The Lee Family: The Texas State Fair

Today I decided to take the girls to the Texas State Fair despite CK and the girls picking me up at 9pm from my weekend trip to California and getting the girls to bed late. Sofia got a free ticket from school to be used today or until the end of the fair on Saturday and I figured today might be the only chance we had for a visit. Unfortunately, CK had a lunch planned so he wasn't able to join us. However, he did make use biscuits and scrambled eggs for a fortifying breakfast before our visit to the fair.

We hit traffic on the drive down after meeting CK in Irving so we could get the stroller I forgot from him, which ended up being a lifesaver! We finally arrived at Fair Park just before noon. We actually parked just outside of Gate 1, which is the complete opposite end of the fairgrounds then where we normally park and was in a little run down area by an abandoned building, yet still cost $20! We made our way into the grounds and headed over to watch the Peewee Stampede. It was unbelievable hot already and we finally found seats in the shady area of the grandstands. The Peewee Stampede includes kids aged 3-6 years old who get picked about an hour before the event. Olivia said she really wanted to do it, so maybe next year....We left toward the end of the event to walk over and see the hug pig asleep in his pen and then moved on to the petting zoo, along with half the fairgoers! It was so busy and crowded that we could barely get through to feed the animals. We were able to see the giraffe, feed the goats and sheep, pet the camel, see the porcupines, watch the ostrich eat, and see the zebra, baby ducks and chickens and calves. It was really crowded but the girls were able to feed a couple of animals.

By then it was nearly 1pm and we were all starving so we headed over to the Fletcher's Corny Dog stand. Luckily, a nice couple gave us a fistful of tickets when we first walked onto the fairgrounds! I didn't realize how many they gave us until we left the petting zoo and I realized that we had enough for lunch! We stood in line for our corny dogs and I went ahead and bought two corny dogs and one lemonade. We actually had money enough for another drink but I also had water with me so we went ahead and stuck with just one drink. We found a seat at one of the picnic tables in the shade and the girls started in on their corny dogs. It worked out perfectly! Both girls ate about half of their corny dogs so I ate the rest and none of us were overly full! Olivia was upset that she didn't have "her own" lemonade and I tried to explain to her that we needed to buy more tickets and then could buy each of us our own drinks. So, I got Olivia back into her stroller and we headed out to find a ticket kiosk that wasn't overrun with people waiting to buy tickets. There were so many people and all of the ticket kiosks had long lines. I finally picked one and stood in line while the girls sat in the shade and played in the dirt.

Finally, after 20-30 minutes I finally had $40 worth the tickets in my hand and the girls wanted Dippin' Dots, which was yet another line. I thought I was going to go crazy! Thankfully, they changed their mind and picked the stand that didn't have a line! They each had a ice cream sandwich and we sat in the shade before we headed over to the Midway. Needless to say, it was a sea of people but we fought our way over to the ferris wheel. Immediately, Olivia said she didn't want to go on it and Sofia and I spent about 10 minutes reassuring her that we'd all be together and showing her how slowly the ferris wheel moved. She agreed to go on it and we went around the corner to get at the end of the line. We were in line for about 15 minutes when Olivia suddenly started to freak out that she didn't want to go! Luckily, we'd just arrived at the part of the line where turning back would be very difficult. I also figured out that for the three of us it would be $24 to go on the ferris wheel! Sofia was really sad when we headed over to our stroller, and I explained to her that she'd went on it last year with Papa so we'd have to wait until next year. We decided to head to a lemonade stand and get a drink for each of us.

The lemonade was refreshing and just what I needed after pushing a stroller and keeping track of Sofia through a very heavy crowd. We walked the length of the Midway and saw the Midway barker for a few minutes and I planned to take the girls to the Children's Midway, but they were both ready to head home. We decided to walk through one of the tents, which was a great decision because it was air conditioned! It felt great and the cool air was just what we needed. We came out on the other end of the tent and were right in front of Big Tex. We took a few pictures and then headed out toward our car. The prize winning fried carrot cake was right down from where we were, but I didn't have it in me to fight the crowds anymore, so we visited the tent right near the exit so the girls could pick out one souvenir each. The found a little rock stand and picked out a rock with a dragon on it (Sofia) and one with a princess (Olivia). We still had about 10 tickets left ($5) so I gave it to a family just walking in.

Before heading to the fair, I'd looked at all the activities offered for the day and made an itinerary that included visiting the animal barns, watching the dog show, seeing the butterfly release, and visiting Big Tex's Farmyard, but the lines and amount of people overwhelmed us and we didn't really see or do as much as I'd thought we would. I think I said this last year, but next year I think I'll take the girls out of school if we go back. Just too many people otherwise! The girls had fun and so did I, but I was glad to be out of the crowds. Olivia fell asleep right away as we drove home, which wasn't a big surprise. It was a fun day!

Very hot watching the Peewee Stampede!