Insiders get a sneak peek at the State Fair of Texas before anyone else

Dallas Morning News subscribers got a behind-the-scenes look at the State Fair of Texas on Sept. 29, the night before opening day.

The attendees were likely the first members of the public to get a Shiner beer and right-out-of-the-fryer Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs at the 2022 State Fair of Texas. And many felt lucky to be there, because the event had a 250-person wait list.

The News has offered this free event for members for several years, as a way to offer exclusive access to one of the state’s most iconic events and to feature Texas-born food and drink. If you want to get invitations to events like this, subscribe to our print or online product, and you’ll automatically receive a weekly email with perks just for members.

Singer Matt Hillyer played country tunes as attendees arrived. Hillyer was the lead singer of Eleven Hundred Springs. His label, State Fair Records, is programming the live music at two stages at the State Fair of Texas this year.

As attendees listened to Hillyer play, they sampled three Fletcher’s corny dogs — original, jalapeño-cheese and veggie — and drank Shiner beer. Shiner will sell beer throughout the fair this year.

Amber Fletcher, the daughter of the late Neil “Skip” Fletcher, told the story of how her grandfather started frying franks at the fair in 1942 — 80 years ago.

News readers seemed especially excited to get an eye on the Midway before anyone else could. Golf carts sped by carrying kegs, and concessionaires hurriedly finished up their booths. About 15 hours after we shared a corny dog and a beer, those workers would be back at the fair, opening up for business on Day One.

The fair opens Sept. 30, 2022 and runs for 24 days, and organizers expect more than 2 million people to visit Dallas’ Fair Park. Are you going? Check out these stories:

For more food news, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.