By Lezley Brown
Thursday, is the day I get to tell you that we are officially moving into our new building at 110 Main Street in Sulphur Springs. We are excited to be in the middle of everything on Celebration Plaza. Come see us!
Cook letters and entry forms have been mailed out for the 50th Anniversary of the Stew Contest! Your letter, if you cooked last year, should arrive in the mail. If it doesn’t, all forms are on our website at www.hopkinschamber.org, and we have them at the Chamber. So, all of you cooks who have gone into retirement, I have a spot for you! I’d love for you to cook one more time in this 50th Anniversary!
Every year, the Chamber allows a non-profit organization to sell drinks at the Stew Cook-off. There are several rules and regulations to follow, but if you are interested in placing your organization’s name in the hat, please call the Chamber. You will be asked to come in and sign an understanding agreement in regard to rules and expectations. Deadline for volunteers is August 30th. Once we have all our volunteers in place, we will literally pick one out of a hat and award drink sales to that organization. Please call if you have any questions.
The Chamber is excited to announce our vendor call for the Stew Fest Market! The Chamber is currently accepting vendors for the Stew Fest Market, which will be located on the south side of Buford Park during Friday night and Saturday Stew Contest activities. This is a great opportunity to sell goods or to promote your business to 7,000 people who attend the Stew Contest annually. Vendors may rent booth space to sell goods or distribute information about their business. Booths will be assigned on a first-paid basis. Access to electricity is not guaranteed. Generators are permitted. Desserts may be sold, but no other food or drinks may be distributed. Vendors who are interested in purchasing booth space, call the Chamber of Commerce at (903) 885-6515.
We are halfway through the 4th Annual Chamber of Commerce Photography Contest! Let me review the basics. Anyone of any age can enter as we have a children’s category. The picture must be newer than January 1, 2017 and must have been taken in Hopkins County. The contest will be open from August 1st to August 31st. There are seven categories you may enter: Natural World, Travel, People, The Hopkins County Experience, Altered Images, Mobile, and Children’s Category. Only digital images are accepted (no prints). To submit your photograph, email the picture to [email protected]. Rules and releases will be available on the Chamber of Commerce website. I cannot wait to see your beautiful photos!