Tessa Moss wins bragging rights for her caption "Hey, this isn't the line for the funnel cakes." Congratulations!

What a successful county fair!

Thanks to our community, visitors and sponsors.

This year’s fair was a record breaking three-day event! Thursday's "Battle of the Bands" produced a winner, Armamento Musical from Laredo that showcased their Cumbia and Tropical sounds. They were the opening act for Saturday night's lineup. Friday was a tossup for the Zapata County Fair who had never had a country/western venue in its 41-year history, but in the end it was a complete hit, Zapatans pulled through to promote on every level. Posters were distributed around a hundred-mile radius; five thousand program books were distributed to entice out-of-towners; The Queen’s did their fair share as ambassadors at Laredo's Jamboozie and they visited every TV, radio station, and newspaper office with military precision. Contests on the radio and Facebook became the norm. And it paid off! 

Our entertainment showcard featured some of the brightest stars in Country/ Western and Norteno genre. Leading the pack on Friday was Kevin Fowler while Pesado stood on the sidelines waiting to amaze the crowd on Saturday. And they delivered! Nicely rounding off the evenings were Solido, Siggno, Los Zamoralez and Los 5 de Zapata.

Our community has always come together when the need arises as it did Saturday. A former ZCF Queen Runner-Up shocked the crowd at the livestock auction, when she announced she would donate her entire prize-winning bid money to help with the medical expenses of her friend stricken with leukemia. The bidding garnered $11,000 but was quickly doubled by a group of concerned business friends to a whopping $23,000. Everyone was emotionally moved to where there was hardly a dry eye in the exhibit hall. The Zapata County Fair Association and the entire community unite in solidarity to pay the highest admiration and respect to this beautiful young lady with a beautiful heart, Aly Jo Gutierrez. Congratulations go out to her parents for having raised a daughter with such high moral and human values.

Our fair was a success. But the level of success is directly proportioned to the quality of its organizing members. I sincerely thank the Zapata County Fair Association, our 4-H Clubs, the Zapata County Commissioners’ Court, the Z.C.I.S.D., the Zapata County Sheriff's department, our sponsors, and the countless others that volunteer their time and whose only interest is the satisfaction that "todo salió bíen." And thanks to all who joined us this year and helped us keep our title of "The Biggest Little Town Fair In Texas."

Sincerely, 

Jose F. "Paco” Mendoza, Jr.

2013 ZCFA President

2013 Zapata County Fair President