Texas

In a list such as this, there always has to be some ‘first-time’ experiences. This is the first time we have attended a fair in pouring-down rain. Texas, being our farthest destination on this trip, was a do-or-die fair for us. As we worked our way here, we kept eyeing the forecast which was calling for rain all day. The rain came as promised, Dallas received 1.34” on Tuesday. Nonetheless, we pressed on. There were plenty of indoor exhibits to see. This fair is also the first to require a 2-day visit, partially because of the rain, but primarily because of its size. We did not eat any food at the fair on our first day. We saw the craft exhibit, which was displayed very neatly in glass cabinets, in an immaculate building. There were at least two buildings filled with miscellaneous fair vendors, and these seemed bolder and more in-your-face than usual. There was also a ‘Made-in-Texas’ building that covered all aspects of Texas produce and products and included a fun, educational exhibit of native animals displayed with buttons for each that you would press and a TV would show you the animal and give some facts about it. All rides and food vendors at this fair require tickets instead of cash. The same tickets are used for both. Midway games require a special reloadable game card. So, the only cash used is to purchase tickets or to buy something from a non-fair vendor.

Day 2 was gorgeous weather. Low 70’s and clear skies. We arrived near the same gate but due to the number of cars we were routed to the next gate, and entered near the livestock barns. Lisa got to see some exhibit horses, primarily showing various breeds of horses in quite tidy paddocks. We walked the midway, which reminded me more of an amusement park than a travelling carnival midway. Many of the rides were permanent fixtures, and all of them were Texas-sized. The cable car and giant ferris wheel were amazing (although we didn’t ride either one). There were many shows all around the fairgrounds to entertain, including pig races and a dog show inside one building, horse demonstrations and a kid rodeo in another, a butterfly house that you could walk through with butterflies flying all around you, a chain saw carver, archery demonstration, surfing demonstration (situated in the middle of the midway on a permanently installed “wave pool”), a “birthing barn” with cows, sheep, goats, chicks, etc.), and our favorite…The Wild West Pet Palooza that put on an impressive show with several animals, including dogs, cats, doves, macaws, ducks, a pig and even a porcupine! The animals at this huge fair were a little disappointing in the sense that there were not a lot still there…no rabbit barn, empty poultry barn, empty pig barn, almost empty sheep/goat barns and only a small amount of horses to see (though Lisa was grateful to see at least SOME horses). They did, however, have a lot of cows still there and were in the middle of judging them, and the arena was beautiful and impressive! Even the way the cow barns were “decorated” with patriotic bunting hanging all the way through each walkway was very nice. That being said, we WERE impressed with the kids’ petting barn that featured the typical barnyard animals AND kangaroos, a camel, zebra, ostriches, porcupine, and more! They also had a very large pig in a prominent place, and the “Best of the Best” champion, prize-winning animals in their own display, including a cow that was worth $150,000!

The Texas fair has a robust fair food competition, and the current and previous winning entries are available and well-promoted. Because of this, we had to try the ‘Deep-fried Thanksgiving Dinner’. It consisted of 2 large meatball sized deep-fried balls containing cubed Turkey and cubed potatoes embedded in yummy stuffing. The shell was light and crispy. It was served with little cups of gravy and cranberry sauce for dipping. We really enjoyed it. We also bought cotton candy, a funnel cake, and $1 bottled water. Finally, we tried the ‘Pizza Fries’ which consisted of French fries smothered in sauce, cheese, and mini pepperoni. This was edible, but not great. The fries were mushy.