State Fair News

Drones and biergarten among new surprises at 2024 State Fair of Texas

Cowboy hat made of drones from Sky Elements.

Sky Elements

Look out, drones are coming to The State Fair of Texas. It's one of a slate of new free attractions coming to the 2024 State Fair, which is set to open on September 27. People, that is less than a month away.

State Fair of Texas attendees will be treated to the first-ever drone show at the Fair, and more new attractions as follows.

Stars Over Texas. Limited-time attraction will be a four-night drone show event presented by Ford, taking place from Thursday October 3-Sunday October 6. All four nightly shows will begin immediately after the Mattress Firm Illumination Sensation at approximately 8:25 pm. The drone shows are produced in partnership with Coppell-based Sky Elements, who are on fire right now, as they are competing in America's Got Talent, having reached semi-finalist status. They'll be performing on the show on Wednesday, September 11 at 7 pm. Fans should tune in to watch their performance and participate in the live vote to send them on to the finals.

Steve Goodtime! Get ready to rock with the newest addition to the Fringe Stage, performing gnarly guitar solos with wild stunts: guitar amp rola bola, dangerous thingy juggling, hotdog magic, and fitting into tiny leopard print pants are just a few of the routines.

Dino Time with Professor T. Tex and his dino-wrangler at the lagoon as they bring their favorite dinosaurs through his time machine to meet fairgoers. This show is intended for children under 10 years old and will give them an opportunity to meet small dinosaurs.

State Fair Resident Chef. Step into the culinary spotlight at the Creative Arts Cooking Demonstrations in the kitchen with Cutco, where Pete Nolasco, a new State Fair resident chef performs live demos daily at the State Fair of Texas. Chef Pete first got involved with the State Fair of Texas while completing his culinary apprenticeship in 1991. Over the years he has continued the relationship, returning as competition judge and celebrity chef for a cooking demonstration in 2016. In addition to these exciting roles, he has also participated in ice carving competitions and even assisted with the 2013 Guinness World Record butter sculpture.

State Fair of Texas Lotería! Lotería is a traditional Mexican board game of chance, similar to bingo, but is played with a deck of cards. Every image in the game is inspired by some of the most iconic State Fair and Texas symbols.

Chainsaw Carver. Experience the unique artistry of Chad Kilpatrick as he skillfully carves raw wood into stunning sculptures with his chainsaw and other common power tools. He'll perform his one-of-a-kind demonstration outside the Children's Aquarium on First Avenue.

German Biergarten. Suit up in your best lederhosen or dirndl and visit the Texas Discovery Gardens’ paid attraction, a traditional German biergarten, with communal tables, rustic decor, and a festive atmosphere that transports you to a vibrant Bavarian beer hall. Indulge in authentic German beers and German foods including sausages, sauerkraut, pretzels, tangy German mustards, and soft drinks. State Fair of Texas Season Pass holders and Texas Discovery Gardens members can enjoy this experience free of charge.

The 2024 State Fair of Texas will kick off on Friday, September 27, and run through Sunday, October 20.

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Dallas Cowboys News

Metal roof piece at Cowboys' AT&T Stadium in Arlington falls on field

AT&T Stadium Facebook

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — A piece of the roof at the home of the Dallas Cowboys fell to the field while the retractable portion of it was being opened at least three hours before a 34-10 loss to Houston on Monday night, officials said.

AT&T Stadium was mostly empty when the incident occurred, and team officials said nobody was injured. The roof was closed without incident about an hour later.

Officials said winds gusting to 30 mph during the day contributed to the incident, which was being reviewed to ensure the roof can be opened safely at some point in the future. The roof hasn’t been opened for a Cowboys game in their $1.2 billion stadium since the 2022 season.

“I know we opened it long before any fans or anybody is in there,” owner Jerry Jones said after the game. “The reason they do that is to make sure everything is working to avoid those kinds of risks if there’s any fans or anybody in here.”

Jones said there wasn’t any risk in going on with the game, which meant a delay or postponement wasn’t a consideration.

“They wouldn’t have done this game, or started this game, had there been any risk at all,” Jones said. “Not only the NFL wouldn’t, but I wouldn’t if there was any risk at all. And there was no risk at all when we started the game.”

The arches that support the roof are nearly 300 feet above the field at their highest point. The 80,000-seat venue opened in 2009.The falling debris came a little more than a week after Dallas receiver CeeDee Lamb said the sun was in his eyes on a throw he didn’t react to in the end zone in a 34-6 loss to Philadelphia.

AT&T Stadium has an unusual east-west alignment from end zone to end zone, as opposed to most venues being north-south. On clear days, the sun shines through the large glass windows on the west side during the first half of games that kick off in the afternoon.

There is usually a call for curtains on the west side of the stadium when the sun becomes an issue, but Jones says he won’t put up curtains. He says both teams have to deal with the sun.

When AT&T Stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2011, six workers were injured when ice and snow fell from the roof. The event was plagued by a historic ice storm that gripped the Dallas area for days.

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