Monday, April 29, 2024
The smells of delicious food filled the air during the days, and evenings brought live music and dancing on Friday, Sept. 29 and Saturday, Sept. 30 as The Texas Cowboy Symposium and Chuckwagon Cookoff took place at Warren’s Backyard. It’s the first time an event of this kind has come to Hood County.
In terms of numbers the event at least tied or possibly surpassed the largest event that Warren’s Backyard ever hosted. In the first month the event was posted on social media, the venue received 76,000 social media contacts. Estimates are around 1,800 to 2,000 people attended the two-day symposium. The meal tickets sold out.
The event was the brainchild of Homer Robertson who is a lifelong resident of Granbury. Robertson competed in many such events in the 28 years since he began cooking over an open flame. Robertson found a Dutch oven at his grandmother’s house which began a lifelong pursuit of outdoor culinary cooking.
In his decades of cooking, Robertson won three national championships and appeared on the Food Network. Robertson desired to share with Hood County the western way of life and cooking, but people in fact came from all over Texas for the event and even from neighboring states. Robertson said, “It got big, it’s crazy how big. We were very fortunate; I was super pleased. The community really got behind us to support the Hood County Youth Livestock Show and the Granbury High School (GHS) culinary department. The sponsors were great.” Robertson went on laughing, “my phone has been blowing up with people wondering if we will host this again. I think we will have to, or we will be run out of Hood County.”
Jim Kelley, a resident of Hood County for over three decades as well as a Dutch oven cook himself, was delighted by the event. Kelley attended on Saturday from 3:30 p.m. to the end of the event at 10:30 p.m. Kelley has lived the western lifestyle both personally and professionally in many capacities over the years. Kelley is a cattleman and horseman as well as working the stockyards as a superintendent of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo’s (FWSSR) Jr. Steer Show where he has volunteered since 1979. He is currently honorary vice president for the FWSSR.
Kelley shares, “It was just so refreshing. Old western swing music playing, folks dancing the two-step and the three-step. I saw everyone from 8 years old to 93 years old dancing. A little boy about 8 years old came dancing by with his sister. He was hearing the beat, making the steps correctly, and was having the time of his life. I complimented him and asked if the lady nearby was his grandmother. He said ‘Yes, Sir,” and he said that yes, his grandmother had taught him to dance.”
Kelley was amazed to have seen so many people he has known over the years, including friends from college he hadn’t seen in decades. “I was almost taken aback. It reminded me of the ‘70s and ‘80s,” Kelly said. “Almost surreal, it was just that kind of wonderful, wholesome event, amazing food and great music, a bunch of friends sitting around talking. Just a great event.”
The cook-off part of the event required each of the 14 chuckwagon teams to prepare a full meal including meat, potato, beans, gravy, bread and dessert. There were youth competitors as well from Granbury High School (GHS) culinary department. Part of the money raised goes to the Hood County Youth Livestock Show and the GHS culinary department. Several auction items to that end included a pair of Klapper spurs which were auctioned for $6,500.
“It was amazing! They knocked it out of the park. Homer was a total professional putting on this event. Brett and Steve with Warren’s Backyard made it all possible,” said Tammy Dooley, executive director of Visit Granbury. “Such a great venue for this type of event — a true western event, cowboys and cowgirls everywhere, chuckwagons. A wonderful family event! It was great looking over to see ‘Sold Out’ on the sign outside, that’s just how well received this event was.”
