NewsLocal NewsIn Your NeighborhoodBrazos County

Actions

Brazos Co. A&M club holds first-ever 'Beats and BBQ Bash' to help raise scholarship funding

Posted at 8:16 PM, Nov 07, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-08 11:43:03-05

BRYAN, TEXAS — The Brazos County A&M Club hosted their first-ever 'Beats and BBQ Bash' Saturday afternoon in Bryan. Organizers say the clubs' events are vital and help raise critical scholarship funding.

The Brazos County A&M Club's focus includes scholarships, service and tradition. Events throughout the year help raise scholarship money for prospective students. The newest event on the Club's list - the 'Beats and BBQ Bash.'

"In collaboration with the students, we came up with something to do here in front of the Stella Hotel, which is a wonderful venue. It gave us an opportunity to have a function that would enable us to also raise funds for scholarships and other service projects in the community," Bob Palmarez, President-elect of Brazos Co A&M club said.

Elements of the first annual Beats and BBQ Bash included in-person entertainment, food vendors, local boutiques, as well as virtual participation with a TAMU scavenger hunt and zoom calls with well known A&M faces.

"Two of the guests we are going to have is Dr. R. Bowen Loftin, who is a past President of Texas A&M. He is going to be online and talking about some of his experiences at A&M. Dave South who is a long time announcer and voice A&M sports is also going to participate in the streaming," Palmarez added.

In the wake of the pandemic, club leaders say the majority of their events had to be canceled, in compliance with the Governor's attendance guidelines.

"We have had maybe two events this year instead of the usual 4 to 6," Palmarez said.

Outside of scholarships for prospective students, annual events also help out with funding of Aggie rings for veterans, something the club takes pride in.

The number one thing that they always come back to us and say is "we would love to have a ring, but we cant afford it," Palmarez said.

One event-goer says outside of fund-raising for the club, the bash is also assisting local businesses as well.

"I'm sure these food trucks are struggling with the lack of tailgating on campus for the games. So it's nice to be able to give them an opportunity to showcase their stuff. Let the community members see whats going on over here and also let some community members sing. It's a good way to get community members together," Madeline Mclevish-Hughes, an Aggie alum said.

According to club leaders, the Brazos County A&M Club was founded in 1943 and currently holds 1.2 million dollars in endowments.