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BLACKWELL BLOCK PARTY AND MURAL
The Blackwell Block Party is an annual one-day festival celebrating and commemorating the diverse culture and the rich heritage of Marfa. The cornerstone event of the 2018 Blackwell Block Party was the unveiling of a community-inspired mural.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Menudo Cook-Off
Do You Make the Best Menudo?
Put it to the test at the
1st Annual Menudo Cook-Off
The menudo cook-off is a competition where contestants prepare their own particular recipe for this traditional tripe soup and submit it for taste testing. Local celebrities will be on hand to sample and judge the menudo. When judging is finished, all of the people attending the Blackwell Block Party will have a chance to enjoy the menudo.
Want to enter? Bring $10 cash and your pot of fully cooked menudo in a plug-in pot to to the Blackwell School between 10:45 and 11:00 am on April 28
.
Win prizes: The top three contestants will be awarded prizes donated by local businesses.
It's a good cause: The Marfa Police Dept is hosting the cook-off in partnership with the Blackwell School Alliance. The Cook-off is a fundraiser for Marfa ISD’s Ballet Folklorico.
Enjoy eating menudo: When the judging is finished, everyone can enjoy menudo for just $5.
The Party
The Blackwell School Alliance hosts the Block Party as part of our mission to serve the Marfa community through culture, history, and education.
The Block Party is a free, family friendly event serving multiple generations and people of all backgrounds through art, dance, music, stories, and food. The Party is held on the grounds of the Blackwell School and Blackwell Park in south Marfa.
11:00 a.m. Kick off the Day with Mariachi Santa Cruz and the unveiling of our Mural in the parking lot of Stripes East, then move to the Blackwell School.
11:30 a.m. DJ Natalie Melendez spins tunes at the Blackwell School and the food is ready--cabrito, tamales, picadillo, y mas--and it is free, our gift to you. Everyone is welcome.
11:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon Judging takes place for the Marfa Police Department's Menudo Cook-off.
12:00 noon Everyone is invited to enjoy menudo, for a fee of $5 each. This is a fundraiser for Marfa ISD Ballet Folklorico.
12:00 to 2:00 p.m. Primo and Beebe bring their special musical blend of traditional and Texas favorites.
12:00 to 4:00 p.m. Activities for kids, Pedro Infante films play inside, loteria, and more fun stuff.
2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Marfa Public Radio presents a trio of stories of our borderland home. Ballet Folklorico performs. Menudo winners announced and prizes awarded.
3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Natalie Melendez provides the soundtrack for a lazy afternoon visiting with friends and eating cake (Oh, that's right! There's gonna be a giant cake!).
The Mural
The mural is a work of public art that celebrates and commemorates the rich culture and heritage that make up the Marfa mosaic, in a way that fosters pride, ownership, and engagement on the part of ALL residents and visitors to Marfa
Muralist Cimi Alvarado is designing the mural using images, stories, and symbols discovered through community conversations in Marfa. The method is painting on fabric in the studio and applying the fabric to the wall with adhesive, a method known to last as long as 25 years.
The city of Marfa approved the placement of the mural on the east wall of the Casner Building. This is the wall that faces Stripes East. Currently the wall has a historic Casner sign painted on a corner of the wall. The mural will not disrupt that, but rather will be placed to the left of the sign.
GET INVOLVED
The Block Party and Mural received generous grants from the City of Marfa, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation, local businesses, and individuals near and far. THANK YOU ALL!! Now, we just have one last request: can you volunteer a few hours of your time on April 28th to make this dream come true?