• Competitions
• Southern Hushpuppy
• East Texas Cheerleading Competition
• East Texas Pom Pon /
  Dance Team Competition
• Miss Forest Festival Pageant & Litle Mr. Timberjack Contest
• Festival Map

40th Annual Texas State Forest Festival

40^th Annual Southern Hushpuppy Championships

We’re now accepting entries for the 40^th Annual Southern Hushpuppy Championships! Sign up your team for a local tradition - deep fried goodness and wacky costumes. Showmanship and taste go hand in hand in this competition, and we’re looking for the best of the best!

History

In 1971, the president of the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce and two other active men in the community were looking for a way to draw state and regional attention to Lufkin and Angelina County. They decided to develop a unique festival emphasizing a well-recognized characteristic of the region – its lakes and great fishing. Since nothing goes better with a plate of fried fish than hushpuppies, the idea of a hushpuppy cooking competition was born.

The Southern Hushpuppy Championships was originally held at Ellen Trout Zoo every May. It drew participants from all over the state and southern region of the U.S. Although the event usually hired regional celebrities as the Master of Ceremonies, Lillian Carter, the mother of former President Jimmy Carter tackled the duty.

In recent years, the Southern Hushpuppy Championships has earned worldwide fame from being a featured segment on The Food Network’s All American Festivals Series and The Travel Channel’s Taste of America Series. Currently, the Southern Hushpuppy Championships are held in conjunction with the Texas State Forest Festival in September.

Official Entry Form

Download your Offical Entry Form

Official Rules

Download the Offical Rules

Sample Judging Sheet

Download a Sample Judging Sheet

Contact

For more information on how you can compete in this year’s Southern Huhspuppy Championship competition, please contact the Lufkin/Angelina County Chamber of Commerce at
(936) 634-6644.