Have you ever wondered to yourself "Self, what does the Texas State Fair look like?" well, then, you're about to finally get your answer. Because it looks like this:
Ta da! And now, the post is over. No, no, we're just kidding, there's plenty more, because Scott and former forums superstar ADQ went to see the Texas State Fair this year, and they've got plenty to share with you. After the jump, you'll see food, fun, and a few special gifts! That's right! They brought back some gifts just for you!
Much like Texas itself, the State Fair is huge and complex. I know I didn't see everything it had to offer. But it was fun, and there was a lot of beauty. Starting with, of course, the boots of Big Tex himself.
The all new Big Tex watches over the main entryway into the fair itself. Surrounded by corn dog vendors and memorabilia stands, Big Tex speaks vital information to all who pass his station. Don't worry, you'll see his charming face later on. Promise.
The State Fair grounds aren't just a dusty parking lot with some warehouses thrown in. They're full of art, and buildings, and water, and trees, and joy. Scenes like the above do make it hard to cut quickly between the rides and the exhibits, but they make the walk worthwhile.
There's also plenty of bizarre interesting art. Like this armadillo-thing! Well done, armadillo-thing! You really added beauty to the landscape!
The Midway forms the gate to the really cool stuff like the exhibits and rides. Sadly, it's really really REALLY hard to take photos while you're on a moving ride, and not all the exhibits were easy to photograph. Even still, we've got a few things to show you.
The big ol' Texas Ferris Wheel is known as The Texas Star. It debuted in 1985 and it's from Italy!
These big ol' buckles were quite compelling. But one can't pull off that kind of fashion here in Seattle, so we left them behind.
We found some good puppets! They also turned a little bit scary in slo-mo.
Feel free to make that into a gif if you need more portable terror. But don't worry, any remaining evil will be chased away by the glory of the hand-knit dessert exhibit!
Isn't that an amazing knit cannoli? And it was just inches away from the butter sculptures.
Oddly enough, that was NOT the most butter used at the fair! Because hey, this is the Texas State Fair, after all. And if there's one thing you're going to find at the Texas State Fair, it's food that will actively try to kill you.
Like all State Fairs, there's food everywhere. We had corn dogs with Big Tex, we had ice cream beside the lake, we had a crazy chorizo sandwich that was outstanding, and then we also tried some of the food from the award-winning food court. As you can see above, there were a lot of weird and wonderful options which we will now recap.
The very first thing we ate you can see above. It's the award-winning friend banana pudding. Yes, that is as good as it sounds. Imagine a Hostess fruit pie, except very fresh, and full of potassium and Nilla wafers.
Those fried alligator eggs up there were served outside, right in front of the pictured alligator exhibit. That seemed really unfair to the alligator.
Most bizarre food was the Fried Tailgate Party. That's pork, beef, chicken, potato, six guys, their pickup, a grill, a keg, and a handful of Cowboys jerseys, all deep fried into the thing the shape of a football that tasted mostly like sausage. But tasty!
We couldn't find the S'mores Beer our forums requested, but we did get to try the Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly above, which also won the Big Tex Choice Award for Best Tasting item! And it was really really good, all carrot cakey and caramely and... YUM!
Don't worry, carnivores, there was plenty for you, too. Every six feet we ran into someone with a giant turkey leg. They were exactly as big as they look. But not as dangerous as a fried mexican fire cracker:
Oh! We said something about prizes, didn't we? Well, go ahead and look at this prize wall below and see which item you want.
Ha ha! Tricked you! Like all State Fairs, those prizes don't ever get won by anybody. Instead, we've made you a few different big ol' wallpapers, with images taken by private citizen Kristy Tye herself. Below are the six best photos we could find of the Texas State Fair at wallpaper size. Slap 'em on your computer and enjoy as our gift to you.
Any questions not covered here? Ask in the forums! Maybe Scott or Kristy will peek in and answer them for you. Also all photos in this post courtesy of Kristy Tye, used by permission.