What is the Yamboree?

You see me posting and talking about the Yamboree, so what is the Yamboree all about???

"The East Texas Yamboree is one of the longest running festivals in Texas with well over one hundred thousand people attending every year.

What makes the Yamboree special to so many people?

Many would say it’s the great carnival that we make sure to expand every year with many exciting new rides and attractions. Others have said that its the wonderful Queen’s Coronation Pageant with all its beautiful and talented young ladies and the spectacle that they bring to our stage. Then we have the Livestock Show and Sale where one gets to enjoy seeing the animals  and shop projects that our youth have worked so hard on for sale.

Others love the barn dance where we get to see the rising young stars of country music and dance the night away. Let’s not forget the the school and the grand spectacle of the Queen’s Parade, gospel singing, the outside exhibits where people come to sell all types of wares. Then we have  the art and photography shows, the food (that’s one of my favorites), high school football, spending time with family and old friends plus myriad other activities taking place over this special weekend in October.

All of these things and more make the East Texas Yamboree an event that people come from all over the world to enjoy every year.

So come and see for yourself what makes the Yamboree special to so many of us; you won’t be disappointed." From Yamboree.com website

(Yam pie for breakfast in our booth last year!) 

Our town, Gilmer, Texas (population about 5,000) swells to over a 100,000 for all the festivities surrounding the Yamboree. It's everything described above and sooooo much more! From Yam pie and decorated yam contest to band marching contest, the livestock shows and sale, the band stand and fiddlers contest, a barn dance, two parades and pageants, carnival on the square, lots of fair food, bbq, and of course lots of sweet potato pie! Craft vendors gather at the Yamboree Fair Grounds (located just north of WalMart and the Gilmer Civic Center on US HWY 271 North), along with all the livestock related events where Upshur County 4H and FFA students show their cattle, pigs, chickens, goats, rabbits, and shop projects. Canning contest, the art show, photography show and exhibit, and the pie contest are all held at the "Blue Building" at the fair grounds as well. There truly is, something for everyone and folks come from all over the USA to the yearly homecoming event! Oh, and its the only time of the year that I ever eat a corny dog and maybe a funnel cake! 

(A couple of my calves I showed at the Yamboree - Rosie and Ace, circa 1994 and 1999) 

I grew up showing my steers and a heifer in the livestock show, while I was an FFA member in high school. I sold my steers through the livestock sale and used that money to pay for my college. Some years, we rode our horses in the parade with the 4H Club. A few years ago, I decided to enter the yam pie contest and after a couple tries, I carried on a family tradition and won Grand Champion Pie, 40 years after my sweet Grandmama did!

(That's the winning pie on the bottom right!) 

 Last year, we decide to have a booth at the Yamboree and set up at our first craft fair with Angea, centered around my camper. We had a blast meeting and seeing everyone! We are almost ready for the fair next week and have just a few more things to finish up and then start loading the trailers up with everything. We hope y'all can all come out and see us! 

We will have even more than last year and have added repurposed clothing items, will be able to assemble buyers gift baskets for the livestock sale, have furniture, lots of home decor items, Christmas stockings, wreaths, and arrangements, wooden signs of all types, fabric pumpkins, fall wreaths, and all kinds of fun junk! Stop by and say hello. We will open at noon on Thursday and be open all day Friday and Saturday. 

Janice and Angea - aka GypsyFarmGirl and Rooster Tails

Also, watch on Facebook and Instagram, as we unveil a few new surprise items that we are working on as well! Our booth will be on the tennis courts, just north of the blue building, (between exhibit building and the playground area). We will be front booth, on the center row. If you haven't been to the fair grounds before, you can't miss the "blue building" and that's what most folks town refer to it as. 

Miss Gussie will be there and we will also have a tent set up with all our stuff. 

