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Chinese lanterns, live music and Girl Scout cookies: The top 5 things to do atthe State Fair of Texas 2012

The Texas Star is still our favorite way to see the fair from above.
Big Tex is a Dallas icon, even if he comes out only once a year.

Photo by David R. Tribble

The State Fair of Texas, running September 28-October 21 at Fair Park, is undoubtedly one of the biggest annual highlights in Dallas, bringing together a mix of the new and the familiar, the young and the old, the country and the city. Although the fried foods are often the big draw these days, the fair offers so much more that it seems unfair to reduce the entire thing to a silly old fried bacon cinnamon roll — no matter how much you love bacon.

So we put together a list of the top five must-do's at this year's State Fair. Oh, and use this tip from the pros: Take the DART green line to the Fair Park Station instead of parking on-site. Not only will parties of three or less save money — parking is $15 compared to $4 per person for DART day passes — but you'll get to enjoy one of the DART's coolest rail stations.

Chinese Lantern Festival
This new event takes over the Leonhardt Lagoon, where you can normally ride swan boats. Even though that tradition is gone temporarily, the festival promises to bring more than enough entertainment to make up for it. Multiple lanterns, in all shapes and sizes, are on display, including a football field-length dragon made from 15,000 porcelain dishes. At night, they come alive with light, giving the grounds an extra-special glow. Yes, it costs extra — but so do the food, drinks and rides. If you don't mind paying for those, you shouldn't mind paying for a memorable experience like this.

Chevrolet Main Stage
Free concerts have long been a staple of the State Fair, and this year's line-up on the Main Stage is a nice combination of national and local acts from a variety of genres. Stargazers can catch bands like Kevin Costner & Modern West, Uncle Kracker, Kellie Pickler and The Commodores. For something a little closer to home, there are acts like Le Freak, Kevin Fowler and Texas Tornados. And these are just the headliners. Other bands appear on this stage and other spots throughout the fairgrounds every day of the week, so you'll never be lacking for musical entertainment.

Free Girl Scout Cookies
You normally have to wait until January to get Girl Scout cookies 'round these parts, but to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts, the State Fair is giving away around 2,000 cookies twice a day (11 am and 3 pm) every day at the Hall of State. Thin Mints and Trefoils in the middle of October — for free? Yes, please. As an added bonus, you can purchase fried Samoas, a Samoa wrapped in a wonton skin and fried, then drizzled with chocolate, caramel and coconut.

Cute Animals
No one's forgotten about all the animals on display; it's just that much of the State Fair hoopla tends to focus on what's new, not the mainstays. The Children's Barnyard lets you get up close and personal with menagerie of farm animals; the Jump! Ultimate Dog Show presents the talents of frisbee-catching dogs; the pig races are a squeal; and the Birds of the World not only exposes you to some beautiful winged creatures, but also takes you off the beaten path from most of fair, as it's in the Band Shell on the west side of the fairgrounds.

Texas Star
Some prefer the newer Texas Skyway — which takes you from one end of the midway to the other — to see the State Fair from above. But we still find the Texas Star irresistible. Now at its 28th State Fair, it's at once a landmark you can see from miles around and a way for you to see for miles around, with the possibility of seeing all the way to Fort Worth, if you squint really hard. Playing games or eating a Fletcher's corny dog may be enticing, but save some tickets for the largest Ferris wheel many of us will ever get a chance to ride.

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Movie Review

The life of an actor is far from rosy in dramedy Misty Green

Photo courtesy of A24

Rosalind Eleazar in Misty Green.

For every well-known/successful actor in Hollywood, there are thousands of others whose lives are more tenuous as they struggle to find work. The new film Misty Green is about one such actor who, after a period in the limelight, now finds herself on the outskirts of the industry, just hoping to find her way back in.

Misty (Rosalind Eleazar) won an Emmy for a 2000s-era TV show that still gets her recognition, but not much work. Still living in the apartment of a recently-deceased man with whom she was having an affair, Misty spends her days sleeping in and her nights getting blitzed on alcohol and drugs. She seems to be heading nowhere fast until a few things coincide to break up her routine.

The man’s wife (Amy Landecker) shows up and tells her she has seven days to vacate the apartment; Misty’s brother, Jay (Daniel Kaluuya) — who is bipolar — arrives after being kicked out of his facility for non-payment; and Jordan (Chris Rock), a former colleague with whom she had a falling-out, reappears in her life, offering a possible chance to rehabilitate her image.

Written and directed by Rock (his first feature since 2014’s Top Five), the film is a funny and excruciating look at how the entertainment industry might actually work. Misty is her own worst enemy thanks to late nights fraternizing with unsavory characters like Zach (Adam Driver), who deals in drugs and women in equal measure, but her frustration proves warranted when her agent, Randy (Topher Grace), and casting directors like Rhonda (Tracie Thoms) hardly give her the time of day.

Misty tries her best to stay positive, but when jobs like singing in a bar are the best she can do, the mountain seems insurmountable. Rock does an effective job of demonstrating the elements that are within and without Misty’s control that affect her ability to regain her position in the industry. The chip on her shoulder is almost as big as the bias some have against her, and other negative circumstances don’t help matters much.

There are many small touches that Rock and his crew put in the film to give it an air of authenticity. Filming in Los Angeles (a rarity these days), Rock uses both subtle and overt shots of homeless people in the city, suggesting that the line between the haves and have-nots is a fine one, especially with Misty on the verge of not having a place to live. He also has cameos from a few of his funny friends, including a bit of meta-casting of Anthony Anderson (who has faded a bit after starring in Black-ish) in a bit part as a cop.

Eleazar, a British actor best known for appearing on the Apple TV show Slow Horses, is a magnetic presence as Misty. The character herself is somewhat cringey in her decision-making, and Eleazar sells every bit of her righteous indignation and self-defeating actions. The supporting cast is great across the board, including Rock, Driver, Kaluuya, Thoms, Grace, Anna Kendrick, and Rich Sommer.

Misty Green makes you rage against the Hollywood machine, laugh at the various ways different people deal with its maddening quirks, and hide behind your fingers as Misty chooses options that don’t help, either voluntarily or because her back is against the wall. It’s a powerhouse of acting that gives a unique angle on the inner workings of Hollywood, one that ironically might be competing for awards at year’s end.

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Misty Green is now playing in theaters.

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