State Fair of Texas Honors Central Texas Camp Counselors with 2025 Pride of Texas Award
By State Fair of Texas | | The State Fair of Texas has awarded the 2025 Pride of Texas Award to youth camp counselors from Central Texas, recognizing their extraordinary courage during the devastating July Fourth floods along the Guadalupe River. The award was presented in front of the Hall of State at Fair Park during the Opening Ceremony of the 2025 State Fair of Texas.
Established in 2014, the Pride of Texas Award honors individuals or organizations that exemplify the qualities Texans hold dear: resilience, loyalty, generosity, and selflessness. This year’s recipients were chosen for their bravery in protecting campers as floodwaters swept through camps near Kerrville, Texas.
“As one of the counselors’ mothers said to our State Fair President, ‘There is light to share amidst all the darkness.’ Tonight, we hope to share some of that light,” said Karissa Condoianis, Senior Vice President of Public Relations for the State Fair of Texas, as she announced this year’s award recipient.
Selected by the State Fair to represent the youth camp counselors from Central Texas at the 2025 State Fair of Texas Opening Ceremony was 19-year-old Ainslie Bashara of Camp Mystic, who helped lead 16 young girls to safety with her co-counselors by breaking through a cabin window and guiding them through rising waters. Also in attendance were counselors from Camp La Junta – who, like Ainslie, risked their lives to protect children in their care.
The 2025 Pride of Texas Award was presented to Bashara on behalf of all the counselors who stood strong that night, reminding us that true strength is found in service to others. The State Fair of Texas is a place where people from all walks of life come together to share joy and create memories, just as so many were doing at summer camps and family get-togethers along the river on July Fourth when the floods shattered what should have been a time of celebration and community. In recognizing these counselors, we honor not only their courage and selflessness but also the very spirit of Texas – resilience, generosity, and care for others.
“I think it’s extremely important for me to recognize Heaven’s 27 and the impact that all of those precious angels will forever have on our lives,” said Bashara during her acceptance speech.
“While we honor these young leaders’ heroism with this award, we also remember the lives lost during the floods throughout Central Texas,” said State Fair of Texas President Mitchell Glieber. “At entrances throughout the fairgrounds, green ribbons have been tied to trees to honor those who did not make it home.”
This year’s Pride of Texas Award serves as a reminder that even in the face of unimaginable tragedy, the strength of community and the spirit of selflessness shine brightest. As the State Fair of Texas welcomes millions of guests this fall, we stand together in honoring the bravery of these counselors, the memory of the lives lost, and the enduring values that make Texas proud.
