THE CRIMSON BERRY

It’s unlikely that Poteet founding father Francis Marion Poteet would have ever suspected that his namesake community would rise to such heights of celebrity based on the simple strawberry; nor would late 19th century settlers Henry T. Mumme and his wife, who began growing strawberries on their irrigated farmland in 1911. But within a few decades the rosy red fruits would dominate the community to such a degree that city leaders were inspired to organize the first Poteet Strawberry Festival in 1948. Fast forward another half-century or more and visitors to Poteet in April will find the three-day festival still in full swing. Today’s Poteet Strawberry Festival is such a significant draw, in fact, that festival organizers have had to authorize special labels for participating Poteet growers to ensure that visitors are getting the real thing. Interloping strawberries, it seems, are trying to infiltrate the festivities. But although berries take center stage, the festival also features live entertainment including international musical headliners, noted Tejano groups, and stage acts like magicians and gunslingers. A favorite event, the “Bad Company Rodeo” features bull, bronco and barrel riding. The berry celebration is not without its philanthropic side as well. Each year, the Poteet Strawberry Festival Association awards approximately thirty scholarships to Poteet high school graduates. Poteet has sure figured out a way to squeeze a lot of really big things from the simple little strawberry!