Street Dance and Carnival
Highlights of Friday Night
at the Fall Festival

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

"There was a lot of shaking going on" at Friday night's free Street Dance, sponsored by Star Country Radio, at the Coca-Cola Soundstage, on the Civic Center grounds. The Dance Featured the music of Progressive Country Artist, Mark Cooke and his Cooke County Line Band. Folks brought their lawn chairs and enjoyed the autumn like temperatures that have graced Hopkins County, this week, while in the background, the "roar" of the Sulphur Springs Wildcats' "whuppin' " of the Denison Yellow Jackets could be heard. "It was a great, great night," expressed a couple of middle-aged patrons, who sat in their lawn chairs, listening to music and keeping-up with the Wildcats via their truck radio. "It don't get much better than this in Sulphur Springs, on a Friday night!"

 

Mark Cooke and his "Cooke County Line" Band were the featured entertainers for Friday
night's Street Dance, at the Fall Festival.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, a number of individuals took advantage of the wide aray of music and took to the street in front of the Civic Center and "danced the night away," with both slow and fast songs performed by the band.

 

 

And, if the dance or the Wildcat football game didn't "fit your fancy," there was always the carnival, that was located on the vacant field south of the Tennis Courts. "I believe we rode every ride, at least twice," acknowledge one "harried" parent, who had endured the night with her children. "They've had their sugar rush from the cotton candy and they've rode about everything on the premises!"

 

 

Fall Festival Carnival

 

 

 

 

Then, there were the commercial booths that remained open in the Exhibit Hall of the Civic Center, as local craftsmen and businessmen "hawked" their wares, and made contact with potential customers.

And, a number of the stew cooks, who had begun arriving early on Friday, took advantage of the nice, cool weather and cooked for family and friends, around their stew campfires. Dutch ovens were brought out, and a number of other dishes were "wafting" in the air, as the aroma of chili, campfire biscuits, and other fare was realized.

 

 

 

"We use Friday night to reward all of our employees, who come out and help with the stew contest," expressed one of the chief cooks at the Farmer's Electric Co-op campsite. "It's an opportunity to get everyone together, have a little bit of fun, and share some good times, before everyone gets up early on Saturday and is busy cooking stew!"

 

 

With 121 stew cooks registered for this year's stew contest, the Civic Center grounds were full and the largest ever World Champion Stew Contest looked to be a success, on the eve before the cooking began.

Meanwhile, the country tunes of Mark Cooke and the Cooke County Line kept patrons enjoying the night and looking forward to a big day at "The County Fair," on Saturday!

 

 

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