As the farms disappear and the sky turns black
We’re a nation full of takers, never giving back
We never stop to think what we consume
Kids of the baby boom -- David Bellamy
Fannin County, Texas -- In four short years, Fannin Agricultural Association's Steaks on Main Ribeye Cook-Off and Dinner has become one of the signature events in North Texas and a vestige of days too quickly disappearing in rural America, where land was dedicated to cattle and hay operations instead of battery storage facilities and data centers, and families took time to gather for fellowship, good food and country music.
The organizers of Steaks on Main promote it as a community-wide event designed to promote agriculture and it does that and so much more. Fannin Agricultural Association has already donated more that $80,000 to FFA and 4-H programs that will enable the next generation to continue this proud, time-honored heritage.
Entertainment is a big draw for Steaks on Main. In years past, Fannin Agricultural Association has arranged to bring nationally known musicians to the big stage on Main Street, beginning with Jason Boland and the Stragglers in 2023, followed by Cory Morrow (2024) and Cody Canada & the Departed (2025).
Saturday night, a crowd of 1,500 in downtown Bonham was thrilled to welcome the Bellamy Brothers to Fannin County. This is a band that a blue-collar crowd can appreciate because when they hit the stage, they go to work, churning out the hits that have made them popular for 50 years. It was 1976 when "Let Your Love Flow" topped the pop charts in the U.S. and a dozen countries worldwide.
Three years later David and Howard Bellamy had their first No. 1 hit in country music with a song that was born out of a famous line by Groucho Marx -- "If I said You Have a Beautiful Body Would You Hold It Against Me."
The hits kept coming with "Redneck Girl," "Old Hippie" and a song that challenges 'boomers' to leave a better world than the one we are seeing play out every day on the evening news, "Kids of the Baby Boom."
Fannin County is still cattle country where people take pride in producing quality beef and that is certainly evident in the good-natured ribeye cook-off.
Grills gone wild
Dozens of grills fired up Saturday morning as 30 competitors in the Open Division, Youth Division and People's Choice Appetizer Division fine-tune their setups to compete for bragging rights and thousands of dollars in prize money.
By the time the Open Division sends the first set of steaks to be judged at 11:00 a.m., the tantalizing aroma of a variety of appetizers on the grills fills the air in downtown Bonham.
The 2026 Steaks on Main champion is Connor Reed with Apothecary Smoke. Fannin Agricultural Association congratulated Reed and noted that he generously donated his winnings back to the cause in an awesome show of support for our community and youth.
L4 Construction came in second, followed by Frontier Properties, Nottingham CDJR, and Bonham Family Drug.
Hudson Tree Farm took home the top prize in Steaks on Main's first-ever People’s Choice Appetizer Competition.
2026 was also the inaugural year of a Youth Division, with Tucker Rattan and Coleson Lawson of the Beefstie Boys winning first place.
At 6:30 p.m., 1,000 people lined up for a delicious ribeye dinner and the entertainment began at 7:00 p.m. with Tanner Legg & The Heaters opening up for the Bellamy Brothers.
