There is a definite art to cooking over charcoal or wood, especially if you have to contend with delightful aromas that drift by from campsite to campsite on a cool autumn morning coming off a lake. Such can be the story of campers who converge on Lake Richard B. Russell in Calhoun Falls, SC, for the annual South Carolina Campground Cookoff produced by the Old 96 District Tourism Commission. The event showcases the best of the best in campfire cooking and is in partnership with the Parks Division of the SC Department of Parks Recreation and Tourism.If you like to camp and like to cook or just want to see how others can cook over a campfire, make plans to attend the 3rd annul South Carolina Campground Cookoff September 17-19, 2010. Teams will vie for prize money in two categories: entrées and desserts. Up to $2,000 of prize money will be awarded in this contest. The recipe entries will be judged by a panel of nationally known chefs and scoring will be based on a total point count of twenty. Contestants can score from 1-10 points for taste and 1-5 points for creativity and appearance.

Comments from the 2009 cook teams:
“We plan to cook next year and are already working on a new recipe.”
“We thought everything went very well and we enjoyed the event. We will come back again.”
“I loved the entire weekend!”

The South Carolina Campground Cookoff is sponsored by the Old 96 District Tourism Commission which promotes Abbeville, Edgefield, Greenwood, Laurens and McCormick counties. The event is also made possible by the support of the Parks Division of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism.

Contestant's, it is time to submit your application for this year's event! Click for contestant registration.

New this year is the Camp Market where manufacturers of outdoor cooking and grilling equipment, camp kitchen gadgets, foods, spices and sauces can demo their products and offer samples to cooking and camping enthusiasts. The cost to be a Camp Market exhibitor is $25. Click to register as a Camp Market vendor.

After registration is complete, click on this link to manage Camp Market vendor payment.