State Fair Season

State Fair of Texas gets early start selling tickets to annual fried food hoo-ha

Big Tex has his hand out.

The State Fair of Texas season begins earlier every year: The State Fair has begun selling tickets, food and ride coupons, as well as tickets to the 11th annual Big Tex Choice Awards, aka the fried-food fest. All tickets are available to order online today at BigTex.com/tickets.

Although buying tickets at the fair when you arrive has never been a problem, selling them online starts the exciting State Fair hype machine earlier than if you just bought tickets the day you attend. The State Fair is making tickets available online for general admission, children and seniors. The price is $18 for general admission, $14 admission for children under 48 inches in height, and seniors age 60 and older; it's free for children age 2 and under.

Also available online is a State Fair of Texas Season Pass for $39.99, which includes 24-day admission as well as a variety of special pass-holder benefits. Buy now and save $10 on the 2015 season pass by using promo code BIGTEX.

They're offering a new $99 season pass combo pack, which includes two season passes and 120 food and ride coupons. You save $40. Other ticket and coupon packages, ranging from 15 to 30 percent in savings, are available online. If you are attending the fair with a group larger than 20 people, you can get up to 39 percent off; advance group discount tickets are available.

The State Fair is also repeating a practice it introduced in 2014 by turning its 11th annual Big Tex Choice Awards food competition into a public event. This year, it's Sunday, August 30, at 2:30 pm, and tickets are available online for the steep price of $100. The Big Tex Choice Awards will be held in the Tower Building at Fair Park. Attendees get to taste the food made by the finalists.

All proceeds from the Big Tex Choice Awards ceremony will be donated to the State Fair of Texas Youth Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to more than 1,600 students for a total of more than $4.5 million.

This year's theme is Passport to Texas, with a poster showing a worn suitcase and guitar case embellished with stickers from cities and towns like El Paso, Lubbock, Austin, Houston and Paris, offering an homage to every corner of the state.

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Supermarket news

H-E-B to open 2 new stores in Garland, including Joe V's Smart Shop

newsroom.heb.com

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Texas grocery chain H-E-B is expanding into the Dallas suburb of Garland, with not one but two stores in the works.

A February 24 news release breaks down the double projects:

Joe V's Smart Shop
"First, the company will revitalize a vacant shopping center located on the northeast corner of Centerville Road and LBJ Freeway," the release says. "The approximately seven-acre site will soon be home to North Texas’ fourth Joe V’s Smart Shop, an innovative price format that focuses on offering fresh, high-quality products at the lowest prices in the marketplace."

Joe V’s Smart Shop is an H-E-B spinoff that operates 14 stores in North Texas and Houston. The first one in DFW opened in Dallas in June 2024 at 4101 W. Wheatland Rd. A second opened in far east Dallas in March 2025. The third opened on Airport Freeway in Irving in November 2025.

Products include fresh produce, organics selections, in-store cut meats, in-store made tortillas, breads, and sushi made daily.

"Construction is expected to begin in the coming months," the release says.

H-E-B grocery store
"The second project involves H-E-B’s intent to develop an H-E-B store on a 21-acre site located between Crist Road and Firewheel Parkway off President George Bush Turnpike," the release says. "The purchase of that property is not yet final."

The Garland location will join H-E-B stores that have opened in Forney, Plano, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Melissa, Prosper, and Rockwall, plus two in Tarrant County: Fort Worth/Alliance, and Mansfield. Stores in Irving, Denton, Dallas, Carrollton, and the Mid-Cities are in the works.

Although details of the Garland store have not been revealed, if it's like other H-E-B stores, it could include a full-service H-E-B Pharmacy with drive-thru, Curbside and Home Delivery service, Wellness Primary Care clinic, and a True Texas BBQ restaurant with drive-thru.

San Antonio-based H-E-B has been in Dallas since 2001 when it opened its first high-end chain Central Market, which now has six locations in Dallas, Plano, Southlake, and Fort Worth. The regional supermarket chain is consistently rated among America's best grocers by industry and consumer reports.

Additional details on the Garland projects will be shared as they develop, the company says.

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Teresa Gubbins contributed to this story.

garland grocery stores h-e-b

State Fair Season

State Fair of Texas gets early start selling tickets to annual fried food hoo-ha

Supermarket news

H-E-B to open 2 new stores in Garland, including Joe V's Smart Shop

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