Here is a copy of the Yamboree Schedule of Events:

October 19,20, 21. 22, 2016

2016 Schedule of Events

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15

7:30 a.m. Tater Trot (HS)

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19

7:00 a.m. Broiler Sifting and Show (YP)

10:30 a.m. Museum opens – display of Queen’s

Gowns

11:00 a.m. Goat Weigh-in (YP)

12:30 p.m. Goat Show (YP

1:00-4:00 Home Canning entries accepted (YP)

2:00-4:00 Senior Adult Activity (WH)

4:00 p.m. Market Swine Weigh-in (YP)

5:00 pm. Shop Project Check-in (YP)

6:00 p.m. Carnival/Youth Night (CS)

All rides ½ price til midnight

7:30 p.m. Queens Coronation (CC)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20

8:30 a.m. Market Swine Show (YP)

9:00 a.m. Home Canning Judging (YP)

9:00 a.m. Rabbit Check-in, Sift and Show (YP)

10:00 a.m. Bandstand opens (CS)

Inside Exhibits (YP)

Photography Show Opens (YP)

10:15 a.m. Coffee for Queen/Court

First Baptist Church Parlor

Cass Street

10:30 a.m. Museum Opens – display of Queen’s

Gowns

11:45 a.m. All Service Club Luncheon (HS)

12 Noon Carnival opens (CS)

Outside Exhibits open (YP)

5:00 p.m. Steer Weigh-In & Dairy Heifer Udder

Check (YP)

7:30 p.m. Queen’s Coronation (CC)

8:30 p.m. Street Dance at Bandstand (CS)

10:00 p.m. Queen’s Ball for Queen Yam and her

Court (By invitation only)

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21

8:00 a.m. Shop Project (YP)

9:00 a.m. Outside Exhibits open (YP)

Bandstand opens (CS)

9:00 – 11 a.m. Yam Pie Check-In (YP)

10:00 a.m. Art and Photography Shows open (YP)

Inside Exhibits open (YP)

10:30 a.m. Museum opens – display of Queen’s

Gowns

11:00 a.m. School/Youth Parade (CS)

12 Noon Carnival opens (CS)

Area bands perform on Bandstand (CS)

Yam Pie Judging (YP)

1:30 p.m. Steer Show (YP)

3:00 p.m. Commercial Dairy Show, Open Jr. Dairy

Show (immediately following Commercial

Dairy) (YP)

Yam Pie results (YP)

Yam Pie sale immediately following (YP

4:00 p.m. Gospel Stage opens (CC)

8:30 p.m. Street Dance at Bandstand (CS)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22

8:00 a.m. Jr. Beef Judging,

8-10 a.m. Antique/Classic Car Show (W. Cass St.)

9:00 a.m. Outside Exhibits open (YP)

Bandstand opens (CS)

10:00 a.m. Inside Exhibits open (YP)

Fiddler’s Contest registration –

Bandstand (CS)

10:30 a.m. Museum opens- display of Queen’s

Gowns

11:00 a.m. Queen’s Parade (CS)

11 – 2 p.m. Yamboree Barbecue (YP)

12:00 p.m. Gospel Stage opens (CC)

Carnival opens (CS)

1:00 p.m. Fiddler’s Contest (CS)

Marching Contest (HS)

1:45 p.m. Pre-sale Activities (YP)

2:00 p.m. Livestock Sale (YP)

7:30 p.m. Barn Dance (TSG)

8:30 p.m. Street Dance at Bandstand (CS)

EVENT LOCATION KEY

Y………..Yamboree Park, Hwy 271, N (North of Civic Center)

CS…………………………Courthouse Square, Downtown Gilmer

TSG………….Trinity Street Gym, 500 S. Trinity St. @ Warren

CC………………..Civic Center, Hwy 271, N(next to Wal-Mart)

WH ………………..……..Wesley House, 231 Quail Drive

HS…………………..Gilmer High School, 850 Buffalo St.

Check out Yamboree.com for more information or to see more pictures!