Tamales are an integral part of the desert Southwest’s culinary and social fabric.
It is only fitting that Somerton, Arizona’s biggest annual event is a 12-hour long street festival dedicated to the tasty delicacy.
More than 30,000 people filtered through two blocks of downtown Somerton the weekend before Christmas to purchase and eat thousands of beef, chicken, pork, and green chile and cheese tamales from dozens of vendors, mingle, and listen to live bands across the day and evening on two stages at either end of the event area.
The event is 15 years old, the brainchild of members of the El Diablito Arizona State University (ASU) Alumni Chapter, of whom brothers Carlos and Arturo Anaya, Somerton natives and longtime U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) test officers, were charter members.
“We got the idea after graduating from college,” said Arturo Anaya, who chairs the entertainment committee. “We were roommates and came back to Somerton and decided we wanted to do something for the community. We spoke to the city of Somerton and they liked the idea.”
The El Diablito Alumni chapter retains a portion of the event’s proceeds to fund ASU scholarships for local youth.
“All the proceeds from the event go to scholarships,” said Arturo. “Our goal is to give anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 in scholarships.”
Carlos Anaya, Chief of YPG’s Simulation Branch and president of the organization, says YPG personnel have been staunch supporters, as both volunteers and patrons.
“We never thought it was going to get this big,” he reflected. “But every year it got a little bigger, and the bigger it got, the more motivated we got. We have over 200 volunteers helping out now. We couldn’t do it without them, and without the sponsors.”
The good food and good fun are also are a major boon for the city of Somerton, and the brothers credit their work experiences at YPG with helping them make the event a consistent success.
“Being test officers at YPG has helped us with the coordination of this project,” said Arturo. “We coordinate tests at YPG, and that is what we do here: the skills we use at YPG translate directly to planning and executing an event like this.”
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