| The Riveras (Mark, Chris and toddler Gabby) and I attended the annual State Fair at Fair Park (Sept-Oct), eager to pig out, get on the rides, cruise the midway, feed the livestock, hum to the concerts and march to the parade... ... things really haven't changed that much since the first State Fair in 1886. |
| S E N E N M E L C H O R A M P I L A N T O N I O |
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| S t a t e F a i r a t F a i r P a r k |
| Photo credits: (Top and Below Left) www.lonestarthrills.com, (Right) www.bigtex.com, (Below Center) www. hallofstate.com, (Below Right) www.thewomensmuseum.org |
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| Coming off from the shuttle train, no fairgrounder could have missed the famous ambassador of the Texas State Fair - Big Tex! At 52 feet tall, he's the biggest Texan around. Tex marks ground zero of the fairgrounds, a large urban plaza aptly named "Big Tex Circle". And he actually waves to and greets all visitors. With a slow, low Texan drawl, of coss... |
| From its basic amenities at the turn of the century, Fair Park was slowly built up, in large part to host the Texas Centennial in 1936. At 277 acres, it is presently the largest collection of Art Deco public exposition-style architecture in the United States and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Among the many notable buildings are the Hall of State, the |
| Photo credits: (Above Left and Near Left) www.lonestarthrills.com |
| Fair Park Music Hall, The Science Place, The Dallas Museum of Natural History, Dallas Aquarium and the Cotton Bowl. The Bowl in particular is packed to the bleachers during the State Fair, when local and out-of-state sportsfans descend upon Fair Park for the annual Aggie-OU football match. |
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| Pop culture is on equal footing with high culture here. The State Fair is a showcase of true Americana: livestock shows; a petting zoo (Gabby got a kick feeding the baby goats, a lamma and an ostrich among others); carnival games and park rides with thrills and spills; and cotton candy, funnel cakes, corn dogs, fried green tomatoes and huuge roasted turkey legs! Mmmmm... |
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| It seemed that the State Fair is out to prove that everything really is bigger in Texas. Apart from Big Tex, the fair also features the largest ferris wheel in the Americas, the Texas Star (illustration above), as well as a great auto show with all major U.S. and foreign car manufacturers housed in 4 large exhibition hangars. |
| Click here for an interactive map of the Dallas area |
| Dallas, Texas |
| S t a t e F a i r a t F a i r P a r k |
| We spent the whole day at the Fair, and though we had planned to stay for the parade, by early evening, even the grownups were too pooped... The next day however, we did go the Dallas Zoo and had another dose of the 'wild life'... |
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