The East Texas Yamboree, a four-day event held annually during the third weekend of October in Gilmer, Texas, celebrates the sweet potato (called a "yam" in the United States) as a former cash crop, drawing thousands of tourists to the city for the occasion each year. The event has been held in Gilmer since 1935.[1] [2] Festivities at the event include the Queen's Coronation Pageant, a carnival held around the town square, two parades--the first being the school parade with floats built by the different Upshur County Schools and different East Texas marching school bands. There is a marching contest for the high school bands on Friday. School floats are also judged, and the floats that earn first, second and third places are in the Queen's Parade, which takes place on Saturday. Other activities include a barn dance and livestock shows for the area FFA participants. Gilmer, Texas is the County seat of Upshur County and during this one week, the population of Gilmer grows in size from 5,000 to over 100,000 people. There have only been two times that they have not held the East Texas Yamboree and that was during wartime during World War II and recently when the COVID-19 pandemic started.
To celebrate the Texas Centennial, counties around the state were tasked with having festivals. It was decided that Upshur County would celebrate the yam, once again thriving due to the recent lifting of a quarantine on the former cash crop. The quarantine had been put in place in the late 1920s, as the result of a weevil infestation.[3] The festival proved to be so popular that the committee decided it would take place yearly from then on. It was temporarily suspended in 1941 due to World War II, and resumed in 1945; besides 2020 caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, resuming in 2021.[4]
| Year | President | Queen |
|---|---|---|
| 1935 | R. C. Barnwell | Jane Tuttle |
| 1936 | J. R. Penn | Marjorie Coe |
| 1937 | W. C. Barnwell | Ruth Hogg |
| 1938 | V. E. Todd | Ernestine Dedman |
| 1939 | Fred Arnold | Bobby Jean Warren |
| 1940 | Clarine Smith | |
| 1941 | Genice Graves | |
| 1942 | Betty Ann Quiz | |
| 1946 | John Brogoitti | Ann Wilkinson |
| 1947 | B. D. Futrell | Nell Brison |
| 1948 | Royce Hogg | Barbara King |
| 1949 | Ralph Michael | Angela Hogg |
| 1950 | Don Williams | Lena Margaret Harper |
| 1951 | Robert E. Parsons | Joyce Isbell |
| 1952 | Wessel Wilson | Linda Carroll |
| 1953 | Looney E. Lindsey | Diane Dupree |
| 1954 | F. L. Garrison | Carol Cox |
| 1955 | B. L Hogg | Mary Lou Ragland |
| 1956 | Bill Stevenson | Anna Beth Jones |
| 1957 | Mason Reardon | Sue Sorrells |
| 1958 | Leon Presnell | Mary Laschinger |
| 1959 | Melvin M. Cross | Ann Buie |
| 1960 | James Croley | Margaret Ingram |
| 1961 | Gordon Finney | Patricia Aldredge |
| 1962 | Richard Potter | Kay Floyd |
| 1963 | Tom Davis | Cathy Kurtz |
| 1964 | Harlan Thacker | Karen Clark |
| 1965 | C. E. Elwell | Linda Garrison |
| 1966 | Phil Wood | Donna Williams |
| 1967 | Harvey Arnold | Nancy Williams |
| 1968 | Dr. Bob Glaze | Mary Jo Proctor |
| 1969 | Kenneth White | Lana Sisson |
| 1970 | Dewitt Alexander | Laine Potter |
| 1971 | Fred Odom | Cindy Clark |
| 1972 | Steve Dean | Laura Potter |
| 1973 | Bill Beisch | Donna Stracener |
| 1974 | Frank Breazeale | Mary Jane Ford |
| 1975 | Byron Spencer | Stephanie Mayfield |
| 1976 | Bill Patterson | Phebe Phillips |
| 1977 | Don Smith | Ellizabeth Ann Patterson |
| 1978 | Robert Stracener | Susan Stracener |
| 1979 | Bill Taylor | Ann & Nan Poole |
| 1980 | Steve Williams | Pam Yocom |
| 1981 | Jack Baird | Kim Listenbee |
| 1982 | Larry Henson | Darrellene Wilson |
| 1983 | Cranfill Cox, Jr/Larry Henson | Peggy Lawler |
| 1984 | Dr. Andy Glaze | Teri Smith |
| 1985 | Paul David Williams | Fran Traywick |
| 1986 | Dr. Randy McDaniel | Victoria Mitchell |
| 1987 | Elliott Dean | Amy Dean |
| 1988 | Pete Herrmann | Kay White |
| 1989 | Tedd Austin | Jennifer Bishop |
| 1990 | George Dodd | Christi Seahorn |
| 1991 | Gary Patterson | Mary Jane Dean |
| 1992 | Dr Jerald Walton | Tracy Diane Williams |
| 1993 | Kelly Cox White | Anna McDaniel |
| 1994 | Steve Stewart | Sarah Lenora Dean |
| 1995 | David McQueen | Natalie Young |
| 1996 | A. L. Payne Lesley | Erin Glaze |
| 1997 | Randy Hill | Abigail Elaine Stewart |
| 1998 | Larry Cowan | Hayley Carol Smithhart |
| 1999 | Nat Harrison | Elizabeth Anne Daniels |
| 2000 | Dr. Dean Bums | Summer Layne Weisinger |
| 2001 | Joe Lynn Tillery | Adrienne Lee Lindsey |
| 2002 | W. Dennis Despain | Nancy Marie Warden |
| 2003 | F. Wayne Skinner | Courtney De-An Bums |
| 2004 | Brian Williams | Ann-Marie Despain |
| 2005 | Dr. David Buller | Katie Elizabeth Mannis |
| 2006 | Phil Fowler | Mary Carol Despain |
| 2007 | Jeff Dodd | Leslie Taylor McQueen |
| 2008 | Michael Leon Melton | Stephanie Lynn Henson |
| 2009 | Dr. Steve Murry | Lindsey Renee' Donaho |
| 2010 | Judge Dean Fowler | Kaitlyn Blair Tackett |
| 2011 | Randy Hill | Drew Danielle Henson-Hill |
| 2012 | Richard (Ricky) Holloway | Mary Paige Linder |
| 2013 | Ray Culberson | Karlie Carol White |
| 2014 | Randy Duke | Alexis Marie Williams |
| 2015 | Edward Williams | Jayce Savanna Finch-Henson |
| 2016 | Shayne Wilson | Riley Mackayla Meritt |
| 2017 | Brandon Garmon | Madison Lee Dean |
| 2018 | Troy Murray | Brinkley Grace Rash |
| 2019 | Michael Blanks | Audrey Scott Nolan |
| 2020 | Kyle Bowden | Carleigh Judd |
| 2021 | Rucker Joel Murry | Hannah Jean Henson |
| 2022 | Jordan Glaze | Caroline Michelle Dean |
| 2023 | Abigail Elaine Stewart | Addison Jayne Young |
| 2024 | TBD |