Micki Cunnigham Remembers

When Micki Cunningham first came to Sayulita, three decades ago, she climbed the hill on which Don Pedro’s event Palapa now stands and took a picture of the sweeping arch of Sayulita. That photo shows a grand total of two homes.

A lot has changed since then and because of those changes, Pro Sayulita was formed to keep that sweep of beach and the town that grew behind and above it clean and safe. This year, Pro Sayulita’s tenth annual Fiesta, the community’s prime fundraising event for those services, will be held in the Palapa that was built where the view was once of two houses.

Micki has been a part of the Fiesta since its start, becoming the procurer of the items that were auctioned off. It was a difficult task, but one she enjoyed, especially talking to the artists and artisans who generously donated their work. Once she had the donations, she also did some clever marketing. One example was the time she had young women model the jewelry for sale. The women moved through the crowds, interacting with one and all, making the silent auction not quite as silent. It worked; the jewelry sold for much more than anticipated.

Despite the work involved, which grew more challenging when other groups also began asking for donations, her memories are positive, and one mark of pride is that no one has ever taken any of the items from the displays. Once, it seemed someone had, when a ring was missing. After a lot of worry and time, long after the Fiesta had ended, a woman who’d bought another piece of jewelry finally opened the bag it was in and was surprised to discover that her purchase was there along with a lovely ring she hadn’t bought. The ring was returned and the happy record was maintained.