The 34th Annual Cottonfest is a local event held yearly at the Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds. The event consisted of a BBQ cook-off, live music, food stands, stand-up comedy, etc. Although it started off as a small local event, it has grown into something bigger than anyone ever imagined.
“I remember when we only needed one small table full of judges for the cook-off, and this year we needed seven tables,” BBQ event coordinator Jason Garcia said.
The cook-off drew in many teams this year due to other nearby events getting called off. Sixty-eight teams competed which is the most amount of teams that have ever competed in this competition. Even though the event was local, people from out of town were making plans months in advance to be able to come to this event.
“I have been waiting to come to Cottonfest for months now. When I was told judges were needed, my wife and I knew that we needed to come,” Houston resident Ryan Alaniz said.
All though the event is now a huge success it was originally started to be just for the community of Robstown.
“The idea was to give back to the community, and raise money for scholarships and other community programs,” Garcia said.
The cook-off was not the only thing Cottonfest had to offer. Four bands preformed throughout the weekend along with stand-up comedian Raymond Orta.
“The stand-up comedian was not something you would want to take your kids to, but it was my favorite part of the entire night,” local Alex Sanchez said.
As the event came to a close locals and visitors were pleased and excited to return to the event next year.
