Latest news with #StateFairofTexas
USA Today
11-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Red River once again the inflection point for Sooners and Longhorns in 2025
The Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns have arguably the greatest rivalry in college football and maybe even one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports. Every year in mid-October during the State Fair of Texas, OU and UT get together at the Cotton Bowl Stadium in South Dallas right in the middle of the fair for a sporting spectacle unlike any other. The Sooners and the Longhorns are bitter rivals and there's no love lost between the players, coaches, administrators or fans. The Red River Rivalry is always one of the biggest games on the schedule for both programs, but in 2025, both teams will use their matchup on Saturday October 11th as an inflection point for their respective seasons. That's why it wasn't surprising when ESPN named their anticipated arch rivals for every top 25 preseason team to see the Sooners and the Longhorns in each others' crosshairs. ... the Sooners have fallen back a little and Texas is rolling into the Cotton Bowl with its own football royalty in Arch Manning. Oklahoma needs to right the ship, and all eyes will be on Dallas and where the program stands in the SEC era. - Dave Wilson, ESPN. For the Sooners, revenge is on their minds after a 34-3 loss in Dallas last year. A 6-7 record and a 2-6 SEC record has Oklahoma gasping for oxygen in the crowded conference and a win over Texas would make folks take notice. For the Longhorns, they need to continue their recent surge back to national prominence and build on back-to-back trips to the College Football Playoff. Texas needs to show they are still a leg up on OU in 2025. That's what always makes this rivalry so fascinating. OU and Texas compete for recruits, portal players, the spotlight, conference title game slots, playoff berths, championships, national headlines, coaches, and attention. This October, just like every October, crimson and burnt orange will fill the Cotton Bowl, split down the middle. Two programs, separated by a border and a river, will clash in a game that will serve as a major stepping stone for one and a potentially devastating blow for the other. Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Aaron on X @Aaron_Gelvin.
Eater
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Dubai Chocolate Is Already the Big Winner at the State Fair of Texas
It's almost that time of year again when the new foods at the State Fair of Texas become a full-time obsession. The Fair dropped a long list of semi-finalists today, and we went through it to pick out the items Eater Dallas thinks will and should make it to the finals, based on the description alone. This year, the list has the usual Fair foods, loaded with bacon, brisket, chocolate, and tacos. There are not one but three Dubai chocolate items, loads of takes on Mexican food, and more than the typical number of drinks, with a whopping seven making it to the semifinals (dear lord, do not let the Red Bull margarita make it past this point). But there is one item we're immediately kicking out of the running for best in show based on the name alone: Texas Water. It sounds like pineapple- or lime-flavored Crystal Light that is meant to be added to water and pale ale beers, which is unnecessary. These are the 10 items we predict will make it to the finals for 2025 (or that will be devastatingly overlooked). It doesn't take a genius to see that mashing up a classic fair food like funnel cake with Dubai chocolate flavors would be a smash hit. This dish reconfigures the funnel cake into strips, coats them with melting Belgian chocolate, and then tops them with pistachio cream and ribbons of kanafeh pastry. It is a simple and elegant way to take the essence of Dubai chocolate and slap it on top of the State Fair staple. We do hope they add some powdered sugar to the final product, however. This is obviously fair bait, and we're taking it. Someone decided to make a cannoli and stuff it with bacon jam, which is our kryptonite, that is slow-cooked in brown sugar, maple syrup, and spices. That gets layered in with ricotta cheese and chunks of milk chocolate. The shell is drizzled with warm Belgian chocolate on top. Dream food. It is way past time someone brought the Vietnamese corn dog to the fair. This version of it finds the corn dog prepared as usual, with the outer batter coated in Panko and bánh mì crumbs before being fried. Add some Sriracha mayo and consume with bright pops of acidity from the pickled vegetables served alongside. Chosen entirely because we love coconut. To create this drink, a coconut is filled with coconut-flavored slushie and topped with coconut-flavored soft serve and a sprinkle of coconut flakes. It's obviously perfect, but if it makes the finals, it is going to come down to personal opinions. (We're hoping the gauntlet of judges also loves coconut.) Chosen entirely because of our devotion to Key lime pie in all of its forms. This iteration builds on a crust of crushed graham crackers and Nilla Wafters, which is a fun twist. What's the deal with the 'bomb' part? That's where the Key lime pie mix and crust dust are rolled up into bite-sized bits, then topped with pancake batter and fried. The final step is a squirt of Chantilly cream, a shake of powdered sugar, and a lime-jelly candy on top. This feels like a no-brainer for the fair. Brisket gets mixed into silky beer cheese made from sharp cheddar and an unnamed heavy beer, wrapped in pretzel dough, sprinkled with sea salt, and baked. Unless the beer cheese is really bad, this will be a solid bite with some spicy mustard. Ube makes it to the State Fair in this dish, which combines ube-flavored ice cream with puffed rice and a finishing dollop of Cool Whip and a cherry. This is a simple Filipino ice cream dish with refreshing flavors that deserves a chance on the stage at the fair. This dish sounds like it could be great, if executed well. Tex-Mex-style chicken spaghetti gets loaded down with Hatch chiles, queso, and shredded Monterey Jack. That's all stuffed into a garlic and parmesan-covered bread cone. Then, it is unnecessarily topped with pico, sour cream, and avocado, but we'll take the reprieve from the chiles. Just give us this one, okay? We need a cocktail rimmed with Pop Rocks. Smartly, this is a frozen margarita, which we also need (deserve?) to decompress after making our way around the fairgrounds to eat all this food. There's nothing particularly Texan about this, but it's a cute name. The dish's description claims to combine 'two Italian classics: tiramisu and espresso,' but that means nothing because tiramisu already has espresso in it. Whatever, it's tiramisu with an added layer of Quadratini wafer cookies that get topped with something called 'cremespresso' and whipped cream. We want it, and a lot of Lactaid.
