Sunday, December 10:

Over 12,000 school-age children of excellent academic performance and humble extraction will be the guests of honor of Panama City’s Mayor, Juan Carlos Navarro, during this year’s Christmas parade, which will take place on Sunday, December 10.

Prior to the parade, the youngsters, who will come from all 21 corregimientos (boroughs) of the greater Panama City area and the interior provinces, will be toasted at a grand party at Parque Urracá, on Avenida Balboa, where they will engage in caroling and games along with their local host families. This is a tradition, which, with the first parade over a decade ago, has forged countless relationships between city families and children from the countryside throughout the years.

The parade itself will start at 3:00 at Parque Urracá, where many marching bands, delegations of civic and religious entities, and lavishly-decorated floats will initiate a 5.6 km march through Avenida Balboa, Avenida Aquilino de la Guardia and Calle 50, ending at the intersection with Vía Porras. The route will be lined with food vending points and will be patrolled by police and emergency personnel.

Guests at hotels in the Vía España area will be close to the parade route. To get there, simply follow the crowd. The main roads will be blocked off to motor traffic as early as Saturday afternoon.

The parade will end with a fireworks display over the bay later that evening.

A Christmas parade float.

A month-long series of buffets featuring ethnic foods of many countries is in store for visitors at Panama City’s Hotel El Panama, during "Navidad alrededor del Mundo" ("Christmas Around the World",) a program starting on Friday, December 1.

Some of the countries honored during this culinary festival will be Colombia (Dec. 1), France (Dec. 2), Italy (Dec. 11), Spain (Dec. 23) and Costa Rica (Dec. 19). There will be international brunches on Sundays and special dinners on Christmas and New Years’s Eve, as well as an "Egg Nog" Brunch on New Years’ Day.

Located on Vía España, in the heart of the city’s financial district, Hotel El Panama is considered the "dean" of modern hospitality on the Isthmus. It has an active schedule of annual activities and performances, both at the hotel itself and at the adjacent, Vasco Núñez de Balboa Convention Center.

For more information, call 215-9451.

The Audubon Society of Panama invites birdwatchers to its traditional Christmas Bird Count excursions. The first will take place in the forests of the Pacific entrance of the Canal (December 17.) The following week, on December 23, two groups will visit the Canal’s central area and the town of Volcán, in the province of Chiriquí. A trip to the waterway’s Caribbean terminus is scheduled for December 30.

The Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Counts have been taking place for over 100 years around the world to protest wildlife hunting during this time of the year. Approximately 2,000 bird counts take place around the planet on any given year, involving approximately 50,000 birdwatchers. The first Audubon Christmas Bird Count in Panama took place 37 years ago.

Registration fee per count is $10.00. For more information, call Itzel Fong Gadea at 232-5977, programas@panamaaudubon.org

Christmas arrives at The Theatre Guild

The Christmas Spirit will invade the Theatre Guild of Ancon on December 14, as it opens its Christmas show: LIVE AT STATION XMAS. Written by Theresa Apple and directed by Charles Todd Apple, the story is about a 1940's radio program that goes up to the North Pole to interview Santa Claus on the eve of his famous trip around the world only to find that the workshop is filled with unhappy elves and a Santa who isn't "all-together." Despite of this, the program goes on as scheduled with music and interviews while it's discovered that the discontented elves have taken Mrs. Claus hostage for a half-million in cash and a plane to Rio -- all for better working conditions and a salary! The Christmas Spirit appears and is determined to make everything right through her devotion to the Season and her great ability to party! In the end, The Christmas Spirit comes up with a solution that satisfies everyone and allows Christmas to go on as scheduled. This show was originally performed as part of a USO Tour in Okinawa, Japan, and has also been performed in West Africa and in Virginia.

The play opens December 14, with shows on December 15,16, 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. There will be a matinee on Saturday, December 16 at 2:00 p.m. Donation: $10.00

For tickets and reservation information, please call 212-0060.

The event is Dec. 15-16:

The establishment of a nationwide, 911 emergency hotline system is the main goal of this year’s 20-30 Telethon, Panama's principal charity event of the year, which will take place December 15-16 at Atlapa Convention Center.

Numerous Panamanian and international performers will take turns in raising the US$4million needed to create the system during a 24-hour show broadcast by all commercial TV stations.

A tradition started by the 20-30 Club in 1981, Panama's Telethon is an awaited part of the country's December activities. In the past, the event has raised millions of dollars to establish new medical and rehab centers for the handicaped and underprivileged children.

For more information, visit the page www.teleton.com

Beautiful catch at Bahía Piñas.

Tropic Star Lodge held its annual tournament November 24-28 with the participation of world-class international and Panamanian anglers. The catch-and-release event was held near Gray reef, a rich deep-sea bank close to Bahía Piñas, where large specimens of Blue Marlin, Sword Fish, and Stripped Marlin thrive.

Located on the coast of the province of Darién, Bahía Piñas is one of the world´s most prestigious fishing venues. Opened in the 1960's, the facility is visited by well-know celebrities and sports figures from around the planet. Over 250 international fishing records have been established in the waters surrounding the resort.

Two major events are in store for visitors and residents in the town of Boquete, Chiriquí, in the first weeks of 2007. The first is its annual Flower and Coffee Festival –the largest of its kind in Central America (January 9-16) featuring folklore dances, games and flower exhibits from around the world. The second is the Boquete Jazz Festival, scheduled for February 2-4.

Located 480 km west of Panama City, Boquete is a strong magnet for North American and European retirees, who have prompted a real estate boom this decade. A picturesque agricultural community founded by European immigrants in the early 20th century, Boquete is known as the country's flower capital. Its navel oranges are considered a true delicacy as well. Situated 1,600 meters above sea level, the community enjoys year-round, spring-like weather. The months of January and February are the coolest months of the year in Boquete.