HOME 
ENTERTAINMENT PULSE All’s fair, in the love of fried food
ENTERTAINMENT PULSE All’s fair, in the love of fried food | All’s fair, in the love of fried food |
|
|
|
| Written by Alanna Quillen, The Shorthorn senior staff | ||||
| Wednesday, 07 October 2009 03:33 PM | ||||
 The State Fair of Texas runs through October 18. The fair offers attractions such as street performers, live music and rides. (The Shorthorn: Alanna Quillen) With the cooler temperatures of fall come the corn dogs, cotton candy and a “howdy” from Big Tex during this year’s State Fair of Texas. Open daily until Oct. 18, the fair offers a variety of shows, free concerts and fried foods galore in Dallas’ Fair Park. The most anticipated attractions to the fair include the Auto Show and fair food, said Sue Gooding, State Fair of Texas public relations and community relations vice president. Biology freshman Esther Curry attends the fair multiple times every year. “If someone has never been, I would say at least try a corn dog and try to walk around the whole fair so they could see all there is to see and do,” she said. “Just seeing some of the crazy people can be fun in itself.” There are hundreds of attractions and more than 200 acres of fairground to cover, but don’t let that overwhelm you. Here are some tips on what to eat, do and plan for at the State Fair. Tip #1: Don’t Fear What’s Fried Deep fried foods represent one of the images of the fair and if you’re nervous about such indulgences, you just might go hungry. Virtually every food stand features something that’s fried or deep fried. Some of these wild foods come straight from the brains of people like Abel Gonzales, who invented Deep Fried Butter – winner of this year’s Big Tex Choice Award for Most Creative. “The idea came from an obsession with toast,” he said. Gonzales’ creation involves a round dough ball with a solid butter center, deep fried. The butter balls cost eight tickets and come with garlic or cinnamon honey flavors. Stella Saucedo from the Big As Texas food stand said the best way to eat it is to pop it whole in the mouth. “We try to tell people that before they eat,” she said. “But sometime they end up squirting it all over themselves.” Rockwall resident Johanna Runnels tried both flavors for the first time and said it has a chewy texture and tastes like fried biscuits. “It satisfied my curiosity, but I wouldn’t try it again,” she said. “The idea of frying butter is hard to get your mind around.” Sue Gooding, State Fair of Texas public relations and community relations vice president, said a panel of three judges tastes and votes on two categories: Best Tasting and Most Creative. Fernie’s Deep Fried Peaches and Cream won Besting Tasting and can be found near the Chevy Mainstage. New foods this year include Deep Fried Peanuts, Fried Apple on-a-stick, Deep Fried Pizza, Chocolate Jalapenos, Fried Turkey on-a-stick, Texas Fried Pecan and Frozen Turtle Cheesecake. Most of the foods cost between eight and 13 coupons. All of the fair food, drinks and games are bought with coupons, which go for 50 cents each at coupons booths located throughout the park. InformationWhere: Fair Park, DallasWhen: Sept. 25 - Oct. 18 Hours: Gates open at 7 a.m. Exhibits open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday through Monday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday General Admission: $15 at the gates, but tickets can be purchased at Kroger grocery stores at discounted rates Parking: $10 around the fair grounds Tickets: 50 cents buys one ticket. With hundreds of attractions, the fair can easily distract you away from your frugal spending habits. Theater sophomore Randi Rosemann said people should plan out their spending money before hitting up the fair. “Otherwise you might spend 80 bucks and not know what happened,” she said. General admission is $15 at the gate, but Kroger grocery stores offer a cheaper rate of $13.50 if you purchase tickets at their customer service desk. Purchasing tickets online at the state fair Web site costs $12.95. Children less than 48 inches tall get in for $11. For $39.95, an advanced season pass gives unlimited visits to the fair, one free ticket for a friend to visit Monday through Friday. Season passes are available for purchase online only. Groups of 20 or more can get in for $12 a person. The fair offers $10 parking that’s relatively close to the gates and is operated by attendants.  Deep Fried Butter was honored as Most Creative during the Fifth Annual Big Tex Choice Awards food judging. Fried Butter can be bought at two stands at the State Fair of Texas. (The Shorthorn:Laura Sliva) Tip #3: Know What to Bring Since there’s a lot of ground to cover, keep carry-on items to a minimum. A small backpack with bottles of water, snacks and other essentials should be enough. State fair maps are available at the coupon booths throughout the grounds, so don’t worry about printing one at home. “My advice is to bring lots of money,” said physics freshman Evan Ellis. “It’s really expensive and in that respect, it’s just like any other theme park.” It won’t hurt to bring a personal first aid kit complete with antibiotic ointment and Band-Aids. Guests can bring their own food, drink or ice chest. Glass containers, alcohol and metal utensils are prohibited. Don’t expect to get around easily via skateboard or scooter – any wheeled form of transportation is not allowed (with the exception of wagons to tote around children). Pets are also not allowed on fair grounds. Fair-goers will most likely spend an entire day getting what it’s worth out of the fair grounds. Guests should wear comfortable shoes, drink plenty of fluids and bring Band-Aids, Gooding said. “It is a 277-acre park and you may develop a blister,” she said. In addition to taking care of your body, make sure all items are secure or placed in a safe location while riding the rides. Be prepared by checking the weather forecast or keeping an umbrella in the car. Even if the temperatures are high during the day, a chilly nightfall could leave you wishing for a sweater. Tip #4: Plan Ahead Don’t get caught missing the Birds of the World show or running late for a music concert just because you didn’t plan out the day. Show and concert times are located in the fair map and guide booklets available for free at all coupon booths. The Auto Show, Midway and shopping destinations carry on all day. If you’re interested in seeing concerts at the Chevrolet Main Stage, check the guide for times. The new attraction this year is the Pirates of the Caribbean Dive Show. Featuring champion divers in daily shows at noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sundays at Gateway Plaza. The Birds of the World show performs shows every day at 1, 2:30, 4:30 and 6 p.m. in the Bandshell. “Jump! The Ultimate STUNT Dog Show” features acrobatic dogs at 11 a.m. and 12, 1 and 2 p.m. in the Pan America Arena. Presenting lighted floats, puppets and characters in costume, the Starlight Parade takes place each evening at 7:15 p.m. Look for the Midway section of the park for games, food stands, Texas SkyWay, extreme rides and the 212-foot Ferris wheel. “Most people go for the food, but I definitely go for the rides,” Curry said. “They are so nerdy and seem like they are going to break down, but they are so much fun.” Don’t forget about the museums. For a look at the life of George Washington Carver, head over to the African American Museum located by Gate 5. The Women’s Museum near the Front Gate features the exhibit Music Seen: Rock ‘n’ Roll Photojournalists. The Continental DAR House features artifacts, flag displays and exhibits of American history near the Auto Show. These museums offer free admission and are open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Museum of Science and Nature next to the Bandshell charges reduced admission compared to other times of the year. While planning ahead, know how many tickets you want so you don’t have to keep going back to the coupon booth. Ellis said you’ll be waiting in long lines to purchase tickets you should’ve gotten in bulk before. Rosemann said she suggests going with a large group of friends. “You’ll be in a crowd for a reason because you’re with a bunch of people you know,” she said. “It’s better to be elbowing friends around you instead of strangers.” Views: 933 | E-mail
Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6 |
||||
| Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 January 2010 01:42 PM ) | ||||
Be first to comment this article
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Copyright © 2005 - 2010 The Shorthorn.
