[3] The State Fair of Texas is considered one of the best in America as well as Dallas' signature event despite its troubled history.

[4][5][6][7] The State Fair of Texas's opening day ceremonies are highlighted by the annual Friday parade rolling through downtown Dallas.

During the opening weekend of the 2013 fair, Army and Louisiana Tech played in the only Heart of Dallas Classic at the Cotton Bowl; it was abandoned thereafter.

The $5-million Texas Skyway is a gondola ride which only operates 24 days a year, transporting visitors around the fairgrounds.

[17] In recent years, the fair has emphasized its reputation as an event featuring unique, albeit high-fat, foods.

[18] People travel from all around the world to attend the State Fair of Texas, including former talk show host Oprah Winfrey.

[20] In its modern incarnation, the State Fair of Texas was charted as a private corporation by local businessmen.

Therefore, the businessmen sold it to the city of Dallas with the agreement that 24 days during the fall would be set aside annually for the fair and exhibition.

[21] On February 10, 1942, a fire-alarm blaze raged unchecked for an hour in the automobile building at the State Fair park causing damage estimated at several hundred thousand dollars.

In 1953, Big Tex's jaw was hinged, so that he appears to "speak" the announcements that promote fair events.

[28] The Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce, under pressure from the African American community, began to denounce the State Fair as segregated.

In the mid-1950's, then mayor R. L. Thornton, one of the founding men of the Dallas Citizens Council who helped fundraise for the 1936 Centennial Exposition, agreed to desegregate more, but continued to assert that some restaurants and attractions remain separate.

Notably, two attractions that involved physical contact, the "Laff in the Dark" and "Dodge 'em Scooter" rides, continued to be segregated.

[29] In 1955, Juanita Craft organized a protest of the State Fair of Texas against its policy of admitting blacks only on "Negro Achievement Day.

[35] The economics, finances and management of the State Fair of Texas is a matter of public concern and study.

The total annual reported attendance for 2018 dropped to 2,049,119 with a net operating revenue loss of $3,199,044 for the year.

According to media reports, 90% of excess revenue was spent on projects that solely benefited the State Fair.