CBS News
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
State Fair of Texas' 2025 Big Tex Choice Awards semi-finalists named: Dubai chocolate, Texas Water, brisket and more
The State Fair of Texas is still about three months away, but on Wednesday, fair officials announced 30 semi-finalists for the 2025 Big Tex Choice Awards. The list, narrowed down from what the fair said was a record-breaking 76 entries, features a mix of sweet and savory concessions for fairgoers to try this fall. A total of 50 concessionaires participated this year, officials said. To qualify for the competition, competitors are required to have at least one year of experience as a concessionaire at the State Fair of Texas. This year's contenders range from a churro cheesecake jalapeno popper and Wagyu bacon cheeseburger deviled egg sliders, to three different desserts featuring the viral Dubai chocolate. The selection process for the competition consists of internal judges who blindly taste the food items. Judges base their scores on three criteria: fairgoer appeal, creativity and taste. Judges will narrow down the finalists who will compete for the awards at the Big Tex Choice Awards ceremony in August. Winners will be named in three categories: "Best Taste – Savory," "Best Taste – Sweet" and "Most Creative." The State Fair of Texas begins on September 26 and runs through October 19. Click here to see the full list of semi-finalists.
Business Journals
19-06-2025
- Business
- Business Journals
Dallas to sever ties with Fair Park operator
The city of Dallas will take back over day-to-day operations at Fair Park and cancel its contract with Oak View Group, the private company hired in 2019 to manage the "Crown Jewel of South Dallas" and home of the State Fair of Texas, the city announced June 18.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Historic Juneteenth document debuts in Dallas
The Brief The only known original Juneteenth General Order No. 3 will be on exhibit at Fair Park's Hall of State in Dallas starting June 19. The historical document signifying the end of slavery in Texas was brought to Dallas by a Galveston newspaperman, G.B. Dealey. The exhibit is free and will continue to be on display through the end of the State Fair of Texas. DALLAS - The only known remaining, the original Juneteenth General Order No. 3, will go on exhibit at Fair Park's Hall of State on June 19. Civil rights leaders said it is special that Dallas gets to have this special piece of history. The only known copy of the order that symbolized the end of slavery both here in Texas and in the United States. What we know The Dallas historical society says their founder, a Galveston newspaperman, G.B. Dealey, brought this original copy of General Order No. 3 to Dallas, when he moved here from Galveston to start the Dallas Morning News. Executive director, Karl Chiao, says Dealey's family donated the hand bill to the historical society in the 1960's. "They came to Texas with a stack of bills passing them out. The only one that kept them was a newspaper in Galveston," said Chiao. "When we went through it, we realized we had one of the original hand bills that had been passed out to let slaves know they were free in Texas." Collections curator Kaitlyn Price says the order was recently framed in special glass that will protect it from UV light, as well as dust particles. "There are a few printed versions. This is the only one we know of that is an original-printed version signed by General Granger himself," said Price. "[This document] would have been posted in town squares, city halls and carried by union soldiers." The backstory The order guaranteed the "absolute equality of personal rights". Once on display to the public on June will be surrounded by other interactive exhibits that show how the order was received with firsthand accounts that often included the phrase, "you are as free as I am." Marvin Dulaney is the deputy director of the African-American museum and spoke on the historical significance of this document. "It is one of the significant documents in American history that signifies the end of slavery in Texas and the United States," said Dulaney. "It means a lot to me that we have this here in Dallas, of all places. Signifies Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 took another 2.5 years before it got to Texas, but when it got to Texas it was conclusive for ending slavery in this country." What they're saying Levi Davis, the first African American assistant city manager in Dallas, will be part of the panel discussions. He says change in Dallas took a long time. "Dallas was a different place. I became in charge of the police department and I called the police chief who reported to me. But he wouldn't answer the phone because I was black, although I was his boss," said Davis. What's next The document will continue to be on display through the end of the State Fair of Texas. The exhibit will be open to the public, starting with a panel discussion here on Thursday, June 19 at 6:30 pm. It is free, but a reservation is required. The Source Information in this article was provided by interviews conducted by FOX 4's Lori Brown.
