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Celebrating 125 Years Of State Fair Tradition

Mark & Norman Zable work on the layout of their booth.
Mark & Norman Zable work on the layout of their booth.

By Courtney Collins, KERA News

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-988178.mp3

Dallas, TX – The 125th State Fair of Texas opens Friday and at the concession stands, the deep fryers are already bubbling. While new inventions like fried bubblegum and fried sauerkraut have the most buzz, KERA's Courtney Collins says it's the taste of tradition that keeps fairgoers coming back.

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Workers who staff the Zable family's fair booth can choose a ball cap or a visor as part of this year's uniform. People ordering food, however, are faced with a much tougher decision.

Mark Zable: "Rotisserie chicken, we've got sweet jalape o corndog shrimp, chocolate covered strawberry waffle balls, fried beer, deep fried biscuits and gravy, grilled cheese sandwich."

Mark Zable says his family tries to diversify their menu with creative concotions each year, but it wasn't always like that. Just ask his father Norman.

Norman Zable: "The first five years we had nothing but Belgian waffles, ice cream sandwiches and coffee."

This will mark the Zable's 49th year at the State Fair. Mark says he remembers sleeping underneath the counters as a child.

Mark Zable: "Once it's gotcha, it's hard to let go. It gets in your blood. I look forward to the fair every year; I get to see the family I don't see the other 11 months and one week of the year."

And regular vendors attract regular customers. Norman says some people come back for the same food year after year.

Norman Zable: "There was one lady for 15 years who came every fair and would have lunch once a week during the three weeks of the fair. She since passed away but we saw her every year for 15 years."

So even though new rides and attractions pop up every fall and vendors test our palates with wilder fried concoctions, vendors say it's a deep rooted sense of tradition that makes the State Fair of Texas one-of-a-kind.