The annual Sancocho Festival organized by Raul Perez Pena will climax this Saturday, 26 February at 5 pm with judges seeking to choose the best sancocho, as reported in El Nacional newspaper. The award for the best sancocho is RD$10,000 and a weekend at a resort. Raul Perez Pena highlighted the cultural importance of the sancocho, the meat and tubers stew that traditionally accompanies meetings of friends and associates. He spoke of how the sancocho is served to welcome or bid farewell to friends, and how some prefer it thick or not so thick. He also mentioned that there are different versions, depending on the region of the country. A fee of RD$1,000 has been set to participate in the sancocho tasting event where the 2005 best stew will be chosen. For more information, call 238-5711, 1-837-1048 or 1,350-5595.