Fletcher’s Corny Dogs

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The Texas State Fair Fare….

Posted by James on October 5, 2015
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments

In Texas we have 5 seasons:

Christmas, Spring, Summer, Still Summer, and State Fair

That’s right!

We are currently starting our second favorite time of year.

“State Fair”

There’s lots of reasons to go to the Texas State Fair; Rides, Midway Games, Pig Races, People Watching (of course)……But we go for the food. Hands Down.

The freakin’ nasty, deep fried, not-even-slightly-healthy, food? Yeah, there’s a crazy amount of deep fried stuff; Oreo’s, bubble gum, Coke, bacon, peaches & cream, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, guacamole, buffalo chicken in a flapjack, and Thanksgiving dinner (mashed into a ball)….Ummmmm. I have to admit that we’ve tried all of those.

State Fair Food Collage 1

Bacon Wrapped Turkey Leg at the State Fair of Texas

State Fair Food Collage 2

So many choices, but we always start at Fletcher’s for corny dogs in front of Big Tex.

I think everybody does,

Fletcher's Corny Dog

Traditional corny dog for Jamie. Jalapeno and cheese for me, please…..

James and His Corny Dog in Front of Big Tex

This one I couldn’t make up….deep fried chicken skins.

Deep Fried Chicken Skins

Jamie Eating Deep Fried Chicken Skins

With just a sprinkle of seasoning salt, and a smear of hot sauce…..These were probably one of the best things we ate.

Bar-B-Q brisket egg rolls were actually pretty good.

Deep Fried Brisket Eggrolls

So were the Cowboy Corn Crunch – Spicy cheese and corn balls.

Cowboy Corn Crunch

One of the Finalists in the Big Tex Choice Awards was Pretzel-Crusted Pollo Queso Balls.

Pretzel-Crusted Pollo Queso Balls Collage

Chicken-Cheese-Pretzel Bites, Deep Fried……..they were…….just ok.

In the area of “Adult Beverages”……there was the winner of the Big Tex Choice Awards for Most Creative,

The Smokey Bacon Margarita….

Smokey Bacon Margarita

If the bacon bits don’t frighten you…then the day-glow green coloring sure should. (I barely enhanced the color in the pic)

I wasn’t phased, and dove right in.

James and the Smokey Bacon Margarita

Not bad.

Sweet….and ahhhh, smokey. The bacon was a little …..chewy. Jamie wouldn’t taste it, and I will probably be able to go the rest of my life without tasting one ever again.

But overall, not bad.

How about Funnel Cake Ale?

Funnel Cake Ale

Not exactly this kind of funnel cake. (Which we ate as well)

Funnel Cake

But more an “inspired by”.

With a powder sugar rimmed cup, funnel cake ale is a sweet, wheaty, dessert-type refreshment.

Funnel Cake Ale in Hand

But even better was……Pumpkin Ale,

Did Someone Say Pumpkin Ale

Perfect,

Dessert? Why of course we still had room.

For sweet potato pie and candied apples……(there’s almost a little nutrition in these)

Sweet Potato Pie and Candied Apples

…AND deep-fried peach cobbler…

100_4494

We found the Gourmet Funnel Cake stop.

Gourmet Funnel Cake Booth

Peanut butter cup, birthday cake…so many choices. We picked red velvet.

Red Velvet Funnel Cake Collage

Piping hot and smeared with frosting….it was heavenly.

AND, the winner of the Big Tex Choice Awards for Best Tasting, Fernie’s Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly. (who would have thought there would be vegetables in a State Fair food?)

Fernie's Holy Moly Carrot Cake Roly

They might have been deep fried……we couldn’t really tell. But there was 2 different things to dip them into. Both tasted like sugar.

That was enough for us.

Texas sun + gluttonous amounts of fried food/sugar = 2 sick boys

Drove back home, drank Pepto Bismol, and put ourselves to bed.

But, don’t worry about us folks…….

We’ll be ready to do it all over in again next year.

