The last Friday of October each year, Hopkins County hosts the World Champion Stew Cook-off. This year the even took place on the grounds of the Kid's Kingdom Park and featured over 150 teams. It was also perfect stew eating weather. A little rainy and chilly just added to the deliciousness of these home cooked stews. For $5 per person (kids are free) you can buy a bowl and sample the stews from as many teams as you can get around to until you are full. For $7, you can buy a quart and take your favorite stew home! You also get cheese and crackers with each bowl. Each team makes 10 gallons of stew, so there's plenty to go around for everyone. There are a number of awards give out and the contest attracts thousands of visitors. There were also several vendors on site with products, crafts and art. The teams set up and start cooking at 4am with the judging taking place at 10am. Visitors are served starting at 11am. All stews are cooked over open wood fires and a variety of stews can be found ranging from chicken to beef and mild to spicy. There are awards for all types of stews and teams as well as costume contests and heritage sites. If you missed the event this year, I highly recommend marking your calendars for next year. There's also talk that the Hopkins County Fall Festival and the cook-off will be combined next year. If that's the case, be sure to get there early to enjoy all of the great stews.