Zapata County Fair: This Year to Celebrate two Important Milestones

This year the Zapata County Fair is celebrating both the 36th anniversary of its establishment and the Sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the founding of Zapata County. One of the biggest little small-town fairs in Texas, rolls from February 22 through March 14, 2009. The Zapata fair stands apart from the usual fare with its distinctive binational, bicultural flavor. Along with the revered standards like livestock judging, bull riding, the carnival midway and the delicious food the fair highlights the region’s Hispanic culture with such favorites as Tejano music, the charreada and the best Mexican food in the border. It truly unites the best of two cultures and two countries. Every year the Zapata Fair attracts the interests of many Grammy Award winning Tejano artists such as Intocable and Siggno who make the fair, the go-to venue of choice during their tours, playing to packed houses and delighting fans with their toe-tapping sounds.

Zapata celebrating 150 years                                                                

Zapata residents also take pride in their community as a whole. In 1859, a band of of brave souls staked thier claim on a parcel of land south of Laredo,Texas along the storied banks of the Rio Grande. Named after Colonel Jose Antonio de Zapata, a rancher in the area and rebel against Mexico, Zapata County formed a part of the Rio Grande, a short-lived sovereign state, with Laredo Texas as its capitol, for about 240 days back in 1840. Caught inthe crossfires of a territorial dispute between Texas and Mexico, the Republic died out as quickly as it was formed. Eventually, the boundary between Texas and Mexico was set with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, thus ending the battle. Along the with the Zapata County Fair, Zapata also boasts some of the best fishing and birding sites in South Texas. It also remains a top spot for Winter Texans who make the annual journey to this South Texas jewel to escape Jack Frost’s icy chill. So, come for the Zapata County Fair, but stay and enjoy the rest of Zapata’s treasures.

For a complete list of events please visit: www.zapatacountyfaironline.com