Hopkins County Chamber Connection – Aug. 25

 

By Butch Burney

 

We are currently accepting stew cooks for the 52nd Annual World Championship Hopkins County Stew Contest on Saturday, Oct. 23. We mailed letters to past cooks a couple of weeks ago. Come by the chamber office or send us an email and we will get the registration form to you or download one from our website, hopkinschamber.org. We expect a big turnout for this year’s event, so be sure and get your spot. We have also opened up our sponsor call for businesses to sponsor some of the winning stew pots. We also have two essential partnership opportunities for a title sponsor and a platinum sponsor. Contact me at butch@hopkinschamber.org to find out more.

Stew Fest Market Vendor Call

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, located on the south side of Buford Park, during Friday night and Saturday Stew Contest activities. It is an excellent opportunity to sell goods or 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. We assign booths on a first-paid basis. Access to electricity is not guaranteed, but generators are permitted. Vendors who are interested in purchasing booth space, call the Chamber of Commerce at 903-885-6515 email us at Butch@HopkinsChamber.org

Stew Contest Drink Sales

Every year, the Chamber allows a non-profit organization to sell drinks at the Stew Contest. You need to come in and sign an understanding agreement regarding rules and expectations. The deadline is Aug. 31. Once we have all our volunteers in place, we will pick one out of a hat and award drink sales to that organization. If you are interested in placing your organization’s name in the hat or have any questions, please call the Chamber.

Register to Hear Hall and Slaton

The Texas State Legislature has been in the national news, and you will have a chance to get the inside scoop when State Sen. Bob Hall and State Rep. Bryan Slaton will be in town for a Lunch and Learn from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm, Wednesday, Sept. 15. Registration forms are on our website, so sign up to learn how laws passed (and not passed) by the Texas Legislature will affect your business. The Sulphur Springs Country Club provides lunch, with tickets $15 for Chamber members and $20 for nonmembers. Thanks to Atmos Energy and Oncor for sponsoring this critical luncheon.

Photography Contest

We are accepting entries in the 6th Annual Chamber of Commerce Photography Contest! Anyone of any age can enter as we have a children’s category. The picture must be newer than Jan. 1, 2019, and taken in Hopkins County. The contest will be open from Aug. 2 to Aug. 31. You may enter seven categories: 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 Butch@HopkinsChamber.org or upload it on our website. Rules and releases will be available on the Chamber of Commerce website.

Postcards are here!

People ask about Sulphur Springs and Hopkins County postcards, and now the Chamber has them. We have five different postcards featuring the landmarks and events of the county.

Come in and get yours at $2 each.

Christmas Ornaments

Our annual Christmas ornaments are for sale for $40 at the Chamber office. They feature the City Hall at Christmastime and fourth in our series of ornaments featuring county scenes.

Arts and Crafts Show

The 2021 Hopkins County Fall Festival Arts & Crafts Show will occur in the Sulphur Springs High School cafeteria and north entryway on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 22 and 23. This event is open to anyone with handmade, hand-crafted items to sell. Unique items will be available for purchase, including handmade soaps and lotions, greeting cards, Christmas and seasonal decorations, jewelry, wood carvings, and much more. Contact Johanna Hicks at 903-885-3443 for more information.

Business Highlight

The Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce is highlighting a member of the Chamber each week. Would you please join me in congratulating our Business of the Week for Aug. 25, Hopkins County Fire Extinguisher? You can read biographical stories on the Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce’s Facebook page and Instagram page.

Ribbon Cuttings

A ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Merle Norman Cosmetics at 212 North Davis St. at noon on Friday, Aug. 27. Please join us for this event.