The State Fair of Texas is serving up its famous fairground food in a socially distant drive-through
Loaded baked potato funnel cakes. Cotton candy tacos. Anything and everything you can imagine served up fried, battered and garnished with the occasional dollop of whipped cream: bubblegum, Coca-Cola, Jell-O, beer, cinnamon rolls and Thanksgiving dinner. That’s just Big Tex’s way of saying “bon appétit, y’all.”
But thanks to the coronavirus pandemic — which hit the state hard this summer — the State Fair of Texas and its towering cowboy mascot has canceled this year’s festivities. The 134-year-old event, held at Dallas’s Fair Park, typically runs from late September to late October and hosts the Texas-Oklahoma Red River Showdown football game as well as concerts, numerous rodeo and livestock competitions, theme park amusements and, perhaps most notoriously, food vendors who each year vie for the most bizarre, arguably edible fairground dish. Past Big Tex Choice award winners have included such calorific creations as stuffed fried taco cones, chicken fried bacon, deep-fried lattes, smoky bacon margaritas and deep-fried butter.
While this year’s show won’t go on, its stomach-stretching smorgasbord will. Fair officials have announced a foodie first: the Big Tex Fair Food Drive-Thru. On select weekends in September and October, masked food vendors will be serving up some fairground staples to car passengers, while Big Tex looms overhead.
The experience comes as a package including food and a photo opportunity with Big Tex, who this year will be adding a new accessory to his usual ensemble of a Dickie’s Western-style shirt, blue jeans, boots and cowboy hat: a face mask.
Packages cost $65 or $99, depending on portion sizes, and include soft drinks or bottled waters, Fletcher’s Original State Fair Corny Dogs, Jack’s French Fries, Fried Oreos, cotton candy and kettle corn, with corn on the cob, sausage on a stick and turkey legs available as add-ons. Sadly, the deep-fried bubblegum and funnel-cake-flavored beer will be sitting this one out.
Those who want to skip the snacks and simply get a selfie with Big Tex and his jumbo-sized face mask can pay just $25 for the privilege, though that offer is only available the weekend of Sept. 19-20.
The state fair’s website teases that other fairground surprises will greet drivers, who must socially distance and wear face coverings when outside of their vehicles. Meanwhile, proceeds will help fund State Fair of Texas operations — which hopes to be back in full swing for 2021 — with a portion benefiting the North Texas Food Bank.
Tickets go on sale beginning Sept. 2. Act fast — and pack some Tums.
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