We always do,

Welcome Back to “Big TEX”

Posted by James on October 10, 2013
Posted in: Did Ya Know?, New Home. Tagged: , , , . 5 Comments

Since 1952, Big TEX has welcomed visitors to the State Fair of Texas, the biggest state fair in the country where fair goers spend more than $21 million every year on food and rides alone..

Big Tex at the State Fair of Texas

Before Big Tex became Big TEX, he was a giant Santa Claus in Kerens, Texas, east of Corsicana.

"Big Santa" Before he Moved to the State Fair

This photo was taken in 1949. Two years later, the giant figure was purchased for 750 dollars by Dallas banker R.L. Thornton, then president of the State Fair of Texas and later mayor of Dallas. Dallas Artist Jack Bridges was hired to create a face for Big TEX, he used a combination of his own face, rancher Doc Simmons and Will Rogers.

Big Tex Being Assembled for the First Time

Big Tex made his debut at the State Fair in 1952.

Vintage Big Tex Postcard - State Fair of Texas

Here are some numbers on Big TEX

  • He is 52 feet tall
  • Weighs about 6,000 pounds
  • Has a 75 gallon Stetson hat, that is 5 feet tall
  • His belt is 23 feet long with a 50 pound buckle
  • Ft Worth based Dickies made his clothes
  • His shirt is 600 times larger than a store bought Dickies shirt
  • His jeans have a 283 size waist, with a 56 inch fly
  • His boots are size 70, and 7 foot 7 inches tall

In 2000, he began to wave at visitors for the first time. Over the years, 7 different men have voiced the voice of big Tex, the most recent is radio personality Bill Bragg.

It’s no coincidence that the Fletcher’s Corny Dog stand is right in front of this Dallas icon.

James, Big Tex, and Fletcher's Corny Dog

We stop here every year…..and have a corny dog.

In case you don’t know, a corny dog is a hot dog on a stick, dipped in corn meal batter and deep-fried till golden brown. They were first created on this very spot in 1942, and the Fletcher family still owns the company. Regular or jalapeno, both delicious…..lately I’ve been choosing jalapeno.

Last year, the unthinkable happened. An electrical fire caused Big Tex to engulf in flames………in the middle of the fair.

Big Tex on Fire

But none to worry,

This year he’s back, and better than ever. His mouth even moves when he talks.

Big Tex is Back at the State Fair of Texas 2013

We made a quick stop by the fair last weekend to say “Howdy”…….(that’s Big Tex’s line)

James and Jamie with Big Tex at the State Fair fo Texas

We even managed time for a corny dog…..with perfectly art-directed mustard.

James with the Perfectly Art-Directed Mustard 2

…and we couldn’t miss the Crazy Mouse ride.

We buy this roller coaster picture every year….you can read about that here. and see all the previous years pictures.

Mouse Ride at the State Fair 2013

That’s my brother Ben crammed in the car with us…..we invited him along to take pictures of us ,…….again

Texas Star Ferris Wheel At the State Fair of Texas

Best,

State Fair,

Ever

The Crazy Mouse at the State Fair

Posted by James on October 19, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , , , , . 12 Comments

If I say,”The Texas State Fair”.

Any decent Texan will automatically think of  Big Tex and Fletcher’s corny dogs.

Yepp, we also think of  both of those things….

But we also think of the Crazy Mouse ride.

Last week, with our busy travel schedules, we managed to make it to the State Fair of Texas.

Even with all the rickety carnival rides to choose from on the midway, there is only one ride that we wouldn’t miss out on…the Crazy Mouse.

It’s also the only ride at the fair with a camera that takes pictures. 

We ALWAYS buy this picture……I love the sheer joy that we undoubtedly have on our faces just as we drop 4 stories (and how we look sick and excited at the same time).

Here are those pictures from the past 6 years.

Enjoy

Can you hear us laughing/screaming just looking at these pictures?

We can……….

Every time we see them.

( UPDATE on this post )

I couldn’t ignore the fact that just a few hours after we posted this post, Big Tex caught an electrical fire that singed him into nothing but a metal skeleton in a matter of minutes. And on his 60th birthday too……

No doubt that the kind folks at Dickies will have him better than ever by this time next year,

but still, he will be missed…….