When the State Fair of Texas announces its yearly theme, that means exactly one thing: We are close enough to the annual Fair Park fried food fest to start counting down the days. So how many? It's 200 days until the fair kicks off, and it will follow the 2016 theme "Celebrating Texas Agriculture."
It's a special year for the fair, as it will be celebrating its 130th birthday. Back in 1886, it started as a livestock exposition, according to a statement from the State Fair of Texas, which is why officials chose to celebrate its agricultural roots in this year's theme.
"Although agriculture plays a key role in our daily lives, it is not something we often stop and think about -- especially those of us living in urban areas like Dallas," says Mitchell Glieber, the fair's president, in a statement. We don't have specifics yet, but the 2016 theme means the fair will take a focus of "educating guests about all the ways agriculture impacts the community as well as our day-to-day routines," according to the statement.
Last year's theme was "Passport to Texas."
It'll be months before we know which wacky fried foods made this year's list or what you might find inside the Hall of State. It's not too soon to start the 200-day countdown, however.
The State Fair of Texas opens in Fair Park in Dallas on Sept. 30 and ends Oct. 23.
