2019 January Paso Robles Magazine

4th Annual Tamale Festival Adds to the Recipe
Chihuahua costume contest spices up festivities
By PASO Magazine Staff
The City of Atascadero is host to the 4th
Annual Tamale Festival in Sunken Gardens
and across the downtown coming
Saturday, January 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event has been a success, growing each year
from the inaugural event in 2016. Featuring
gourmet, traditional and sweet tamales — and
everything between — tamale vendors arrive
from all over California. The City expects more
than 30 tamale vendors.
The popular “Tamale Contest” will return
this year, where all of the tamale vendors can
showcase their outstanding work in creating
the “best” tamale. There will be a “People’s
Choice Tamale” and a “Judges Favorite Tamale.”
Members of the Atascadero City Council
and local celebrities will kick off the judging of
the Tamale Contest at 11 a.m. to select their
own personal favorite tamale. The winners of
the “Judges Favorite Tamale” along with the
People’s Choice for the “Most Popular Tamale”
will be announced at 5 p.m.
The “Tamale Eating Contest” is a favorite
and this year and anyone interested in participating
can register at the Information Booth
from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. There will be two
categories, one for ages 12 and over on who
can eat the most tamales, and one for under 12
years of age to see who can eat two tamales the
fastest. These contest participants will have two
minutes in each age category to master the goal.
There will be an entry fee of $10 per person for
12 and over and free for under 12 years of age.
The contest will take place at 2:30 p.m. Space
is limited, first-come-first served. First-place
winners will receive a trophy.
New this year will be the Chihuahua Costume
Contest and Fashion Show. Sign-ups will
also take place at the Information booth from
11 a.m. until 1 p.m. and the contest will take
place at 3:30 p.m.
Entertainment will include the Mariachi
Mexicanisimo band, the famous Dancing
Horses, soloist Manuel Enrique, the Grupo
Folklorico Dancers from Paso Robles, as well
as music from the Dork Band, Ricky Montijo,
and the Los Gatos Locos band. The festival
will also include bounce houses, face painting,
balloon animals and plenty of fun for all ages.
A variety of food and craft vendors will be featured,
providing a wide variety of other food
types to appease everyone’s palette and appetite.
For interested tamale vendors and other food
or merchant vendors, the deadline to register
is January 4 at 5 pm. Applications are available
online at VisitAtascadero.com/events Click on
“Tamale Festival.”
For more information, contact Terrie Banish
at 470-3490 or email tbanish@atascadero.org.
January 2019, PASO Magazine pasomagazine.com | 45