Work, Play, Shop, Live East Texas
March 24-25, 2023 Downtown Gilmer
Our 3rd annual Risk it for the Brisket BBQ Cook-off will be held on the Gilmer square March 24-25, 2023. This is one of our largest events that you don’t want to miss! If you are interested in participating as a team or want to be a vendor at this event, please sign up using the links below.
Vendor Booth Registration – click here
BBQ Team Registration – click here
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.
The LiveGilmer partners and sponsors, all of the Local Gilmer businesses and residents that came out to support the event; we hope that y’all had a great time and successful weekend, Thank you!
The event wouldn’t have happened without all of the support from the IBCA and the amazing BBQ Cookers that came to Gilmer and cooked and supported our awesome town, Thank you so much!
Friday night April 9th, as part of the Risk it for the Brisket BBQ cook-off; there will be a Chef’s Choice Jackpot Contest. The Jackpot Contest is $20 dollars to enter. You can enter whatever dish is your specialty dish; if it’s a taco, a salad, or a dessert it’s up to the Chef!
Register for the Jackpot Contest here.
Come on down to the Gilmer Square, Saturday April 10th from 6 -10pm. Chase Dawson Band will be opening for the Darrin Morris Band.
There will be a beer and wine Garden sponsored by Stewart Insurance & Realty.
First National Bank of East Texas is sponsoring an Axe Throwing Tournament on Saturday April 10th during the Risk it for the Brisket BBQ Cook-off!
Practice throwing an axe from 2 -5pm, open to the public. The tournament begins at 5:30pm, get a team of 3 people together and get signed up for the tournament. The winning team will win a $300 grand prize and medals for first, second and third place teams. Registration fee for a team is $100. Register here.
Download the schedule of events here.
Friday April 9th 2021
| 8:00 am – 5:00 pm | Setup |
| 5:30 pm | CHIEF COOKS MEETING AT GILMER BREWING COMPANY, 101 W TYLER STREET |
| 6:00 pm | TRAY PICK UP AT GILMER BREWING COMPANY, 101 W TYLER STREET |
| 7:30 pm | JACKPOT JUDGING AT JUDGING AREA, PAINT THE SQUARE, 102 BUFFALO STREET |
Saturday April 10th 2021
| 10:00AM | BOUNCE HOUSE SPONSORED BY GILMER ROTARY LOCATED ON COURTHOUSE LAWN |
| 10:00AM | SPRING VENDOR’S MARKET LOCATED ON COURTHOUSE LAWN |
| 12:00PM | CHICKEN TURN IN JUDGING AREA, 102 BUFFALO STREET, PAINT THE SQUARE |
| 1:00PM | BORDERLINE ON STAGE |
| 1:00PM | PORK RIBS TURN IN JUDGING AREA, 102 BUFFALO STREET, PAINT THE SQUARE |
| 3:00PM | BAND ON STAGE |
| 3:00PM | BRISKET TURN IN JUDGING AREA, 102 BUFFALO STREET, PAINT THE SQUARE |
| 5:00PM | AWARDS AT BANDSTAND |
| 6:00PM | CHASE DAWSON ON STAGE |
| 8:00PM | DARRIN MORRIS BAND ON STAGE |
Mark your calendars and join us as teams compete for a prize purse of $10,000. Live Gilmer’s first annual International Bar-B-Que Cookers Association (IBCA) sanctioned BBQ cook-off, Risk It for The Brisket!
Categories will be Beef brisket, pork spareribs, and chicken. All meats will be prepared onsite. There will be live bands and vendors during this event as well. All COVID guidelines will be followed, and face mask are strongly encouraged. Follow us on Facebook at LiveGilmer.com or at our website LiveGilmer.com for the most up to date information.
