July 16, 2024 – The 55th Annual World Champion

Hopkins County Stew Festival

Saturday, October 26, 2024

The anticipation has been growing and now it is time for the actual preparation. We are looking forward to a terrific and large Stew Contest, and we want you to participate in it! For those who powered through the rain storm last year, we say a big Thank You! It was wet and muddy, but we still served 3,000 people because of your perseverance.

If you have never been a Stew Cook before, here is how it works: First of all, create a cooking team—up to 2 cooks. Second, ask someone to sponsor your stew pot. They will pay $100 to the Chamber of Commerce to sponsor your stew, plus $150 to you to pay for your ingredients. Then, turn in your entry form with your sponsor’s check, pick your stew site, and you are ready to get cooking!

Contestants are also encouraged to participate in the Campsite and Costume contest, as well as the Appetizer Contest on Friday night — just mark it on your entry form. There is also a place on the entry form to pre-order shirts with this year’s logo on the front and “Stew Cook” on the back for only $20 each.

If you have been a Stew Cook in the past, we look forward to seeing you again and tasting your delicious stew. If you have won the contest in the past, you are eligible to enter the Super Stew competition.

Each returning stew team will have the option of keeping their 2023 site. These sites will be reserved until Monday, September 30, and then on Tuesday, October 1, the “unclaimed” stew sites will be open to “new cooks” and to returning cooks who would like a new site location. After Sept. 30, all sites will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. As in 2023, we will have sites open on both the north and the south side of Connally Street, where we will have a serving tent and market vendors.

**PLEASE NOTE** Cooks may pick up their bags on Tuesday, October 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Chamber of Commerce located at 110 Main Street in Sulphur Springs. It will be a come-and-go opportunity throughout the day where you will receive your contestant bag, 2 complimentary stew bowls, and the contest rules and information. This will also be an opportunity to ask any questions you may have regarding the actual stew contest. We will have a short meeting at 5:30 p.m. for cooks who have not previously participated before. This will be a small group format so that new cooks can ask questions and receive their rules packet.

We will also have a Stewcomers meeting at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, for prospective cooks who want more information about the process before they commit to cooking.

Please make sure to have at least one participant or representative from your cooking team collect your bags on October 15.

We are so excited about this year’s huge celebration, and we certainly hope that you will choose to participate in it!

Sincerely,

Butch Burney                                                             

President/CEO Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce