"It was somewhat like the Oklahoma Land Rush, as stew cooks lined-up on Monday afternoon, to stake their claim to
a stew cooking site in Buford Park," exclaimed one of the participants. "But, this was very well organized and went
much, much smoother than I ever anticipated!"

 

89 Stew Sites Reserved and
Counting!!!

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Directors and Staff were elated at the success of Monday afternoon's stew site registration in Buford Park. "We couldn't have asked for anything to have gone any smoother," expressed Meredith Caddell, as she described the registration process. "We were able to please almost everyone with a site that they had chosen for one reason or another and everyone was kind, courteous, and excited about the upcoming 39th Annual Contest, slated for September 19th!"

 

Chamber of Commerce Directors and Staff joke and laugh with those who are looking for sites
at Monday's registration.

 

"I went out and set-up the table and the line posts early this morning, and there were folks waiting on me!" continued Caddell. "There were probably ten people that had come at daylight to get their place in line. Randy Gray was first in line, followed closely by David Gideon, and the cooking team of Becky Berry and Nancy Fite. These veteran cookers were serious about where they wanted!"

"I can't believe that we are completely through and ready to leave and it's only been an hour," exclaimed Bob Weaver, after Monday afternoon's process was completed. "I won't be surprised if we don't have over 100 pots of stew registered by the end of the week!"

 

Ready to serve and answer questions....everyone had their own set of questions and Chamber of
Commerce Staff and Directors were on-hand to direct them to their locations.

 

 

Caddell indicated that those who did not come on Monday, can drop by the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce Office and continue the registration process. "We'll continue to assign cooking areas, on a first-come-first-serve basis," stated Caddell. "We're looking for approximately 150 pots of stew by September and one of the largest contests ever!"

"Change is never easy, but I'll have to give credit to my board and stew committee. They never took this move and change lightly and have worked diligently to make certain that everyone was accommodated, if we could meet their needs at all," continued Caddell. "We've put hours of planning into designing the area and making certain that everyone had more room, as that was the biggest complaint, along with shade, that we had received, about the old site. We're just so excited that things will be roomier and nicer for the cooking teams!"

For additional questions, you may contact the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce by calling (903)885-6515, during business hours.

 

Rodney Harred and his cooking team chose site #111 and quickly found
it marked on the sidewalk in Buford Park.

 

Congratulations Stew Committee
on a Very Orderly Registration!!!

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