3 days, 300 miles & A FAIR to Remember

By Ashlee & Roger Estlack,  The Clarendon Enterprise

A trip to Dallas’ Fair Park recently resulted in a vacation to remember for two kids from Donley County.

Benjamin and Elaina Estlack, ages four and three, and their parents Roger and Ashlee made their first trek to the Texas State Fair this month to experience the sights, sounds, and tastes that are the hallmarks of a Lone Star legend.

A scheduled professional conference in Dallas for Ashlee opened the door to the possibility of taking a memorable trip, something more for the kiddos than the annual trip to a big city zoo. For days the kids’ anticipation built as we made our plans to attend “the fair.” They weren’t quite sure what that meant, but they had a vague idea having attended the Tri-State Fair last year in Amarillo. Their main goal for the trip was to see some horses.

And so as soon as the Bronco pep rally was over on September 30, our family of four loaded up and headed to Big D, pulling into our hotel just before midnight after stopping in Wichita Falls for supper and the discount store in Bowie to invest in a couple of cheap strollers. (By far the wisest $30 we spent on the trip.)

Our day started not terribly early on Saturday. By 11:30 we were headed out of our hotel, and Ben wanted to know if we were taking the car.

“No, son. We’re taking the train,” Roger said, adding to Ben’s excitement.

So adventure number one began as we pushed the kids four blocks through downtown Dallas to the Akard Station. Ben stared at the tall buildings and commented, “These skyscrapers are really scraping the sky!”  Once at the station, Ben and Ella quickly spotted our train – the Green Line – and we were on our way to Fair Park with nary a worry of traffic or parking. The train dropped us off at the Fair’s main gate, we grabbed our tickets at the “will call” window and headed inside, where were met by several friendly staff members and the expected Texas friendliness.

TIP: The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) is a great way to get to the Fair.  The cost is only $1.75 per person for a one-way ticket, and a kiosk at each station makes getting a ticket quick and easy. The trip from downtown to Fair Park takes less than ten minutes.

Our first stop was the information booth to grab a park map and plan our next move. After finding the petting zoo on the map, we started to make our way across the park. We took an air-conditioned detour through an exhibit of luxury cars in the Centennial Exhibit Hall and discovered a log house on the other side. Not a log cabin as you might be thinking, but a house built inside a section of a felled giant California redwood. Ben and Roger put a dollar in the donation box and went inside the “tree house.” Allen’s Original Redwood Log House is a hollowed out section of a 1900-year-old redwood 33 feet long and more than eight feet wide. More than 11,000 board feet of lumber – enough to build a five room home – were removed to make the three-room house. The walls are all sanded and varnished to show the wood’s natural beauty. “It was a house made in a log, Ella,” Ben matter-of-factly reported to his sister afterward.

Continuing to make our way to the petting zoo, we took another detour through the Craft Pavilion, where Ben picked up his first souvenir, a custom Western belt with his name stamped on the back.
We strolled through the food corridor and scoped out several tasty treats for later, and then finally arrived at the Barnyard where five dollars bought a Solo cup of feed. We went from pen to pen feeding and petting a variety of animals. There were zebras, ponies, pigs, kangaroos, llamas, cows, donkeys, dromedaries (camels), goats, and several interesting animals whose identities are still a mystery to us. Several dozen photos and a generous amount of hand sanitizer later and we were headed for our next adventure – the Texas Star Ferris Wheel.

However, Ben and Ella were getting hungry so we visited the nearest Corny dog stand on our way to Midway. The kids went for the “safe” foods – chicken strips and mini corn dogs, while Roger and Ashlee went for foot-long corn dogs with frozen sweet tea and frozen lemonade. We sat down at a table next to two locals who we’ll call Rob and Liz. This young couple leaves their kids with grandma every year to spend a day at the State Fair trying out the new foods. “Rob” quickly pointed out that we had already made a critical error in our choice of corn dogs. Fletcher’s, he said, are the only corn dogs to eat at the far as they were the original corn dog. As it turns out, Carl and Neil Fletcher are reported to have invented the deep-fried corn-battered hot dog in their kitchen in Dallas and sold it for the first time at the State Fair of Texas in 1942. Today, the Fletcher family says they sell about 500,000 corn dogs during the 24-day run of the state fair.

