The 2025 Hopkins County Stew Contest brought another year of friendly rivalry, hometown flavor, and community spirit to Heritage Park. From creative campsites to hearty beef and chicken stews, teams from across Hopkins County and beyond competed for bragging rights and generous prizes—all while keeping alive one of Sulphur Springs’ most beloved traditions. Campsite and […]
Category: Cooking Contests
56th Annual Hopkins County Stew Contest – October 25, 2025
If you’ve lived in Hopkins County for any length of time, you know the smell of smoke and simmering stew in late October means one thing: it’s Stew Contest time. On Saturday, October 25, 2025, the tradition continues at Buford Park as hundreds of teams and thousands of neighbors gather for the 56th Annual Hopkins […]
Dutch-Oven Cook-Off Returns to Sulphur Springs – September 27, 2025
Mark your calendars! The John Chester Dutch-Oven Cook-Off returns on Saturday, September 27, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at Hopkins County Museum and Heritage Park (416 N. Jackson St., Sulphur Springs) as part of the annual Indian Summer Days festival. What to Expect in 2025 Visitors can stroll through Heritage Park’s historic buildings […]
Winners of 2024 Hopkins County Stew Contest
Here’s to our Winners for this super year! Honorable Mention Campsite and Costume goes to site #68 Joel Newsom and Charlene Youngblood, sponsored by Newsom Health and Wellness. Campsite and costume winner this year was site #130 Curtis Fulgham and Ramon Diaz, sponsored by Hopkins County Veterans of Foreign Wars post 8560.Their $200 prize was […]
55th Hopkins County Stew Festival & Contest – Countdown to Oct. 26th, 2024
In March 2020, I started working remotely; I could work wherever there was a Wi-Fi connection, including road-side cafes. This gave us some time and flexibility to explore the surrounding areas from DFW as we looked for a community where we could call home. This is how we discovered Hopkins County and Sulphur Springs. It […]
Sulphur Springs Dutch-Oven Cook-off 2024 Review
The John Chester Dutch-Oven Cook-off is an annual event held in Sulphur Springs, Texas. Most of the time it is held in Heritage Park. This year, 2024, was the 20th year in a row that it has been held. John Chester started the cook-off in 2004. John is no longer with us. However, they choose […]