Join the Cherokee Rose Festival on the Gilmer Square Saturday May 15th, 2021.

The event kicks off this year with the hugely popular Turtle Race sponsored by First National Bank of East Texas is scheduled for 9:00am with the youth, then adult, churches, and last the business division. There will be $100, $50, and $25 dollar prize monies for youth and adult divisions in the Turtle Race with a $1.00 entry fee to benefit Cherokee Rose Festival philanthropies.  Runners from Gilmer High School’s Interact Club will end their Color Run on the Square around 8:30. Over 40 craft & food vendors have registered to date and local business on the square will have sidewalk sales. The Upshur County Museum will have Indian artifacts and Cherokee Rose Festival memorabilia as well.

Traditional contests like the Turtle Race, Bubble Gum Blowing, Jump Rope and Hula Hoop, Homemade Ice Cream, Baby Crawling, and Cherokee Rose Prince & Princess are offered with contests registrations and updates available on The Cherokee Rose Festival’s Facebook & LiveGilmer webpages. New this year is a dog show “Paw for a Cause” where contestants compete for “Best Costume,” “Most Personality,” and “Cutest Canine.” Sponsored by Silver Paws of Longview, who strive to promote the health and wellness-being of humans through partnership with therapy animals. There are too many activities to list, but a few include plant sales by Calie’s Acre, Gilmer Jr. High Cheerleader Bake Sale, face painting, ProComp demonstrations, and the Girl Scouts will sell their famous cookies.  From 9am to 9 pm local entertainment is scheduled on the Nolan Properties bandstand.

There will be food and merchandise vendors.

Sponsor the Cherokee Rose Festival, download the Sponsor Form here.

Become a vendor at the Cherokee Rose Festival, download the Vendor Application here.

Get your City of Gilmer Peddler’s Form here, and apply at City Hall.