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From Elvis to Demi: 7 celebrities who have visited the State Fair of Texas

Were you at the fair in 2009 when Oprah tried a Fletcher's Corny Dog and fried butter

Were you at the fair in 2009 when Oprah tried a Fletcher's Corny Dog and fried butter? How about in '07 when the Jonas Brothers sang to thousands of teens, tweens and parents (and broke all roads leading to Fair Park that day)? Maybe in 2009 when young Selena Gomez hosted Elsie the Cow's 70th birthday party in the Food & Fiber building?

Take a look back at some of our favorite celebrities who have walked in the shadow of Big Tex and made the great State Fair of Texas even greater.

Elvis Presley (1956)

This  rock 'n' roll king  got fair goers all shook up in a 1956 State Fair concert in the Cotton Bowl.

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Elvis Presley performs during the 1956 State Fair of Texas.
Elvis Presley performs during the 1956 State Fair of Texas.(Dallas Historical Society)
Garth Brooks
Garth Brooks(RON FREHM / AP)

Garth Brooks (1990)

With "The Dance" at No. 1 during the summer of 1990, Garth was well on his way to super stardom when he played the State Fair in October. He was booked to play Billy Bob's Texas the next month but, according to a story on the honky tonk's website, promotion of that show was forbidden until after the Fair date. No prob. Promoters hired a plane to fly over the fairgrounds during Garth's show with a banner announcing the Fort Worth gig. The singer pointed to the banner and told fans, "I guess you know where I'll be playing next." His Billy Bob's show was sold out by the following day.

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Dixie Chicks (1998 and 2002)

With their first hit, "Wide Open Spaces," under their belt, the Dixie Chicks performed to a hometown crowd at the 1998 State Fair. They returned in 2002, hotter than ever, for a show inside the Cotton Bowl on the final Saturday of the Fair. Stormy weather kept some fans away, but an estimated 40,000 braved the bad weather to hear the Chicks.

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The Dixie Chicks Natalie Maine sings to the State Fair crowd.
The Dixie Chicks Natalie Maine sings to the State Fair crowd.(Allison V. Smith / The Dallas Morning News)

Jonas Brothers (2007)

The boys created a Columbus Day frenzy in 2007, playing to an estimated 20,000 adoring fans on a very hot Monday afternoon. The crowd went even wilder with the introduction of hometown girls Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez.

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Demi Lovato (2008)

Straight off her Camp Rock movie and first CD, 16-year-old Demi Lovato performed for her young fans on another hot fair day. The Dallas Morning News reported that fans arrived as early as 7 a.m. for the outdoor show.

"I would have walked here if my mom couldn't take us," 12-year-old Alyssa Anwar of Grand Prairie said.

Selena Gomez (2009)

A spokesperson for Borden's Milk at the time, Disney star Selena Gomez, 17, visited the fair to attend a birthday party for Borden's Elsie the Cow. Elsie chewed her cake while Selena posed for fan photos.

Oprah Winfrey (2009)

Still queen of the talk shows, Oprah brought her TV crew to the State Fair of Texas to tape a show with her besties Gayle King, Ali Wentworth, Nate Berkus and Martina McBride in tow. Oprah went all Western with boots and cowboy hat, played midway games and sampled deep-fried delicacies. A Dallas News story reported her thumbs up to the crowd: "Y'all sure know how to throw a great State Fair."  Fans shouted back:

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"We love Oprah, yes we do. We love Oprah, how about you?"

Check out GuideLive's State Fair hub with everything you need to know about the 2018 State Fair of Texas.