Why we love the State Fair of Texas
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Our favorite tall cowboy. Photo: Tasha Tsiaperas/Axios
The State Fair of Texas may be expensive, kitschy and crowded, but sharing fried foods, riding the Ferris wheel and watching livestock shows has become a beloved annual tradition for me and one of my dearest friends.
Why it matters: Friendships grow from traditions, and there's no greater Texas tradition than going to the State Fair.
The big picture: My friend Sasha and I went together for the first time in 2012. And then we went again and again.
- Our annual selfies with Big Tex are beginning to show the passage of time. Our faces are changing. Even Tex looks different now.
What we love: We promptly visit Fletcher's, usually the stand by Big Tex. Then we get our annual selfie with the tall cowboy.
- Thus begins our food odyssey. We try as many of the annual winners as we can stomach, alternating between savory and sweet.
- Some years we see the pig races, others we go to the bird show. We've seen ostrich races and acrobats. We once spent 30 minutes trying Vitamix soups and smoothies.
- Ideally, we're on the Texas Star at sunset.
Our highlights: Four food items are required every year — a corn dog, deep-fried chocolate-covered strawberry waffle balls, a turkey leg (from the open grill by the Midway), and a funnel cake at the end of the day. This never changes.
- The car show. We climb in cars we'd never buy and plot imaginary road trips.
- The creative arts exhibits. We love a quilted holiday vest.
- It's true: You can pickle anything.
The other side: Plenty of people hate the fair. We get it.
- Yes, but: The joy we feel careening around Fair Park every fall is undeniable.
The bottom line: Dallas-Fort Worth is massive. My friend works nights in an ICU and lives nearly an hour away. It can be hard to make plans.
- But we know, no matter what, we're going to the fair.
Plus: This guy has been going to the fair for 72 years.
- So hopefully Sasha and I have at least 60 more to go.