State Attraction

Slip on your cowboy boots and shine your spurs for the North Texas State Fair and Rodeo. The annual August event promises to bring the best ent ertainment the Wild West has to offer.

ll the fun is wrangled in beginning on Friday, August 17, with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) rodeo, which runs on Saturday and Sunday as well. The event is a qualifier for nationals in Las Vegas, so it draws world-champion cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country, and even from outside the USA’s borders.

Saturday is no less action packed. A parade—featuring floats, horses and wagons, marching bands, and antique cars—ushers in the festivities at 10 a.m. If you’re looking to watch from the best seat in the house, head to Denton Square (see the route on the fair’s website at www.ntfair.com).

The rodeo ropin’ and ridin’ continues on Monday, with an entertaining all-mule event. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the 21-and-under set gets its chance to shine, with more than 100 contestants entering this youth-only rodeo competition. The fair finishes on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights with a Miller Lite professional bull-riders tour, packed with top athletes. Each rodeo kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

All week long, musicians will appear on three stages, with most performances beginning at 6, 9, and 10:30 p.m. In the past, Pat Green, LeAnn Rimes, the Bellamy Brothers, and Charlie Robison have all graced the stage, and this year’s fair will follow in that tradition, bringing in names like Stoney LaRue and Johnny Rodriguez.

“I consider us the entertainment bargain in the Metroplex,” says Glenn Carlton, executive director of the North Texas State Fair Association. “For an adult ticket of $10, you get a rodeo that would cost you $30 and a concert that would cost you $10 or $15.”

While the headlining acts will heat things up onstage, don’t worry about keeping cool under the hot Texas sun. “Heat should not be a deterrent, even though we are in a very warm month,” Carlton says. “We have 100,000 square feet of comfort areas or shaded areas, so you don’t have to go very far to find a place to cool down.”

As if world-class rodeos and big-name music performers weren’t enough, the 79th annual event is about so much more. Popular activities for those with a competitive spirit include a creative arts show, a photo exhibit, and a beauty pageant for girls ages 3 to 16. For the little ones, Kid Zone will feature a dress-up show called Pirates Ahoy!, in which children get to play the parts of swashbucklers, and there will be bounce houses, games, pony rides, and a petting zoo. Another must-see is the Mutton Bustin’ races, where kids hop on the back of sheep and try to ride their way to victory.

With all the myriad events, last year’s fair saw a record-breaking attendance of 110,000 people. This year promises to draw crowds just as big, and fair organizers have added something new to the mix for 2007—the Birdman of Las Vegas, who will present a show featuring rare, exotic birds of prey as well as parrots and cockatoos that sing and talk.

“Just like last year, there’s so much to see and do, you just have to plan on making at least two or three trips to the fair this year,” says Nanci Kimmey, executive assistant at the North Texas State Fair Association.
Other things to see include the nearly 90 vendors inside and outside the fairgrounds. Some of the many varied offerings are jewelry, artwork, Western items, cooking demonstrations, and North Texas State Fair apparel.
And, of course, no day at the fairgrounds is complete without a heapin’ helping of quintessential fair food, and this year’s vendors won’t disappoint. Barbecue is the main menu item, but there are plenty of caramel apples and cotton candy to go around, too. Refuel and cool off with a tall glass of lemonade, or indulge in a margarita or an ice-cold beer.

Perhaps the best part is that all of the fair’s profits go to youth and scholarship programs. So go ahead and have another smoked sausage. It’s for the kids.