TODAY, FUN MENUDO FESTIVAL KICKS OFF.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

The city's four-day Menudo Festival kicks off today with carnival rides, live music and, of course, menudo - a spicy Mexican stew renowned for its curative properties.

Organizers say it has expanded the festival and fixed some of last year's mistakes - including a menudo cook-off where contestants could not share their concoctions due to a lack of health permits. This year, fairgoers will be able to sample the soupy dish.

The sixth annual festival, held on Celis Street between Brand and Mission Boulevards, is free and will run an extra day and include a new battle of the bands contest.

``The bigger it gets, the more popular it becomes, the closer we get to becoming the menudo center of the world,'' said City Councilman Jose Hernandez, who helped found the festival and the Mayor's Menudo Cook-off, which concludes the festival on Sunday.

Touted as a revamped festival, officials say it will lure more than last year's estimated 30,000 revelers and help raise the city's profile.

But skepticism among some city officials remains.

Earlier this year, Mayor Maribel De La Torre and Councilman Steve Veres pushed the council to trim the festival's annual budget from $60,000 to $53,000, about half the city's special events' budget. De La Torre criticized the festival for being a ``party'' with no educational component explaining the origin of menudo or its significance.

In the face of criticism, the city's staff has beefed up marketing, placing posters on bus stops and sending out post cards and mass mailings. For the first time in six years, they actually publicized a schedule of the event and gained the sponsorship of Wilmington, Calif.-based Juanita's Foods, which distributes canned menudo.

``Hopefully we can turn some kind of profit this year with the menudo actually being served,'' De La Torre said.

Last year, the city earned just $30,000 - half of what it cost to hold the event.

Jose Pulido, the city's manager, said there is still much work to be done but he is confident the festival will continue to be an annual tradition.

``It's a work in progress,'' he said. ``Ultimately we hope this will be the event that everyone envisions. There is a lot of potential.''

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

IF YOU GO

--The carnival runs from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday along Celis Street between Brand and Mission Boulevards.

--On Saturday, a 1K kids run/walk begins at 8 a.m. with a 5K run/walk following at 8:30 a.m. The battle of the bands will run from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday followed by salsa from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and a free salsa lesson at 7:45 p.m.

--On Sunday, there will be an 8 a.m. Menudo breakfast followed by folklorico dance and mariachi music. The Mayor's Menudo Cook-Off starts at 3 p.m.

--Official entry forms for the menudo cook-off can be picked up at the San Fernando Recreation Park at 208 Park Ave., San Fernando. They must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on Friday. Contestants will compete for a $250 prize in two categories: restaurants and amateurs. A third S500 prize will be given for the best overall menudo. For information: [phone].

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Photo:

J.R. Carillo, left, and Wendell Mings of Pacific Coast Shows set up a race car ride Wednesday for the San Fernando Menudo Festival, coming up this weekend.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer

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IF YOU GO (see text)