The first event, Toadstock I, was held March 31 and featured Roberto Benjamin Zuñiga (also known as B.B. Zuniga and formerly as Bob Benjamin), a performer in Tamarindo and other beach towns in addition to various Arenal venues. Los Acetatos, a rock band from San Jose. completed the playbill.

More than 100 persons attended, reported Warner, who said, "I'm very satisfied with the this inaugural performance. We had a nice mix of Gringos and Ticos and all the towns in the area were represented." He said he plans an event every month or so. These will include musical events as well as dance exhibitions and even one-act plays from local theater groups, he said.

"Local theater groups" have so far avoided the limelight. Perhaps the new Toad Hall venue will

bring them out, and we can then let aspiring playwrights know where to join fellow creative types.

Roberta Ward Smiley's reforestation organization, La Reserva, S. A., just inaugurated an impressive new website at www.la-reserva.org. The colorful dual-language website, valued at $30,000, is an in-kind contribution from faculty and students at the University of Missouri, Columbia. There's too much interesting and well-presented information to summarize here. Included is a blog by Roberta.

From La Fortuna comes word - via Desafio Adventure Company's emailed Spanish-language newsletter entitled, surprisingly, The Jungle Jive - that dozens of volcano-area businesses contributed to the first annual Busqueda de Tesoros, bringing the Easter Bunny's gifts and activities to 150 children in the Parque Central. Among other things, the kids colored eggs, decorated bags, and searched for plastic eggs, which contained coupons for free gifts of such things as ice cream cones and hamburgers at various of the business sponsors.