From staff reports

While the Red Hill's Festival helps heat up the Winston County in summer, the annual Stew Stomp and Veteran's Day celebration chases away the cold with warm vittles and honoring of hometown and national heroes.

The annual Veteran's Day Parade kicks off the day of activities.

The parade, which begins at 9:45 a.m., precedes the Third Annual Stew Stomp in downtown Louisville.

Veterans usually gather in front of the Louisville-Winston County Chamber of Commerce office by 9:30 a.m. in order to march down Main Street to Citizens Bank, where the Veteran's Day program begins at 10 a.m. The citizens, local businesses and officials take this opportunity each year to honor those who have sacrificed for the freedoms each citizen enjoys.

The Stew Stomp, a mix of great food and competitive cooking, kicks off at noon, providing area residents a day filled with local entertainment and great servings of various dishes.

In the Stew Stomp groups prepare their best cold-weather creations - stew, soup, gumbo, chowder and chili at the end of the day citizen tasters vote for the best creations. The winner earns esteemed bragging rights, the one of a kind Stew Pot Trophy and cash prizes.

For $5, those in attendance can buy a ticket to the cook-off and take part in tasting and judging of the dishes. Stew Stomp T-shirts are also available each year. Cook-off winners and presentation of awards are usually held around 6:30 p.m.

Teams compete for the honor of second runner-up, first runner-up and the grand prize. The second runner-up receives a certificate and a $50 cash prize. The first runner-up receives a certificate and a $100 cash prize. The grand prizewinner receives the Stew Pot Trophy, a floating trophy to be transferred from year to year to the grand prizewinner, a certificate and a $250 cash prize.

The Stew Stomp is presented by the Winston County Economic Development Partnership and sponsored by Temtco/Taylor Group, Louisville Bankers' Association, Brunt-Ward, Rives and Reynolds, Coke, Georgia Pacific, Rush Hospital, and Beck Funeral Home.

The Veteran's Day Parade and Stew Stomp are the first in a series of fall events planned by the Winston County Economic Development Partnership. The Harvest of Homes Open House is set for Nov. 17-18, Early Bird Shopping Nov. 24, Christmas Open House is set for December 1 and 2 and the Christmas Parades in Winston County December 4 and 5.

The 2006 Stew Stomp and Veteran's Day parade are set for Nov. 11. The Winston County Economic Development Partnership and the Stew Stomp Committee are seeking team stew cooking entries.

For more information on how to sign a team up to compete or on the Stew Stomp/Veteran's Day Parade please contact the WCED Partnership at 773-3921.