Big Tex Sees All

 State Fair of Texas time in Dallas. This is a truly monumental event held on permanent grounds, complete with lovely Art Deco buildings. For sixty years, Big Tex surveys the land and updates folks on events

 Ray and I enjoyed the Marine Corps Drum & Bugle show. Here they are marching off the parade grounds. But for forty five minutes they regaled the crowd with patriotic and popular tunes. Snappy uniforms, crisp timing, and snare drums can't be beat.

 Ray's resting before the BMX Stunt Bike show. We walked from 12:30 to 8:30 PM - saw Chinese acrobats, Frisbee Jump Dogs, Car and Truck show, Creative Arts, the Midway, and more. Forty dollars worth of coupons bought us probably forty thousand calories of junk food. Yes, I tried the Fried Bacon Cinnamon Bun - rather obnoxiously tasty covered in powdered sugar. Only in Texas folks, only in Texas.

 Windy, warm humid day. Shorts weather. Good day for some of the best fresh squeezed lemonade we've ever tasted.

Night time along the Esplanade. Art Deco buildings are lit and and then the fireworks/laster light show adds to the beauty of this area. Whew! Another State Fair goes in the record books. We enjoy the tradition.

State Fair of Texas - 125 Years Young

Today's my birthday (and I'm not quite 125 years old). The self-publishing adventure went nowhere this week. I appear to be in format hell, and a password circle of preposterous responses on my trying-to-design-a-website project. So, the heck with it. Ray and I took vacation on Friday October 7th to visit The State Fair of Texas

Automobile building is always a must see. Nothing like a concept Corvette to get the heart racing. Write 'em a check, honey.

Cirque Shanghai - talented Chinese acrobats wowed the crowd with fabulous feats of balance and tumbling. They conquered the Texas blustery wind.

It's not the fair without a shot of Big Tex. Dressed in new duds, his booming voice welcomes crowds and describes the day's events. From dawn to dusk, enjoy frisbee catching trick dogs, pig races, Creative Arts - photos, drawings, quilts, and canned fruits & veggies, Food & Fiber Pavilion - free ice cream, USMC band, the Midway, and so much more. The grand finale for us was the Illumination Sensations fireworks/laser light/music/fountain spectacular.

Fried food heaven. Ray and I stuck with the Fletcher corny dogs, and later a funnel cake. However, the newcomer was Fried Bubblegum. It looked sweetly sickening to me. Plenty of other products for coronary thrombosis - fried s'mores, fried butter, fried autumn pie, fried margarita ... only in Texas.

2011 State Fair of Texas - 125 years and still going strong. The Art Deco buildings in Fair Park are restored gleaming gems. The Hall of State is magnificent. Kudos to the State Fair organizers for an extraordinary entertainment extravaganza.