Olive Branch Pickers

Thousands turn out for first Centro Cultural tamale event

Darren Simpson (left), Bradly Niblett, Rose Wheat, Colton Gates and Lexie Lyon attend the Relay for Life Battle of the Bands.

Kristen Fox-Trautman was pleased with the first Centro Cultural Tamale Fest, which was held June 27 at and in the vicinity of Caritas Village in Binghamton.

Or, in Spanish, she was satisfecha. “It’s been a great success,” said Kristen, the event organizer. “Our biggest problem was more people than we expected.”

About 2,000 attended the event, which was presented by Centro Cultural, Caritas Village and Crosstown Arts. It included vendors as well as cooks who prepared tamales for a competition. Ten teams included tamalemaking experts who taught amateurs how to make the popular food item from family recipes.

“Energy in that room was awesome,” Kristen said. “It really is community-building. All the people sitting around tables talking and making this special food.

“Tamales within the Latino culture are really dishes that are prepared for special occasions. It’s not an everyday food. It’s a special food. That’s why it’s a really exciting opportunity for the Latino community to share a special culture they make for the Day of the Dead, for Christmas or special holidays. It was challenging for me to find tamale vendors. A lot of Mexican restaurants don’t have tamales on their menu.”

A cookbook that included some of the recipes was featured at the event.

Organizers were surprised with the response when they announced they were going to have a tamale festival, Kristen said. “We learned most cultures have some type of tamale,” she said.

“Delta tamales really emerged and have become popular. We laughed that the corn dog is the Southern form of tamale. It’s any kind of cornmeal breading with something stuck in it.”

HOLE-IN-ONE

Austin Bennett, 22, hit his eighth hole-in-one June 23 at the St. Louis Catholic Church Hole-in-One Charity Festival, a weeklong event that began on Father’s Day. Golfers try nightly to win cash and other prizes.

“I just go out there and hit,” Austin said.

Unfortunately, Austin

was injured playing another sport after he left the festival. “I dislocated my finger playing basketball,” he said. “It’s an independent league.”

That wasn’t all. “We got killed,” he said. “We got beat by 20. It wasn’t worth the dislocated finger.”

In addition to golf, the event, which benefits the athletic, scouting and youth ministry programs at St. Louis as well as the Blue Streak Scholarship Fund for the Jubilee Schools, includes rides for children and food. Barbecue pork and barbecue bologna sandwiches were among the items prepared by the St. Louis Men’s Club Culinary Institute.

On the final night, those who qualified returned for the hole-in-one shootout for a car and another for $1 million.

This was a historic year for the 58th annual festival. “We had our first-ever holein-one for a car,” said the event’s publicity chairman, Joe Evangelisti. Bailey Childress won his choice of a free car, which was sponsored by

Kenny Myers of AutoNation Ford Lincoln Wolfchase/AutoNation Honda 385.

“What is even more interesting is that (Bailey) also got married at St. Louis two years ago during the same weekend as the Hole-inOne,” Joe said.

“He came with his bride and the wedding party on golf carts from the church after the wedding and hit some balls in his tux while his bride in her white wedding gown looked on.”

Bailey, who played golf at UT-Martin on a golf scholarship, has hit balls at the St. Louis event for 10 years.

As for Saturday night, he said, “I was just swinging to see what happened. I think it’s the most relaxed I’ve ever been out there hitting a golf ball.”

The week was even more special for Bailey and his wife, Keeley. Their first child — Jackson Bailey Childress — was born on Father’s Day.

BAND BATTLE

Why did Sherrill Bull get a stage, lights and the street roped off for the Relay for Life Battle of the Bands?

“I think music is the way of life,” she said.

Sherrill, who owns the Olive Branch Pickers music store, which sponsored the event, held her second Battle of the Bands on June 27 as a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. A cancer survivor, Sherrill said her husband, mother and brother-in-law also had cancer.

The event was open to all music genres. First-place winner The Aaron Holland Band got a full recording session with Crossroads Studio in Southaven.

Fans at Tamale Fest included (from left) Madeline Spolan, Lucy Smukler, Ana Sandoval and Carlos Acosta.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL DONAHUE THE COMMERCIAL APPEAL Tyler Sevier (from left), Addison Renfrow, Taylor Dickey, Zach Leeton, Hannah Brazelton and Brandon Middleton were at the Relay for Life of the Bands.

Lathan Spadafora (from left), Walter Soefker and Kyle Heintz were at the Hole-in-One Charity Festival.

The Aaron Holland Band took first place at the Relay for Life Battle of the Bands. The band includes, (from left) Marshall Huffman, Nick Busby, Aaron Holland, Chase Anderson and Anthony Holland.

Absolute Zero, which includes Colton Gates (from left), Brian Rehmel, Trevor Wallace and Kyle Pugh, performed at the Battle of the Bands.

Shane Soefker (from left), Father Adam Rust and Curt Soefker were at the Hole-in-One Charity Festival.

Raphael Renfroe and Raphael Renfroe Jr. went together to Tamale Fest.

Austin Bennett (with Lauren Lewis) hit his eighth hole-in-one at this year’s Hole-in-One Charity Festival.

Drew Turner, who performed with Black Plaid, and Shawna Houston were at the Battle of the Bands.

William Norton was at the St. Louis Catholic Church Hole-inOne Charity Festival.