Week Two of State Fair Underway, Excitement Happening at TDA’s Food and Fiber Pavilion (10/2/2015)

DALLAS – Free ice cream cones, music, Texas honey and a live bee exhibit take center stage during week two of the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. All of the action is happening inside the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) popular Food and Fiber Pavilion. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller encourages Texans from all across the state to make the trip to Dallas and experience the action firsthand.

“I’m a proud Texan, and there is no better place to celebrate your Texas pride than at the State Fair,” Commissioner Miller said. “You can learn about the many reasons why Texas agriculture matters and discover some of the most unique Texas-grown and Texas-made products from our GO TEXAN members. I’m excited for folks from across the state and around the world to visit the State Fair and experience the best of Texas firsthand.”

The Food and Fiber Pavilion, sponsored by Southwest Dairy Farmers, is a 25,000-square-foot facility showcasing Lone Star agriculture and hundreds of GO TEXAN products. GO TEXAN promotes the products, culture and communities that call Texas home. The Pavilion provides visitors with a glimpse into the many reasons why Texas agriculture matters with exhibits throughout. New to the Food and Fiber Pavilion this year is TDA’s The Great Plate of Texas booth — an interactive exhibit designed to engage children in the journey their food makes from farm to plate.

One of the most popular attractions in the Food and Fiber Pavilion is the GO TEXAN Pioneer Brand General Store, which features hundreds of Texas-made products. Visitors can take home a piece of Texas-made goodness by shopping in the General Store. Plus, while supplies last, visitors will receive a free GO TEXAN cookbook and commemorative calendar poster with any purchase.

Visitors to the Pavilion are encouraged to share their experience via social media by tagging posts with the hashtags #gotexan and #sfot. Tweets will be featured live on screens throughout the Pavilion.

Here are some highlights for the second week of the fair at the Food and Fiber Pavilion:

Open Daily

• Southwest Dairy Farmers Ice Cream Parlor. Opens at 10 a.m.
• Ultimate Backyard: Game and Beef Recipes. Opens at 10 a.m.
• The Great Plate of Texas Booth. Opens at 10 a.m.
• Sampling Opportunities, GO TEXAN Member Products. Beginning at 10 a.m.
• Kitchen Craft Cooking Demos. Starting at 10 a.m.

Friday, Oct. 2

• Texas Toffee Sampling. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Fair Housing Display and Kids Coloring Activity. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Bentley’s Batch 5 Texas Barbecue Sauce Samples. 10 a.m. – Noon
• Interactive Harvester Experience. 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Cowtown Opry Performance. 4 – 6 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 3

• Texas Forestry Games and Craft Demos. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Log 6ix Pet and Personal Odor Remover Demos. 2 – 4 p.m.
• Suzi & Rick Musical Performance. 4 – 6 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 4

• Davis Mountains Nut Co. Samples. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Blank and Sons Samples. 10 a.m. – Noon
• Clickety Cloggers Performance. Noon – 2 p.m., 4 – 6 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 5

• Picklelicious Pickles Samples. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Ultimate Backyard: Game and Beef Recipes. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Interactive Omni Globe and Trivia Games. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 6

• Carmie's Kitchen Samples. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Interactive Displays Featuring Cotton and Wheat. 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Texas Honey and Live Bees. 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• City of Dallas Recycling Demo and Cup Giveaway. Noon – 2 p.m.
• Hill College Choir and Band. 4 – 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 7

• Landscape and Plant Inspirations. 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Historical and Cultural Travel Experts. 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Kimber’s Cookies Samples. 10 a.m. – Noon.

Thursday, Oct. 8

• Kid-friendly Options Spotlighting Texas-grown Products. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Fair Housing Display and Kids Coloring Activity. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
• Dallas Banjo Band. Noon – 2 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 9

• Farm Fresh Fridays Cooking Demo: Kid-friendly Options. Noon – 2 p.m.
• Texas Toffee Queen Toffee Samples. 2 – 4 p.m.
• Dublin Bottling Works Soda Samples. 2 – 4 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10

• A Texas Gal Cooks, Samples From Her Recipe Book. 10 a.m. – Noon.
• Texas Tea Samples. 10 a.m. – Noon, 2 – 4 p.m.
• Suzi and Rick Musical Performance. Noon – 2 p.m.

TDA’s Food and Fiber Pavilion, sponsored by Southwest Dairy Farmers, is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday. The fair runs Sept. 25 through Oct. 18. Click here for a map of the fairgrounds, a list of vendors in the GO TEXAN Pioneer Brand General Store and more.