Cookoff will host ten Chuckwagons

This year’s 15 annual Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff will be held this weekend on the grounds of the Saints’ Roost Museum.

Before ten wagons will participate in the traditional cookoff on Saturday, junior contestants will compete in the junior cookoff Friday afternoon.

The Junior Cookoff, which is partially funded by the American Chuckwagon Association, will pair kids, ages 8-17, with mentors on participating wagon teams to learn the ropes of cooking over an open fire.

Junior cooks will be preparing a dish for Friday’s Chuckwagon cooks’ dinner. The recipe will be left to the discretion of the cooks and their mentors, and cash prizes of $30, $20, and $10 will be given to the first, second, and third place winners that night.

The big day for the cookoff will be Saturday when the ten wagons square off to battle for top prizes.

The tradeshow starts at 10 a.m., and museum tours by the CHS Junior Historians will be available throughout the day.

Local and area entertainers will also be performing, and relatives of Col. Charles Goodnight will also gather at the former Adair Hospital for their annual reunion.

The authentic wagons will serve at 1 p.m. with the traditional chicken fried steak dinner, and other activities include a raffle for a pair of James Owens Handmade Boots and a hay auction.

Admission to the all-day event is free. Tickets for the authentic Chuckwagon meal are $15 each and can be purchased in advance at Henson’s.

Boot tickets are also available at Henson’s or from any museum board member.

Proceeds from the cookoff benefit the Museum’s continuing efforts to preserve the history of Donley County.