The annual Golden Sweet Potato Festival brought together an estimated 5,000 attendees this week for a multi-day celebration of pageantry, worship, and time-honored community traditions.

“We were very pleased with the turnout of the festival this week. We think about 5,000 people attended the festival over the week at some point! We are excited for the good number of foot traffic and hope for the future of our festival,” representatives from the Golden Sweet Potato Board said following the event.

The week’s financial highlights were anchored by Saturday’s live auction, which generated $32,000 for the Golden Sweet Potato Festival foundation to support general operations and community initiatives, exceeding organizers’ overall $30,000 target.

In a separate bidding opportunity dedicated entirely to higher education, a donated Tory Burch handbag was put up for individual bidding directly benefiting newly crowned 2026 Golden Sweet Potato Queen Campbell Shrum.

Bidders pushed the single handbag to $26,000, with 100% of those proceeds designated specifically for Shrum’s scholarship fund. Shrum said she was grateful for everyone who helped and encouraged her. Admitting to initial hesitation, Shrum said she was shy and almost did not compete, but her family provided the courage to step onto the stage.

Shrum was joined in Saturday’s parade by visiting royalty and local titleholders spanning multiple generations. Miss Texas Stephanie Wendt continued the long-standing Miss Texas tradition of visiting Golden, hosting a booth for signed photos and meeting local residents throughout the morning.

“I am so excited to continue the tradition of Miss Texas coming to the Golden Sweet Potato Festival. It is very special to get to meet the people I get to represent across Texas, and I am ready to eat all the sweet potato treats,” Wendt said.

Among the young royalty riding in the parade was Miss Potato Sprout Josie Schneider, who participated in the festival for the first time wearing a special dress handmade by her great-grandmother for the occasion.

Crowds lined FM 779 and FM 1799 in Downtown Golden as the Alba-Golden High School Prowling Panther Band led the parade. With Mama T of KMOO keeping energy high from the announcer’s stand, pageant winners, contest champions, and community groups tossed candy, t-shirts, and toys from tractors, antique cars, ATVs, and horses, living up to the festival motto that if it “rolls, stomps, or strides, you belong here.”

Saturday featured the inaugural Rotten Tater Contest, a lighthearted walk-up novelty pageant specifically for contestants ages 60 and up. Vicki Walker, a retired Alba-Golden educator of 40 years, took home the title of Rotten Tater Queen. Walker said winning “meant everything” and that she had “waited her whole life for this.”

Younger community members also took the spotlight during the Opening Ceremony, where organizers announced the winners of the Alba-Golden Elementary Art Contest and the Disguise a Tater Contest, which featured creative entries including potatoes disguised as birds, bananas, porcupines, and even a man sitting on a couch.

Sawyer Swoape earned first place for his potato disguise and second place for his artwork. Participating in his first festival, Swoape said winning felt “good” after putting in hard work.

Beyond the pageantry and main stage, the festival fostered deep moments of spiritual fellowship and family entertainment throughout the week. Area congregations gathered under the pavilion for the annual Community Church Service and Friday Night Gospel Night, filling the air with praise and worship.

At the Pierce Boyd Arena, families packed the stands for Mutton Bustin’, where rodeo clowns guided young competitors in cowboy hats and chaps through warm-up stretches, push-ups, drop-and-roll routines, and dirt-crawling races while Wood County Precinct 2 Constable Jeremy Ragsdale officiated.

The week’s slate also featured home-cooked tradition during the Sweet Potato Baking Contest at the Harold Simmons Community Center, alongside weekend highlights including the Fun Run & 5K, Classic Car Show, and Lake Country Antique Tractor Association Tractor Pull.

Throughout the grounds, local business owners stepped up to ensure the event ran smoothly, including Cameron Hays, owner and operator of H&R Waste Removal, who provided stage entertainment during the day and donated trash receptacles across the grounds to support the event.

“Trash service is something where I can stay local, provide for my family, and give back. I grew up here, and I’m thankful for a community where you can give back and get involved,” Hays said.