A connoisseur of fair fare, “Rob” warned us against the fried bubblegum (too sweet, he said) and the fried Texas salsa, but he highly recommended the “walking taco,” fried pineapple upside down cake, and kraut balls. And he definitely advised against sampling the fried beer.

TIP: It’s a great idea to make friends with a local or a regular fairgoer to know the ins and outs of new foods before you buy them.

We said goodbye to “Rob” and “Liz” and headed into the Midway where the kids played a ball-toss game and each won a stuffed animal. Ben, not losing sight of our goal, tried to head us toward the Ferris wheel, but Mom and Dad guided him and his sister to the nearby “Kidway” – a section of rides exclusively for the younger crowd.  Ben rode a “motorcycle” and Ella rode a “whale.” Afterwards, Ben again tried to direct us to the giant wheel, but he was easily sidetracked into taking a ride on a little train. When the little train stopped though, nothing would deter Ben from going to the Ferris wheel.

After parking our strollers and standing in a serpentine line for several minutes, we were finally locked into a steel cage and began our journey high above the park on the Texas Star Ferris Wheel – the tallest Ferris wheel in North America. According to official sources, the wheel was built in Italy and debuted in Fair Park in 1985. It carries riders 20 stories high; and on a clear day, those on board can see the downtown Fort Worth skyline some 40 miles away. As the wheel began turning, Ella took cover in the seat before finally being persuaded to look down. Ben, however, peered out of the cage and said, “Whoa!” On the second revolution, Ella exclaimed, “I like it when it goes high, high, high into the sky!” And Ben added, “Up, up, up, and away!”

After two revolutions, we exited the big ride headed for the commercial exhibits in the coliseum. We quickly came across the “Old Time Photos” booth and decided now was as good a time as any for a family portrait. Ben and Roger were quickly dressed up as outlaws, Ella became a pistol-packing saloon girl, and Ashlee became a “working woman.” A few cheesy pictures, lots of laughs, and $130 later, we were back in the strollers and touring the exhibits.  We ended up at the coliseum stage just in time to see the final performance of the day of Billy Roy’s One-Man Band.  The kids sat spellbound as the multi-tasking musician played instruments with his feet, knees, legs, hands, mouth, and head. At one point he got all twelve instruments going at one time, and it actually sounded pretty good.

A quick picture underneath the big flashy “State Fair of Texas” sign and we headed out the door in search of more fun. Just a few steps outside, and we heard the most amazing music getting louder and closer. As we looked down the street a marching band like nothing we had ever seen before came right by us, eliciting squeals of joy from the kids. It was the CC Marching Machine from Carter High School, and those kids could play and move. As Ben put it, “That was totally wicked!”

As the sun began to sink lower, it became clear that the kids were winding down, but we still had things to do. We found an original Fletcher’s stand, grabbed some of the “real” corn dogs that “Rob” had told us about, and headed into a dog show.  As we munched on the best corn dogs anywhere (seriously), we were entertained by Doberman Pinschers that danced, jumped, played, and frolicked to the kids’ and our amazement.  The kids danced to the music along with the dogs; and when the show ended, Ella commented, “I really loved that!”

Fletcher’s corn dogs had been a nice snack, but Ashlee and Roger were ready for something different, and no trip to the Texas State Fair would be complete without sampling some unusual fried food. We perused the menus of fried cheesecake, fried lemonade, fried smores, fried bacon, fried pumpkin pie, fried frozen margaritas, and more before making our choices. Ashlee settled on the fried butter, which she reported was much like a sopapilla; and Roger selected the fried pineapple upside down cake “Rob” had suggested, which was he declared was very tasty.

TIP: Plan to buy plenty of coupons to spend at vendors. It’s not that things are terribly expensive, but you’re going to want to try a lot of different things.

It was now time for some serious shopping – souvenirs for cousins, a Big Tex bobble head, a rain-proof hat for Roger, and glass figurines for Ashlee. Ben already had his personalized belt, so Ella got a personalized bracelet, and we sprang for a necklace with a grain of rice with “Ben” and “Ella” written on it. The waiting and shopping was too much for the kids as they finally passed out in their strollers.

