East Texas Fall Fairs And Festivals
Just about everyone looks forward to a great East Texas fall and I if I were a bettin' man, I would say WE ALL are looking forward to it, mainly for the cooler weather. The 100* temps we've been experiencing for the last couple of months will hopefully be a distant memory and we'll be having fun at all the fairs and festivals that will be coming to East Texas. We'll be having fun hanging with friends and riding some really great rides and gorging ourselves on fantastic fair food! Here's what we can look forward to this fall:
There are special ride armband nights that range from $1.00 per ride to unlimited rides with one price. All shows are free with your paid admission and include a petting zoo, the Miss Gregg County pageant, swine races, magic shows, bands and more.
There will be plenty of corn dogs and cotton candy on hand with your chance to experience a ton of stomach churning rides!
East Texas State Fair
Shows this year include a sea lion show, pig races, animal petting zoo and sand sculpting. The midway is filled with all kinds of rides from the traditional merry-go-round to the thrilling ride called the Freak Out to a log flume ride. There are specials that will run throughout the fair on ride tickets including arm band nights which will allow you to ride as many rides as you can for one low price.
Of course there's entertainment on the concert stage which includes performances from Truffula Tree, Tejas Brothers, the Bellamy Brothers and more. Also have fun consuming your share of fried oreo's, corn dogs, cotton candy, smoked turkey legs and more!
East Texas Yamboree
Fire Ant Festival
It's one of the most unique festivals hosted in East Texas! Marshall celebrates the things that most homeowners want to kill and out of their yard – the fire ant! In addition to its unique name there are some pretty zany contests that go along with this festival, including, a fire ant calling contest, rubber chicken chunking, gurning (ugly face making contest, a diaper derby and a men's Crazy Legs contest.
There is also a bike ride called the Tour de Fire Ant that includes a 100k, 10-mile to 45-mile bike ride. You can raise your heart rate in the Six Feet in the Street 5k or participate in the 42 tournament.
Syrup Festival
The tradition of making ribbon cane syrup is celebrated each year in Henderson for the Annual Heritage Syrup Festival. One of the highlights is the syrup making demonstration on the grounds of the Depot Museum, where they operate and produce old fashioned cane syrup using antique equipment that is powered by mules.
In addition there are all kinds of art demonstrations, food vendors, folk singers, a petting zoo and live entertainment on the main stage.