By WENDY HUNDLEY / The Dallas Morning News

Picture-perfect weather played a key role in pushing the State Fair of Texas into the record books this year. While fair officials didn’t have attendance figures, they said fairgoers spent a record $37 million on food and amusement rides.

That tops the previous record of $29.2 million spent in 2007 on midway attractions, cotton candy, corny dogs, fried foods, and other Fair Park confections that prompted fair patrons to loosen their wallets.

The fair, which started Sept. 24, ended Sunday when temperatures reached a high of 81 degrees.

“We’ve just had incredibly beautiful weather,” said Sue Gooding, a fair spokeswoman. “We had great exhibits, and all the interest in the food was just huge.

“We’ve had worldwide interest in our Big Tex Choice Awards held every Labor Day.”

Food sales, pushed by the new Texas Fried Frito Pie and other deep-fried temptations, produced a single-day sales record of $3.6 million on Oct. 2.

A single-day record was also set on Columbus Day, Oct. 11, when thrill-seekers spent $1 million on midway rides.

Read More>>

[ad#Google Adsense-nottoowide]

Source – 33TV.Com

DALLAS – 24 days of fair rides and fair food are just not enough! Not according to State Fair officials. And not when the green line is bringing people to Fair Park.

So now get ready for the summer of 2012!

That’s when the Texas Star may get it’s chance to shine during the summer months starting that year.

Sue Gooding, Vice-President of Public Relations for the State Fair if Texas said, “In 2012, opening what we’re now calling Summer Place.”

The Midway will be that place for a line-up of summer fun to include rides like the Texas Skyway, some other mainstays, and some new rides, if everything goes as planned.

Gooding said, “We want everybody to come out, pitch in and make this the greatest State Fair of Texas we have ever had.”

For Summer Place to take place, the fair is hoping for a banner year of profit.

So far, opening weekend appears on target. So the State Fair is planning to buy a giant space needle.

Then the next year, they’ll buy a roller coaster.

And they plan to work with the museums at fair park to give visitors a package deal.

State Fair Visitor Jennifer Haynes said, “That would be a great idea so we wouldn’t have to go all the way to six flags, it would be something for the little ones like this one to do.”

And state fair officials are counting on the green line to get some of them here.

But don’t expect the entire fair experience. The fried banana peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be reserved for the 24 days of the state fair.

None of the deep fried goodies during the summer. State Fair visitor Mark Kitchen said this about the fried foods: “But this is what makes coming out here.” Gooding with the State Fair said, “We want to keep products distinctively different”

During the summer, the midway would have other fair foods such as corn dogs and funnel cakes.

Kitchen disagreed, “I can see their point, but coming out to the midway and not having a morsel of this, that would be a disappointment.

[ad#Google Adsense-nottoowide]