Time to turn up the heat for Hospice fundraiser
By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

Barbecue cooks, listen up: You still have time to sign up and show off your prowess before the multitudes.

"We've still got some slots available for the cook-off," said Claudia Raun, executive director of Hospice Support Inc., about the annual Heating It Up for Hospice barbecue cook-off and live music extravaganza set for Friday and Saturday.

This is the fourth year of the hugely-popular Heating It Up fundraiser, which benefits the Hospice Support Inc. foundation. That nonprofit organization is located here here but serves people in a 50- mile radius of El Campo, including Wharton, Matagorda, Colorado, Fort Bend, Jackson, Austin and Brazoria counties.

All the money raised in the event - $85,000 last year - stays in the El Campo community, organizers said.

Raun said Muldoon's Saloon owner Tim Ryan and Don Davis dealership's Rick Davis have united to host the fundraiser for Houston Hospice - El Campo on March 14 and 15 at Muldoon's, 110 Railroad.

Forty slots are available for barbecue teams this year, up from 30 last year, but as of Tuesday, 16 spaces remained available, Raun said. Besides categories for brisket, chicken, pork ribs, chili, beans, sausage or open seafood dishes, teams can compete for the People's Choice and Showmanship awards, Raun said.

Country singer and songwriter Joe Diffie will perform at the annual cook-off this year. Diffie - a balladeer dubbed as "the man with the golden voice" - is known for hits including Home, If You Want Me To, If The Devil Danced in Empty Pockets and New Way To Light Up An Old Flame.

New this year is the 5K Stride & Stroll, an event in which participants can run, stroll, saunter or mosey through a 3.2-mile course. The Stride & Stroll takes place Saturday, March 15, starting with registration from 8 to 9:30 a.m. The race begins at 10 a.m., and a Kids Fun Run on a half-mile route, for those ages 12 and under, begins at 11 a.m., with awards for both events presented at noon.

Entry fee for the 5K is $25, but if you attend Friday night's events at Muldoon's, you may register at that time for only $10. The kids' fun run is $15, or $5 if you attend Friday night's events, event coordinator Mary Johnson said. To learn more about the Stride & Stroll, contact Johnson at 543-1664 or mary@marywjohnson.com.

Complementing the Stride & Stroll is the return of the Fun Run for motorcycle enthusiasts, an event begun last year. It starts at noon with registration beginning at 11 a.m. A donation of at least $15 per rider is requested, and the last bike in will be at 4 p.m., with a 5 p.m. presentation of awards. For more information on the Fun Run, call Charles Chappell at 979-541-7253.

For additional information about other events or sponsorship levels, call Raun at 979- 578-0314.

Houston Hospice - El Campo has been serving the community since 1988, providing special care for those with life-limiting illnesses.