Muleshoe site of fundraiser cook-off

MULESHOE — Muleshoe City Park will play host Saturday to the inaugural Smokin’ It for Kreid cook-off.

Organizer Morgan Marricle said there’s no fundraising goal for the event with 15 cooking teams and 25 volunteers for the noon-3 p.m. (CDT) event.

“We want families and everyone to have a good time,” Marricle said. “We just want it to be a good event.”

Entrance to the event is free, but there will be promotional items for sale and anybody wishing to eat can purchase wristbands — $20 for adults, $12 for children ages 6-12. Marricle said there will also be bounce houses, face painting, a train ride and live bands.

The event is the brainchild of a Muleshoe nonprofit Killin’ It for Kreid, founded by two mothers who lost their young children to atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor.

Known as ATRT, the rare, fast-growing tumor of the brain and spinal cord occurs most often in children 3 and younger and has a survival rate of less than 10 percent.

Emmett “Reid” Marricle of Muleshoe died last June at 21 months, while Kade Campbell died in April 2016.

Morgan Marricle and Heather Campbell found each other on a Facebook group for parents of children with ATRT, and a friendship began.

“I really think our personalities match pretty well,” said Campbell, who will travel to Muleshoe from Greenville, Texas. “Both of our boys had the same cancer, same diagnosis. We can relate a lot to each other, and we’re around the same age.”

The nonprofit soon followed, and they decided the best way to honor their children was to support children fighting similar diseases. Money raised purchases tablets with superhero-themed carrying cases and bags to be given to children in cancer centers.

“We wanted something that wasn’t specific to any gender or any age, that could be used by anybody who received it,” Marricle said. “We believe this kids truly are some of the strongest and most courageous people around. We truly believe they are superheroes, so we wanted to use that.”

The initial delivery of 70 tablets last year was largely funded by leftover money in crowdfunding accounts to help their children fight the disease.

The two had a fundraiser in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and are now trying a different tact in Muleshoe. Marricle said there are plenty of 5K races already — in fact, the park hosts a 9 a.m. (CDT) Saturday 5K to benefit foster children in Bailey County. Her husband thought smoking meat would be a good plan instead.

“I hope it brings a lot of people to the benefit,” Campbell said, “and makes people more aware of (ATRT and other childhood diseases). I hope that brings more awareness to the community and others.”