State Fair of Texas preps well underway at Fair Park
DALLAS (CBSNewsTexas.com) – The countdown is on! With four weeks until opening day, crews are hard at work setting up the 137th State Fair of Texas.
"All the concession stands are in place, the tents are in place," said Bob Hilbun, general manager of maintenance and operations. "All the coupon booths, the kiosk machines, everything outside the Midway."
Most work will pause this weekend for the Karol G concerts at the Cotton Bowl on Saturday and Sunday. "We're working around temporary fencing and putting up our stuff to stay on target for opening day," said Hilbun. Approximately 58,000 people are expected to attend the concerts. Then, it's back to work.
"After Labor Day, they'll start bringing in rides to the Midway, so all my electricians will head [there]." That's when the days start getting longer, with crews on-site seven days a week.
Workers are also bustling around the Creative Arts building, packing the showcases with thousands of winning items. Director Kathy Bennett says the show received more than 9,100 entries this year, including some pretty unique items.
"This year we had some dolls entered," said Bennett. "The heads of the dolls were taxidermy items... there's a lamb, there's a possum, and there's a skeleton."
This week is also the time for people to pick up their non-winning entries.
Both Bennett and Hilbun are counting down the days to when the gates open. "We're glad to get through the first day," said Hilbun. "After that, it's basically a giant baby-sitting job."
The State Fair opens on Sept. 29.