Schedule of Events – National Dutch Oven Gathering 2026

Posted on by NDOG

Schedule of Events

Tuesday, 11/03/26 and Wednesday, 11/04/26

  • Set up and hang out with friends.
  • Depending on how many of us are around we could do a potluck dinner or goof off and share snacks.

Thursday 11/05/26

  • 12:00 to 3:00 PM
  • Welcome Registration
  • Check in – Gift Bags, Wristbands, Name tags, etc.
  • Drop off State Baskets
  • Sign up for Demonstrations and Classes
  • Sign up for Adult Cook off

We need volunteers to help to set up tables and chairs and other miscellaneous chores.

Potluck Dinner @ 5:00 pm in the pavilion. All are welcome. Join in on the fellowship.

Friday 11/06/26

  • 12:00 to 3:00 PM
  • Welcome Registration
  • Check in – Gift Bags, Wristbands, Name tags, etc.
  • Drop off State Baskets
  • Sign up for Demonstrations and Classes

Adult Dutch Oven Cook Off

  • 9:00 AM, Adult Cook Off Meeting – 3 Pot Cook Off
  • 9:30 AM, Adult Cook off Set Up and Prep
  • 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Adult Cook off
  • 6:00 PM, Winners Announcement by Judges

Demo & Classes

  • 9:30 to 11:00 AM, Dutch Oven 101 with Leslie Tennessen
  • 9:30 to 11:00 AM, How to make a Clute Cooker with Dennis Clute
  • 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Lebanese Cooking with Sami Dahdal

Potluck Dinner @ 5:00 pm in the pavilion. All are Welcome. Join in on the fellowship.

Saturday 11/07/26

Potluck Breakfast @ 9:30 AM in the Pavilion. All are Welcome.

Join us for a fun day. Make new friends and catch up on the good times with old ones.

Demo & Classes

  • 10:00 AM, Lodge Fluted Pan (Bundt Cake) Class with Sue Alexander
  • 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Lebanese Cooking with Sami Dahdal
  • Silent Auction / Tickets, All Day
  • State Baskets, Pick up baskets after 3:00 PM

Potluck Dinner @ 5:00 pm in the pavilion. All are Welcome. Join in on the fellowship.

Please help with cleaning up after each meal, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for participating.

If you would like to add or edit something to the schedule, feel free to contact us

at info@ndog2026.com. As always this is not etched in stone and could fluctuate

as needed.

State Basket – National Dutch Oven Gathering 2026

Posted on by NDOG

National Dutch Oven Gathering State Basket Exchange

A tradition since the 2007 National Dutch Oven Gathering is the “State Basket Gift Exchange”. Your Participation is optional but highly encouraged. If you wish to participate, please bring a basket full of items that represent your state or local area. It can include anything you like. There’s no set limit on how much to spend, but we recommend around $40.00.

When you arrive at the Dutch Oven Gathering, turn your basket in at the registration table. On Saturday afternoon, come back and we’ll give you a basket from another state!

Please put a tag on the basket with your name and state.

Looking forward to seeing everyone

National Dutch Oven Gathering State Baskets
National Dutch Oven Gathering State Baskets

About Us – National Dutch Oven Gathering 2026

Posted on by NDOG

Hello everybody,

My name is Forrest Dilmore, your host for the National Dutch Oven Gathering 2026, and I’d like to take this opportunity to invite and welcome you to the National Dutch Oven Gathering 2026. The NDOG 2026 is being held in the beautiful Panhandle of Northwest Florida, the place that I’ve called home for the past 61 years. The NDOG 2026 site will be the Jackson County Agricultural Center and will be held on November 5-7, 2026.  The “Ag Center” or old fairgrounds, as the local folks call it, is located about 2 miles West of Marianna FL on US Highway 90.

Any forms needed for the NDOG, such as site reservations, event registration, 3-pot cook-off, etc. can be found here on the website.

The sites that are available are 30-amp service with water hook-up for each site.  There are no sewer hook-ups available.  There is a dump station on site. 

You will definitely want to look over the event schedule and be sure to attend what might interest you.  One of the evenings for supper (that’s what we refer to the evening meal as) you’ll be able to travel back in time about 150 years and experience a supper similar to what might of been had on an 1880’s cattle drive, prepared on an authentic chuckwagon.  Friday and Saturday will be packed with a lot of informative and interesting seminars and demonstrations, as well as a 3-pot cook-off. Speaking of the 3-pot, they’ll be some really cool trophies awarded to the top dishes, so if you have the competitive spirit, get to practicin’!

Sight Seeing – National Dutch Oven Gathering 2026

Posted on by NDOG

If you’ve never been to this part of the world, you might want to come a day or two ahead of time and see some of the local sights. If you’re planning to camp on site, it can be arranged for you to be able to set up early, just be sure note the dates on the registration. Here’s some local places of interest that you might want to see while here, but certainly not limited to:

  • Florida Caverns State Park

Located on the North side of Marianna, just minutes from the NDOG. Florida’s only air-filled limestone cave system accessible without diving equipment, featuring stalactites, stalagmites, flowstone, and formations created by the Chipola River carving through limestone, with year-round 64 degree chambers. 

  • Falling Waters State Park

Located South of Chipley Florida, approximately 15 miles West of the NDOG. A very unique ecosystem of native Longleaf Pine and Wiregrass, typical to what this part of Florida was like many years ago long before development.  Home to a large colony of Gopher Tortoise. Water flows into a large sinkhole that deposits directly into the Florida aquifer. Features allot of local history in the park area. 

  • World’s Most Beautiful Beaches

Located approximately 60 miles South of the NDOG.  This area is known as “The World’s Most Beautiful Beaches” for a reason. Whether you call it the Gulf of Mexico or the Gulf of America, if you like the beach and have never seen the gulf beach…you don’t want to miss it. The ocean beaches don’t begin to compare with the beautiful water and sugar-white sand of the gulf.  A really popular destination for vacationers and spring-breakers.  November will be the perfect time to visit, as all the hollerin’ and screamin’ college students a weilding momma and daddy’s credit cards will be back in school. 

  • Jackson Blue Springs. 

Located just northeast of Marianna, approximately 10 miles from the NDOG.  A popular recreational area known for its exceptionally clear cool water.  Ideal for swimming, snorkeling, and diving. 

  • Canoe and Kayak Liveries

The Panhandle is home to numerous creeks, many of which have beautiful natural springs feeding them water. Three notable creeks come to mind. 

– Spring Creek, located on the Eastside of Marianna, about 5 miles from the NDOG. 

– Holmes Creek, located about 20 miles West-Southwest of the NDOG, near Vernon

– Econfina Creek, located about 45 miles to the Southwest of the NDOG site. 

All three have a livery where canoes can be rented.  All three creeks boast breathtaking springs and natural beauty. 

  • National Peanut Festival

2026 celebrates the 82nd annual National Peanut Festival. The festival is held approximately 30 miles Northwest of the NDOG, just South of Dothan Alabama.  It’s a celebration of this region’s agricultural heritage, which the peanut has played a major role in. The festival starts on November 6th and runs through November 15th and features a large midway, live concerts, agricultural exhibits, as well as livestock shows. 

If you’re planning to attend the NDOG but do not want to camp on site, there’s numerous lodging available on the East side of Marianna, as well as in Chipley and Bonifay Florida, 10 to 20 miles west. 

If assistance is needed in finding a place to stay, just let me know or if there’s any special needs or accommodation that might be needed to make your visit the best it could possibly be.

I’m really looking forward to seeing friends, old and new, in November!!!

Sincerely, your 2026 National Dutch Oven Gathering Host

Forrest Dilmore