State Fair of Texas to serve its fried food via 'drive-thru experience' for first time in history
Try as it might, the coronavirus pandemic can’t stifle America’s hunger for fried Oreos or sausages on sticks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Try as it might, the coronavirus pandemic can’t stifle America’s hunger for fried Oreos or sausages on sticks.
For the first time in the event’s history, the State Fair of Texas will be offering up its famed fair foods via a “drive-thru experience” on select weekends in September and October.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Saddle up for the ride of the year, Fair fanatics – you asked, we listened, and we cannot wait to deliver you a safe, one-of-a-kind, State Fair Drive-Thru experience,” reads a Thursday press release touting the drive-thru.
Meanwhile, the State Fair of Texas itself remains canceled out of an abundance of caution amid the ongoing coronavirus health crisis. But food has always been a big draw at the event — so much so, that the Dallas fairgrounds were sometimes referred to as the “Fried Food Capital of Texas.”
So, on Thursday, fair officials officially announced the drive-thru as a “special event for 2020 in lieu of the annual 24-day exhibition.”
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Anyone interested in stopping by for a taste of Texas can pre-purchase food and photo packages starting on Sept. 2, for use during the weekends of: Sept. 25-27; Oct. 2-4; Oct. 9-12 (excluding Saturday, Oct. 10); and Oct. 15-18.
Packages start at $65 for one or two people, and $99 for three or four, and include drinks, “Corny Dogs,” french fries, fried Oreos, cotton candy, kettle corn and “Midway prizes.” Visitors can also purchase “add-ons” including corn on the cob, sausages on sticks and turkey legs.
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All packages also come with the opportunity to take a photo with the fair’s official mascot Big Tex, a 55-foot figure that towers over the fairgrounds. This year, Big Tex will also be wearing a “Big Tex-sized face mask,” the State Fair of Texas confirmed.
“In a year of many firsts, this historic event will offer Fair lovers the opportunity for a once-in-a-lifetime photo and experience,” the press release reads.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Those who purchase drive-thru packages can also take their photo with Big Tex, who will be wearing a "Big Tex-sized face mask" this year. (iStock)
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In addition to the drive-thru experience, this year’s State Fair of Texas will also have creative arts virtual contests to “see the creativity Texans will carve up this year.” Meanwhile, the Big Tex Awards, launched in 2004 to recognize the best and craziest foods from vendors at the annual event — such as the stuffed fried taco cone or deep-fried Jell-O — will not be taking place in 2020.