12/15 - McAllen's Inaugural McAllen Marathon / Boys & Girls Club Tamale Festival

From The Monitor — City officials announced plans for the inaugural McAllen Marathon, which will coincide with the Boys & Girls Club’s first-ever tamale festival.


Both events have been scheduled for the Dec. 15 weekend, and will take place near the intersection of North 34th Street and Buddy Owens Boulevard — home to the city’s new De Leon Soccer Complex and the club’s Glen E. and Rita K. Roney Center.

The McAllen Marathon replaces the now-defunct International Friendship Run, which originally took U.S. and Mexican athletes across the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge.
 

“The McAllen Marathon, like the International Friendship Run, will be an event the entire region can be proud of,” said Assistant City Manager Wendy Smith.

Organizers hope the McAllen Tamale Festival will become the Boys & Girls Club’s signature event, akin to the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley’s annual Empty Bowls fundraiser.

“All the proceeds from the tamale fest will go to McAllen Boys & Girls Club. We serve over 12,000 children,” said club board member Romeo Cantu, who has helped organize the event. “So this will go to support their programs that we offer here in the City of McAllen.”

- http://www.themonitor.com/news/local/article_a2babeaa-b2b6-11e2-b97d-0019bb30f31a.html

UPDATE from mcallen.net:

The Boys & Girls Club of McAllen presents the first ever McAllen Tamale Fest and "Hot Tamale" Kids Fun Run, December 14 & 15, at the new DeLeon Sports Complex, located next the north Boys & Girls Club (Glen & Rita Roney Center).

The Tamale Fest, on December 14, will include a tamale competition, a tamale eating contest and tamale making classes. There will be live entertainment, children's activities, arts & crafts booths and many food and drink vendors, including a beer and wine garden.

The "Hot Tamale" Kids Fun Run, on December 15, is part of the inaugurual McAllen Marathon. Click here to view the official McAllen Marathon website.

All of the proceeds of the festival will benefit BGC McAllen, which started off as one club in 1966, has now grown to 14 sites throughout the City, serving over 12 thousand kids. One of the primary goals of the Boys & Girls Club of McAllen is to keep kids engaged in afterschool programs at each site.
As a non-profit organization looking to continue to help these children and many more, BGC McAllen is looking to partner with sponsors for the Tamales Festival.