Fair Morning
When one is the first through the gates at the State Fair, one enjoys the pageantry without the people. What a joy to see the Hall of State, the Esplanade, the Art Deco buildings, the Ferris wheel, and even the banners and advertisements. It almost feels like a moral obligation to go to the State Fair of Texas, but the obligation always turns into sentiment and exhilaration.
Everyone has their own traditions. Mine always starts with a bratwurst at Hans Mueller and a caramel apple. For years, the Midway was my athletic playground—I’d win stuffed bears with ease at the ball-toss games, insisting the carnie yell out, “We have a winner! Everyone’s a winner.”
My other fair talent is guessing birthdays. At the gates, I asked a woman if her birthday was March 19th. She said March 16th—only three days off. Later, I met a police officer from Cameroon. I guessed May 9th; his birthday was May 12th. State Fair magic: everyone’s a winner.
One of my own great State Fair triumphs was previously winning Best of Show in the photography exhibit at the Creative Arts Building. I felt like such an artist as people walked by my photograph saying, “That’s not the best; it shouldn’t have won.”
And this year, the first person I saw was Bobby Abtahi, former Park Board president and now vice-chair of the State Fair board, with his son, trying to go every day. To me, that makes Bobby a true Dallas patriot.
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