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Poteet Strawberry Festival
Poteet, Texas
Where: Poteet (30 minutes
south of San Antonio)
When: April [check for this year's dates]
What do you get when you mix one of Texas'
sweetest products with some of the biggest names in country music?
A berry good time, that's what. The Poteet Strawberry
Festival preserves a half-century tradition celebrating the annual harvest
of the South Texas strawberry crop with music, dances, and plenty
of homegrown fun.
"This started out as a small town festival but
it has grown," explains Nita Harvey, Festival Coordinator.
"We are ranked as the number one agricultural festival in the
state and one of the top festivals in the Southwest. This is the
first big celebration of the year, and people are ready to get out
and celebrate."
And boy, do they get out. In a typical year, paid
attendance on the festival grounds averages 100,000 over the three-day
event.
The massive scale of the berry bash is impressive
on its own, but it's astounding considering the size of Poteet.
This town located south of San Antonio on Texas 16 has a population
of only 3,000. Many town residents volunteer their time to help
make the festival a success. They are joined by volunteers from
around the state, and often from around the country and even from
foreign nations. Over 8,000 volunteers work to coordinate this Texas-sized
festival.
This annual event began as the project of the Poteet
Rotary Club. Today it is operated by the Poteet Strawberry Festival
Association, a non-profit organization, the group works to finance
scholarships for the Strawberry Queen, King Poteet and members of
the Court. Other scholarships go to Poteet High School students,
and additional funds are used to support community projects.
By any measure, the festival has been a definite
success. Besides nearly a half century in the running, the celebration
pours in between $10-12 million annually into the South Texas economy.
The festivities include concerts, a Strawberry Contest,
Strawberry Auction,an arts and crafts show, gunslingers, clows,
and much more.
With three days of nationally known country and western
performers and nonstop fun, that makes the Poteet Strawberry Festival
the sweetest deal in the Lone Star State.
For more information:
• visit the Poteet
Strawberry Festival site.
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