a draw for many Mexicans and ‘Norders’ alike.

Going to a game is like going to a party, tubas and tambori at no extra cost! But that isn’t all - this is what Major League Baseball calls ‘winter ball,’ where, as you may know, many top-name professionals come to hone their talents in the off-season. We’ve seen some of the best here over the years; Vinnie Castillo (Hubba, hubba!), Ricky Henderson, Dave Winfield, Mike Piazza and Fernando Valenzuela, to name a few. Some MLB teams have arrangements with teams in the Mexican league to reserve spots for players they feel will benefit by playing winter ball in Mexico. Each team has room for six non-Mexican players. Foreign players on the team this season include John Lindsey, Brian Bixler, Raphael Martin and Gabriel De Hoyos.

Canucks’ Phil Nevile

M!: When did you become a musician?
Phil Nevile: I learned to play the piano when I was five years old, at my mother’s command. I didn’t appreciate it till I was around 16. My first gig was at my high school sock hop, in Manitoba. We were just kids, 16 years old, and we were paid $10 each. I’ve lost count as to how many bands I’ve been in since - there’s been hundreds! I’ve always been the singer in the group, but I’ve played the guitar, and for a while the keyboard. I’m currently learning the dobro, a slide guitar blues instrument.