Red River Rivalry game brings huge economic impact to State Fair of Texas vendors
DALLAS – No matter what the scoreboard showed, one team wins every Red River Rivalry Weekend: The State Fair vendors.
Food sales soared as Sooners and Longhorn fans flooded in.
It's a Texas-sized welcome at the State Fair of Texas on Saturday, and no matter what side fans rooted for, vendors had special Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns food for the big game.
"We decided OU for red and then Texas for the caramel," Danielle DeMent said.
Sweet Connie's has been in DeMent's family since 1938. The business produced 12,000 Oklahoma and Texas candy apples, 6,000 for each team, 86 years after DeMent's great-grandmother founded it.
"We needed something and something recognizable so you can go, 'That's a UT. That's an OU.' That's why we have the little helmet and the OU sticker for over here and then the cowboy hat over here because you have to have a cowboy hat if you're in Texas," DeMent said.
The orange and red aren't just a sweet treat, but they bring a lot of green to Sweet Connie's with Texas and Oklahoma fans buying up the apples to get in the team spirit.
"This day itself is probably the busiest day of the fair," DeMent said. "We make most of the money on this day. It's a busy day. It's a long, busy day, but it's tradition."
Marc Johnson owns the Neighborhood Ice Cream Truck and is also cashing in.
"For this Red River Rivalry, we came up with two pops, which is Berry Boomer and Longhorn Passion," Johnson said.
Whether it's a cool popsicle or a gooey candy apple, the Red River Rivalry game is creating a big economic impact for fair vendors.
"I'm rooting for the winner. I live in Texas. My people are from Oklahoma, so I'm torn. That's going to start a war," Johnson said.
"It's hectic but fun. It always surprises me how many people come out to support their team," DeMent said.
The fans showed their team some love, while vendors love the business the big game brings.