fried food and a ridiculously tall man...

So if you are from Texas or visiting Texas, something you need to put on your must-do list for next fall is to visit The State Fair of Texas.  It's pretty much the most Texan thing you can do.  My parents failed me in this area and I had never even heard of the state fair until I moved to the metroplex three years ago and went for the very first time.  However, I was obviously new to the fair along with the other rookies with me, so we did not get a full-out fair experience.

What is a full-out State Fair of Texas experience?  Well let me just tell you since I went this past weekend and had one of my own.  It includes...

1. Not only just seeing Big Tex, but taking a picture with him.  For those of you that don't know about Big Tex, he's just about the tallest cowboy you've ever seen in your life... and he's there to greet you at the fair.  Sure he's a bit creepy and his legs get shockingly skinny as they reach his boots, but he's Big Tex and a staple of the state fair.

2. Riding the HUGEST ferris wheel in all the land.  Yes, I used the word HUGEST for a reason.  It is that enormous.  To the point where you feel like you can see your hometown from the top... which is five hours away from Dallas.  Plus, it's always a bonus when the fair decides to shoot off fireworks while you're at the top.


3. Watching the pig races.  Oh yeah.. you definitely read that right.  There is an arena where we all gather together to cheer on the marked pig of our section to run the fastest to an Oreo.  To which lots of cheering ensues.  Don't mind me while I hold pride in the fact that my pig won all of the races.  Boo yah.

4. Someone in your group riding a crazy carnival ride to test their gag reflex.  And of course losing one of their possessions in the process.  Luckily it wasn't an iPhone like another poor soul on the same ride.  Never a good feeling when you see that crashing down to the concrete.  She'll probably never ride FireBall again.

5. And the last but most important thing about the state fair... FRIED FOOD.  And lots of it.  I'm not talking your regular fried food either.  They fry absolutely everything there... including butter.  You can't question their methods, you just have to try them.  Our group's choices?  Fried Snickers, fried caramel apple, fried grilled cheese, fried frito pie, fried margarita, fried corny dog, fried ribs... along with the usual fair treats like cotton candy, funnel cake, hot dogs, Texas burgers, and LOTS of lemonade.  The ridiculous thing is that we probably didn't eat even half of the choices they offer.  (I won't post a picture here, because there are some things that just don't need to be photographed.)

So go ahead and get excited for next year's State Fair of Texas... you only have to wait 346 more days until a fun-filled fair experience.  Yup... it's a big enough deal that they keep a countdown on their website.  Duh it's a BIG deal... it's Texas.