Carlos “Kookie” Gonzalez returned to the San Mateo County Fair to again design and paint a community mural. The 2023 mural, funded by Dragonfly Community Arts, depicts Folklorico, Aztec drummers, and Caribbean dancers. In the background is the Aztec eagle or thunderbird, a traditional symbol for farmworkers.

Just like the 2022 county fair, Kookie and volunteers invited fair goers of all ages to pick up a paintbrush and add their brushstrokes to the mural. This year’s community mural was created to honor the contributions of county farmworkers. More specially, the mural was dedicated to the farmworkers who were killed earlier in the year during a mass shooting at two different farms in Half Moon Bay.

The completed mural was the backdrop for the final day of the fair, June 11, which was also Farmworker Appreciation Day. The fair honored five San Mateo County farmworkers for their hard work and years of service. Belinda Arriaga, founder of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar (ALAS), was also honored for her work and support with the Half Moon Bay community. ALAS has been a partner of Dragonfly Community Arts and supports the health and well-being of the farmworker and migrant community in Half Moon Bay. Farmworker rights activist Dolores Huerta was also a guest at the fair to congratulate this year's honorees and to speak about the continued importance of farmworker organizing and the fight for fair wages and benefits. The day also featured live music, and ballet and folklorico dancers from ALAS.

Dragonfly also sponsored and funded Creative Corner at the county fair. Rachel Aloyicious, founder and art instructor with Creative Corner, offered free art instruction and art activities. Over 1,000 youth along with their parents and grandparents took advantage of the free art-making activities throughout the week of the fair.

Dragonfly would like to give a giant thank you to Rachel Aloyicious and Carlos "Kookie" Gonzalez, as well as Stephen Seymour who put together and organized this year’s fine arts program at the San Mateo County Fair.