84R12328 JGH-D
By: Guillen H.C.R. No. 76
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, For nearly a century, the South Texas community of
Poteet has been known across the Lone Star State as a source of
delicious strawberries and as the host of a renowned annual
strawberry festival; and
WHEREAS, In 1911, city founders Henry and Ida Mumme began to
grow strawberries in their kitchen garden, and within 10 years, the
community's strawberry crop had become one of its most successful
products; local citizens invited residents of nearby San Antonio to
sample the town's strawberries in 1921, and the San Antonio
Express-News ran a story headlined "Crimson Berries Beckon Hungry
Tourists to Poteet"; and
WHEREAS, Building on the city's reputation, the Poteet Rotary
Club staged the first Poteet Strawberry Festival in April 1948,
hoping to provide an incentive for veterans of World War II to
return to area farms; the club also promoted more careful packing of
the crop so that each buyer would receive a uniform pint, flat, or
crate of berries; and
WHEREAS, Over the course of the past 67 years, the festival
has grown to become one of the signature springtime events in South
Texas, drawing 100,000 visitors and contributing up to $12 million
to the local economy each year; in addition to the strawberries
themselves, the popular gathering features live country music, a
rodeo, and a food show and auction; and
WHEREAS, The Poteet Strawberry Festival Association has also
presented college scholarships to deserving local students for the
past two decades; it currently gives away 10 scholarships each
year, while many of the more than 30 churches, schools, and civic
organizations that participate in the festival donate scholarships
as well; and
WHEREAS, This sweet, juicy, and colorful fruit is a delight
to behold and to taste, and for many years, the citizens of Poteet
have made the strawberry both a source of prosperity and a cause for
celebration; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate Poteet as the official Strawberry Capital of
Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
391.003(e), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
until the 10th anniversary of its designation.