The Menudo Festival in Santa Maria to benefit the Latino Peace Officers Association is only in its third year, but organizers are hoping for 1,500 to 2,000 attendees at the festival Sunday.

The event is well on its way toward those numbers, as the festival is set to be held at the Santa Maria Fairpark this year because it outgrew its previous venue of the Santa Maria Veterans Memorial Cultural Center.

Last year about 1,000 people attended the festival, said Alfredo Ruiz, president of the Latino Peace Officers Association in Santa Barbara County and an officer with the Santa Maria Police Department.

“It's relatively new, but it's very popular in the community.”

Menudo is a traditional Mexican stew that contains tripe, spices and other ingredients.

Twelve participating area restaurants will bring menudo to the fairpark for the event, which runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Ruiz said.

Among the participating restaurants are La Hacienda Restaurant, El Toro Tortilleria and Maya Restaurant. Maya earned top prizes in the categories of people's choice award and judges' award the last two years, Ruiz said.

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“We have a lot of the same restaurants with a few new ones.”

First, second and third places are awarded for people's choice, the judges' award and best booth presentation.

For a fee of $7 for adults, $3 for children ages 6 to 12 and no cost for children 5 years old and younger, attendees can sample menudo from all the restaurants and vote on their favorites, Ruiz said.

Eleven judges are expected to rank the menudo for the judges category. They include Santa Barbara County Superior Court judges Rogelio Flores and Frank Ochoa, Santa Maria City Councilwoman Hilda Zacarias and Lt. Craig Ritz of the Santa Maria Police Department.

Ruiz said that local bands will perform, as well as Righetti High School's ballet folklorico. Local law enforcement agencies will provide information on career opportunities at booths set up at the event, he said.

“It's a nice event for the whole family,” Ruiz said.

Funds raised from the festival will benefit the Latino Peace Officers Association, and much of that money will go toward scholarships in the name of Robert Ramos, a Santa Maria Police Department officer killed in 2003 when he accidentally shot himself while holstering his handgun.

Ramos' widow, Yolanda Ramos, will be one of the judges at the festival, Ruiz said.

Tickets can be purchased at the event or by calling Ruiz at 928-3781, Ext. 737.

Samantha Yale can be reached at 739-2159 or syale@santamariatimes.com.

January 25, 2007