State Fair of Texas, GO TEXAN Pavilion Officially Open for Fairgoers Today (9/29/2017)

STATE FAIR OF TEXAS, GO TEXAN PAVILION OFFICIALLY OPEN FOR FAIRGOERS

This year’s GO TEXAN stage attractions include live animals, boot-making and so much more

DALLAS – Today, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller welcomes visitors to the State Fair of Texas and invites them to stop by the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) GO TEXAN Pavilion to experience all the ways Texas agriculture impacts our daily lives. The Pavilion is located near the famous Cotton Bowl Stadium in the center of Fair Park. As always, the Pavilion is packed with some of the tastiest food and beverages around, as well as world-class entertainment and shopping.

“Join us at the GO TEXAN Pavilion to get a huge dose of our famous Texas hospitality,” Commissioner Miller said. “We’ve got Texas businesses passing out samples of their goods every single day. Come discover some of the best Texas-grown and Texas-made products from our GO TEXAN members and learn more about why Texas agriculture is so important!”

The GO TEXAN 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 is also home to various exhibits that provide visitors with a glimpse at the impact of Texas agriculture on our daily lives.

One of the most popular attractions in the Pavilion is the GO TEXAN Pioneer Brand General Store, which is stocked to the brim with a wide variety of Texas-made products — everything from bug spray and grills to candles and candy. Everything in the store is made with pride right here in the Lone Star State.

Also featured in the Pavilion is TDA’s Food and Nutrition division’s  Great Plate of Texas booth — an interactive exhibit designed to engage children in the journey their food makes from farm-to-plate. Inside, visitors will find a farmers market stand, a cafeteria line where kids can create healthy plates and various videos that teach children about where their food comes from. The star in the center of this booth is a hands-on display for kids to learn about the components of a healthy plate, including grains, dairy, protein, vegetables and fruit, and participate in fun games like guessing different fruits by their smells and animals by the sounds they make.

Of special note is the famed Texas Star Ferris wheel, operated by Talley Amusements, Inc. Talley Amusements will donate 20 cents of every Ferris wheel ticket sold to the State of Texas Agriculture Relief (STAR) Fund, which was created to assist farmers and ranchers who experience damages from natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey. Farm Credit Bank of Texas will match the donation up to $12,500, so be sure to get out there and ride the Ferris wheel and take in the sights of the fair!  

Southwest Dairy Farmers will be giving away Dannon^® yogurt samples daily, and there will also be various GO TEXAN member product samples available each day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kona Ice will have a concession stand inside the Pavilion that is open every day, and Revolver Brewing will be sampling various beers every Saturday throughout the Fair.

Visitors will want to mark their calendars so they don’t miss any of the GO TEXAN Event Stage activities. This year’s events include:

• goat yoga by Deep Ellum Yoga,
  
• boot-making demonstrations by Fegnolio Boot Company,
  
• an interactive equine anatomy session that combines art and science for the ultimate show, presented by Double Rocking A Ranch,
  
• Texas Farm Fresh’s Jump With Jill LIVE Tour and
  
• GO TEXAN’s own NASCAR driver Austin Wayne Self.
  

TDA’s GO Texan Pavilion is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The State Fair runs Sept. 29 through Oct. 22.

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