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By Butch Burney
It’s less than two weeks until the most significant event in Hopkins County each year – the 54th Annual Hopkins County Stew Festival and tickets are available.
Tickets are $8 each for those 13 and over. Thanks to Signature Solar’s sponsorship, children 12 years and younger will eat free this year but still need a ticket.
You can purchase tickets online at HopkinsChamber.org or the Chamber office at 110 Main St. Tickets can also be purchased at our financial institutions, which include Alliance Bank, City National Bank, First National Bank of East Texas, Guaranty Bank and Trust, Pilgrim Bank, Red River Credit Union, and Texas Heritage National Bank.
T-shirts are now available for just $25 in adult sizes S-XXL at the Chamber office. We also have a limited supply of hoodies, tumblers, mugs, and stickers.
The 54th Annual Hopkins County Stew Festival, presented by Alliance Bank, has kept its costs down because of our generous businesses in the community, and the cost just got even cheaper for some families. Signature Solar and the Chamber announced that children 12 and under will eat free at the festival on Saturday, October 28, due to Signature Solar’s generous sponsorship. Children will still need tickets, which can be obtained online or via paper.
One Church announced sponsoring the Fun Zone, including Gellyball, bounce houses, and kids’ games. Thanks to One Church’s generous sponsorship that means free fun for children!
City National Bank will sponsor the Friday night festivities on October 27, including our appetizer contest and concert by Dubb and the Luv Machines!
Thanks to our sponsors who make the stew festival affordable for families in Hopkins County. Follow the Chamber’s Instagram and Facebook accounts for spotlights on our sponsors and updates on the stew festival.
Help-A-Child Benefit
The 16th Annual Help-A-Child Benefit is on Saturday, October 21, at the Hopkins County Civic Center. Proceeds benefit the Northeast Texas Child Advocacy Center and Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
Events start at 8:00 am, with the Ag Team Competition Build Off and continue with the Livestock Show at 9:00 am, the Ag Mechanic Show and Silent Auctions at 11:00 am, and then at 11:30 am will be chili and brisket $10 all-you-can-eat.
Cocktails and Conversation
Please plan to attend our following Cocktails and Conversation, the new name for our revamped Business After Hours, at Beauty Grace Lifestyle Shop on Connally Street. Cocktails and Conversation will be held the first Thursday of every month, from 5:00–6:00 pm, and for November, Ana Velasco will welcome everyone to her shop.
It is a casual networking event and happy hour. You don’t have to be a Chamber member to attend.
Fall Festival
The Fall Festival is coming in October.
The parade is from Buford Park to Brookshire’s and begins at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 21. Trade and vendor booths, a kids’ zone, a creative art contest, and a craft show will all be conducted from Friday, October 27, to Saturday, October 28, at the Civic Center.
Community Players
Main Street Theatre will present Bullets on Broadway, a murder mystery, for four nights this month. The presentation by the Community Players will be at 7:00 pm on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20 and 21. Visit the CommunityPlayersInc.com for ticket information.
Heritage Square Car Show
The 17th Annual Heritage Car Show will go off on Saturday, November 4, rain or shine, presented by the Sulphur Springs Downtown Business Alliance. The show, which will be downtown, will have registration from 8:00 am to noon that day or pre-registration online at sulphurspringsdba.com. Vehicles must be model year 1993 or older to participate. We award cash prizes at 3:00 pm.
For more information, call 903-439-2664 or email jason@tullyins.com.
Free Mammography Clinic
The Hopkins County Health Care Foundation’s Free Mammography Clinic appointments are filling up. Only a few openings are still available. If you are an uninsured woman over 40 who lives in Hopkins County, you are eligible for a free mammogram through this program.
The Ruth & Jack Gillis Women’s Center staff of CHRISTUS Mother Frances Hospital–Sulphur Springs will welcome women to the clinic on three Saturdays on October 14, 21, and 28. If you miss out on the free clinic this year, it should be back again next year in October.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an excellent time to schedule an annual mammogram. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point. The risk of breast cancer increases with age, so mammograms, as is early detection, continue to be necessary.
If you are eligible for a free mammogram, call 903-438-4325 to schedule an appointment.
Ribbon Cuttings
Hopkins County Veterinary Clinic hosted a ribbon-cutting on Friday, October 13, and an open house at their fantastic new facility on Saturday. They are at 101 Barbershop, at 101 Bill Bradford Road, and will host a ribbon-cutting for their first anniversary at noon on Friday, October 20. Make plans!