Our day was ending, but we still had one must-see landmark on our list – Big Tex. So we headed his direction, stopping for a bit so Ashlee could see her first exhibition of square dancing.  Big Tex had his origin in Kerens, Texas, where the Chamber of Commerce had built a giant Santa Claus for a holiday promotion. The State Fair acquired the structure in 1951 and modified it, and Big Tex made his debut in 1952, wearing size 70 boots and a 75-gallon hat, he towers 52 feet above wide-eyed visitors. Well, not all of them are wide-eyed… Ben and Ella would not be roused from their slumber for a giant cowboy.

With our feet aching, our stomachs full, and our hearts happy, we decided it was time to bring our adventure to a close and headed back to the Fair Park train station. As we arrived, the kids woke up and excitedly began looking for “our” train and shortly the “green line” arrived.
Ella asked which station was ours and listened intently as the DART computer voice called the name of each stop. When the Akard Station came up, she began to shout, “This one’s ours! This one’s ours!” much to the amusement of our fellow travelers.

As night fell over the city, we pushed our strollers up the four blocks to the hotel where much needed rest and refreshment awaited us. It had been an exciting day for all of us, and one that the kids are still talking about more than a week later.

The kids and Roger loaded up and went home Sunday after a late brunch, and Ashlee stayed behind for her conference. First up on her association’s itinerary was a trip to the State Fair. We had already decided that our family needed to come back to the fair in the future, but Ashlee’s experience Sunday afternoon and evening drove that decision home.

Journeying to the fair with two Dallas locals, a regular fairgoer from Temple, and a newbie from Beeville, Ashlee learned that we had missed some of the most impressive exhibits and experiences. In addition to trying some more deep fried delicacies – smores and bacon – the group visited the Food & Fiber Pavilion where dozens of vendors offer free samples of food items made right here in Texas.  While many vendors were already closed down for the day, this is definitely a location to visit on future trips.  Everything from Texas grown beef to spicy hot sauce, to Borden’s Bessie the cow is on display.

The Wine Garden was the next stop on the itinerary.  The Wine Garden is a good place to relax, people-watch, learn about wine, sample wine or, on weekends, a place to enjoy live jazz, a glass of red or white and some cheese and fruit.  The wine showcased here are from Texas wineries and the offerings rotate daily.

Doug, one of the Dallas locals, was our tour guide for the visit and made sure we stopped by the Creative Arts building for some incredible displays and entries into this year’s Exposition.  The first thing inside the door is a life-sized butter sculpture.  Every year since the mid 1990s, New York artist Sharon BuMann, has turned a 1,000 pound slab of butter into a truly unique creation.  This year’s butter sculpture celebrates the fair’s 125th birthday and salutes what generations of fairgoers have envisioned over time as they imagine coming to the annual exposition: a rural woman carries baked goods to contest; livestock enter the fair grounds for judging; a century and a quarter of Fair activities all but come alive in butter.

Continuing through the building fairgoers can marvel at all of the winners of the Expo, from needlepoint to quilts, canned foods goods to shoe art where shoes are used to form sculpture and were the most clever of all the displays.

Night was falling so we made our way outside to head towards the Esplanade for the Illumination Sensation light show, but quickly were moved to the side for the illuminated nightly parade.  The USMC Drum & Bugle Corps led off the parade followed by spectacular floats with animation, stilt walkers, and horse drawn wagons.

TIP: Each evening at 7:15 p.m., make sure you catch a spot along the parade route to catch the action.

Starting at 8 p.m., the Illumination Sensation was Ashlee’s favorite attraction at the Fair.  It offers a laser show, music, dancing waters, fire and pyrotechnics along the beautiful 700-ft. Esplanade reflecting pool.  Having never seen a professional fireworks show before, this was incredible and is a must see for anyone attending the fair.

Doug next took us by the newly added Vietnam Memorial and water fountain and the beautiful lagoon where you can take a ride on the Swan paddle boats.  A quick trip in the Greenhouse on the Midway, where Farmer Mike the Pumpkin Carver is stationed, ended our visit to the fair.

TIP: Make sure you check out the architecture of the many buildings and stop and see the memorials and museums.  There are so many attractions you wouldn’t normally think to enjoy, but they are worth a stop.

All in all, it was an unforgettable trip, and one that every Texan needs to experience. Texas lays claim to having the best State Fair in the nation; and while some say that statement is an example of Lone Star bluster, we just say, “It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.”

TIP: The Texas State Fair continues through October 23 in Dallas’ Fair Park. For more information, visit www.bigtex.com.