Yep! It's strawberry pickin' time down in Texas, and it seems like everybody knows that there just isn't a sweeter, juicier strawberry in the world than a Poteet strawberry! And that's the very reason you probably have never tasted one.
It's a great story, and it starts like this...
 The Poteet Strawberry Festival® is one of the oldest, most popular events in the state and is recognized as the largest agricultural festival in Texas as well as one of the most exciting, dynamic festivals in the Greater Southwest. The festival has been chosen as one of the Top 250 Events in the nation. With crowds exceeding 100,000 annually, it pours between $10-$12 million into the South Texas economy, a most welcome economic boost for the area. Strictly a non-profit organization, the Festival Association funds scholarships to graduating seniors in addition to supporting community projects.
This year's festival is being staged April 8-10th.
But it didn't start that way...
Poteet's Founding Fathers:
Francis Marion Poteet brought his family to the Poteet/Pleasanton area after they left the California Gold Fields in 1860. Francis M. Poteet operated the post office out of his blacksmith shop in the 1886. The town was named after him because he was a pioneer, explorer, army scout, post rider, storekeeper, miller, farmer and rancher.
Mr. Henry T. Mumme was also a founder. He settled in the area in 1892. Henry T. Mumme contributed enormously to the town's growth. He found the artesian wells in 1904; this made the land more attractive to farmers. Mr. Mumme also donated 400 acres of land were the town site was built. Mumme was one of the first one to grow strawberries in the area.
Mumme succeeded Poteet as postmaster and in 1904 found artesian wells in the area; this ready source of water made the location more attractive to farmers.
Mumme began to grow strawberries on the irrigated land in 1911, and strawberries rapidly became one of the town's major claims to fame. A three-day strawberry festival began in Poteet in 1948
In addition to its fame as the "Strawberry City," Poteet achieved nationwide recognition in the 1950s when Milton Caniff, author of the "Steve Canyon" comic strip, named one of his characters after the town.
The festival has grown to include over 100 acres of music stages, food booths, carnivals, exhibits and, of course, strawberries. But beware! The demand for the sweet Poteet strawberry is so great that all the berries grown in Poteet are sold during the festival each year. Roadside vendors on the edge of town may have plenty of strawberries to sell, but the berries are from California!
The festival includes fourteen areas of continuous, family entertainment featuring concerts with nationally known Country Western and Tejano stars, dancers, gunslingers, clowns, puppets, regional bands, various contests, and rodeo performances. These activities are included in the price of a $8.00 admission ticket. Children under the age of 10 are admitted free of charge as well as active, reserve and retired military with proper ID.
Poteet is located just south of San Antonio.
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Rio Grande Valley