The two food creations named in the above headline are from Big Tex Choice Awards finalist Tom Grace. Nicole and Ken had the chance to try both!

Tammy and Rick Stiffler with Stiffler's Concessions have been frying up Oreos at the fair for over 20 years now. Their first date was over 40 years ago and it just so happened to be at the fair. 

Our Scott Padgett caught up with the couple this afternoon: 

Have you ever thought about combining chocolate chip cookies with Oreos, marshmallows, and triple chocolate brownie mix? 

Juan Reeves with Smokey John's Bar-B-Que did and he calls it the 'Ultimate Brookie Monster,' which is available at the fair this year. The creation is also fried, topped with powdered sugar, and coupled with cheesecake, strawberry sauce, and Blue Bell Ice Cream. 

Here's Reeves conversation with Ken and Nicole: 

Sculpture Tom Roberts is celebrating Big Tex's 70th birthday with around 1,000 pounds of butter.

His creation involves Big Tex, a birthday cake, the world, and America. Roberts used to be a bronze sculpture, but he said he wanted more of a challenge, which led to the switch in sculpting material. 

See Scott Padgett's full interview with Roberts here: 

The State fair is a family affair for many North Texans. That includes Rebecca Latimer who has been attending the fair since she was one year old. Today, she came with her children and grandchildren.

The whole family comes with a list of their favorite foods, take a picture with Big Tex, take the children on the midway rides, and more. 

One of Latimer's daughters lives in Florida and made the trip because she was evacuating ahead of Hurricane Ian. 

For the opening day of the fair, the starlight parade is making an afternoon run!

The parade will happen nightly at 7:15 p.m. thorough October 23. 

Since 2016, Big Tex Urban Farms has been providing fresh foods for North Texans. 

Based inside Fair Park, the group uses hydroponics to grow thousands of pounds of produce. Director of the farms, Drew 100% of their product is donated to different nonprofit organizations around North Texas.

"We remain very focused on our mission of continuing to grow, continuing to get more food into the community, and the programming that goes along with it," Demler said. 

Learn more about Big Tex Urban Farms here. 

The 212-foot ferris wheel at the fair, known as the 'Texas Star,' was brought to Dallas in 1984. Talley Amusements is a family-run company who owns the ride. 

"It's part of the State Fair of Texas," Mary Tally said. "Corn dogs, Big Tex, and the Texas Star."

Brooke and Keith had the chance to try out some Chicharon explosion nachos while talking to the creator of the dish, Glen Kusak. It consists of fried pork rinds, queso, pico de gallo, beef, and salsa. 

Some new food options at the fair this year include a Doh-muff, dim sum loco burritos, chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick, and deep fried honey. Click here for a full list of new foods.

The gates have officially opened for the 2022 State Fair of Texas! 

The fair runs through October 23. 

Click here for a full schedule. 

Commuting to the fair is a less-then-fun aspect of the fair. Here are some commuting tips from Madison Sawyer: 

There are over 70 rides at the midway for people to choose from this year. Kennedi got to experience one of those rides while talking with the Vice President of Operations, Rusty Fitzgerald.

Meteorologist Dominic Brown is forecasting sunny and warm conditions for the first weekend of the fair. High temps around the Metroplex will be in the 80s today and tomorrow. 

This morning, Brooke and Keith previewed one of the more difficult games at the fair in the 'Texas Crazy Climber.' 

The Kroger Starlight parade is a staple for many annual fair-goers. Taylor Austin with the state fair shows some of the new floats to be on the lookout for: 

Senior VP of Public Relations for the State Fair of Texas, Karissa Condoianis, says planning for the fair takes over a year. Here's her full interview with Keith and Brooke: