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57-648: As of 2009, the South Texas State Fair had an attendance of over 500,000 people, second in the state to the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. The fair is held annually in late March to early April. Fair patrollers include security guards, the Beaumont, TX Police and Jefferson County, TX Sheriff. The South Texas State Fair traces its roots to the first confirmable fair in Beaumont, held in 1907. With

114-718: A last resource, the Office of the Attorney General challenged the decision in The Supreme Court of Texas. On September 19, 2024, The Supreme Court of Texas denied the Attorney General's filing, since it was considered that the State Fair is allowed under Texas law to implement whichever policies they considered. The economics, finances and management of the State Fair of Texas is a matter of public concern and study. The five main areas of concern are: Staff of

171-522: A major report laying a major portion of blame upon the State Fair of Texas for hindering development at and around Fair Park. A Segregated Fair For the majority of time the State Fair of Texas has been in operation, it was a segregated fair. African Americans were allowed into the fair only on "Negro Achievement Day," known colloquially as "Nigger Day" by the white population. The end of the segregated fair began in 1953 under increasing pressure to desegregate. In that year, African Americans were allowed in

228-785: A member of the American Athletic Conference . The Black Knights play home games in Michie Stadium with a capacity of 36,000 at West Point, New York . The Black Knights are coached by Jeff Monken , who has held the position since 2014. Army claims five national championships , including two AP Trophies in 1944 and 1945 . Army has produced 24 players and four coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame , 37 consensus All-Americans, and three Heisman Trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946), and Pete Dawkins (1958). With

285-407: A new safety policy. The Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton , warned fair officials and the Dallas' interim manager that they had 15 days to overturn the policy or his office would take legal action. Fair officials decided to maintain the gun ban policy, since they are part of private nonprofit in charge of running The State Fair of Texas and they are able to make decisions regarding the event, which

342-546: A protest of the State Fair of Texas against its policy of admitting blacks only on "Negro Achievement Day." In addition, the fair once had a "Colored People's Day," " Ku Klux Klan Day" and, as recently as the 1980s, a day dedicated to the Confederacy. In the 1960s, the fair looked at market research showing that many white fairgoers were frightened by seeing black people on their way into the fair leading to an aggressive eminent domain campaign to buy nearby homes to convert

399-509: Is a gondola ride which operates during the Fair transporting visitors around the fairgrounds. There is also a BMX bike show as well as dog and pig races. For children, puppet shows, Children's Medical Center Barnyard, and Story Time also take place inside the fair. In recent years, the fair has emphasized its reputation as an event featuring unique, high-fat, foods. It has been known for years for Fletcher's brand corny dogs . Recent years have seen

456-457: Is also of a private nature. The Office of the Attorney General proceeded to sue the City of Dallas and the State Fair of Texas "for unlawfully prohibiting firearms from government-owned public property in violation of Texas law". The Dallas County District Court ruled in favor of the fair officials. The Office of the Attorney General turned to the 15th Court of Appeals, which denied the request. As

513-578: Is an annual state fair held in Dallas at historic Fair Park . The fair has taken place every year since 1886 except for varying periods during World War I and World War II as well as 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . It usually begins the last Friday in September and ends 24 days later. The fair claims an annual attendance of over two million visitors through ticket scanning. The State Fair of Texas

570-518: Is competed as a non-conference matchup after the conference championship game and therefore does not affect conference standings. Army has won five national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors, including twice ( 1944 , 1945 ) from the AP Poll . The Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy (known as the Lambert Trophy ), established in 1936, is an annual award given to the best team in

627-528: Is considered one of the best in America as well as Dallas' signature event despite its troubled history. The State Fair of Texas's opening day ceremonies are highlighted by the annual Friday parade rolling through downtown Dallas . In 2019, the parade moved to Fair Park. The fair also has a nightly parade called the Starlight Parade and a nightly light show called Illumination Sensation around

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684-470: Is mandatory at football games and the Corps stands for the duration of the game. At all home games, one of the four regiments marches onto the field in formation before the team takes the field and leads the crowd in traditional Army cheers. Two of the regiments are tasked with performing the morning parade while the last regiment is tasked with ancillary stadium duties. For many years, Army teams were known as

741-554: Is named after the first Army football head coach, Dennis Michie . In 1999, the field was renamed Blaik Field at Michie Stadium in honor of former coach Earl Blaik . In 1999, Sports Illustrated ranked Michie Stadium the third-best sports venue of the 20th century. Songs Alma Mater is the Army's school song. Army's fight song is " On, Brave Old Army Team ". Army also plays other organized cheers; Army Rocket Yell, Black, Gold, and Gray, and USMA Cheer. Mascot Army's mascots are

798-595: The Army Mules . While dating back to 1899, they were officially adopted as mascots by USMA in 1936. The following 4 individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as coaches. The following 24 individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as players. Daly and McEwan also served as Army's head coach. President of the United States and General of

855-570: The Army–Navy Game , traditionally the final game of the college football regular season. The three major service academies—Army, Navy, and Air Force —compete for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy ; Army has won the award ten times, most recently in 2023. Army's football program began on November 29, 1890, when Navy challenged the cadets to a game of the relatively new sport. Navy defeated Army at West Point that year, but Army avenged

912-718: The Duke's Mayo Bowl . It agreed that it would serve as the primary backup for the bowl and would have the opportunity to accept an invitation to the game twice during the six-year cycle. The Duke's Mayo Bowl's primary tie-ins for the 2020–2025 cycle are the ACC (all years), the SEC (odd years), and the Big Ten (even years); if any of those conferences were unable to place a team into the bowl during any of those years, Army would be extended an invitation to fill their place. The opponent conferences for

969-684: The East in Division I FBS (formerly I-A) college football and is presented by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers. Army has won the Lambert Trophy nine times; seven times under head coach Earl "Red" Blaik in the 1940s and 1950s, and twice under head coach Jeff Monken in 2018 and 2020. Army has played in ten bowl games. They have a record of 7–3. The NCAA's football oversight committee determined

1026-666: The Red River Rivalry (historically known as both the "OU-Texas Game" or "Texas-OU Game") and played in the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park. Also, the State Fair Classic , featuring Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University , is played at the Cotton Bowl during the fair. In 2010, Baylor and Texas Tech played their game during the fair for the first time. During the opening weekend of

1083-527: The "Cadets." In the 1940s, several papers called the football team "the Black Knights of the Hudson." From then on, "Cadets" and "Black Knights" were used interchangeably until 1999, when the team was officially nicknamed the Black Knights. Individual cadets as well as groups of cadets to include the entire team are still often referred to as "Cadet" or "The Cadets" with regard to athletic events. Between

1140-495: The 1998 and 2004 seasons, Army's football program was a member of Conference USA , but starting with the 2005 season Army reverted to its former independent status. Army competes with Navy and Air Force for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy . In 2024, Army began competing in the American Athletic Conference . While Air Force competes in a separate conference, Navy also competes in the AAC. The regular season matchup between Army and Navy

1197-482: The 2008 fair was canceled. The fair resumed in March 2009, marking a permanent schedule change from fall to spring. Reasons stated for the change included better weather, lack of competition from football, and a better fit for midway ride provider Bill Hames Shows. And 2020 saw cancellation on grounds of COVID-19 pandemic, with next year being delayed to late May. State Fair of Texas The State Fair of Texas

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1254-639: The 2012 fair, the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas added the deep-fried Samoa cookie in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Girl Scouts of the U.S. and the Girl Scout 100th Anniversary Experience at the Texas Hall of State at the fair. People travel from all around the world to attend the State Fair of Texas, including former talk show host Oprah Winfrey . The first state fair in Texas was established by

1311-460: The 2013 fair, Army and Louisiana Tech played in the only Heart of Dallas Classic at the Cotton Bowl; it was abandoned thereafter. The Texas State Fair Football Showdown took place on the third weekend of the 2018 and 2019 fair and featured Southern and Texas Southern . In 2020, the Southern versus Texas Southern game moved to Arlington, Texas . The State Fair of Texas is the only fair in

1368-528: The Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and General of the Army Omar Bradley were on the 1912 Army football team. Eisenhower was injured and his football career was over by 1913, when the two future generals were juniors. Bradley, a star of the Army baseball team for four years, was on the field in 1913 when Notre Dame upset Army in a historic college football game in which the forward pass was used for

1425-582: The Army–Navy game, which is also a part of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. This series is one of the oldest and traditional rivalries in the NCAA. They first met in 1890, and have played each other annually since 1930. The games are generally played at a neutral site. Navy leads the series 62–55–7 through the 2023 season. Notre Dame is a rivalry which some feel has fallen into obscurity. In much of

1482-533: The Beaumont area. After the war, the fair continued. In 2004, the South Texas State Fair moved from the Beaumont Fairgrounds on the east side of the city to Ford Park on I-10 on the west side. The 2005 fair was cancelled due to the extensive damage that Hurricane Rita inflicted on the region; It returned in 2006. Due to Hurricane Ike and the hurricane relief staging centered in Ford Park,

1539-492: The Cadets had 57 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties. During this time span, Army won three national championships. Army produced a third Heisman trophy winner in 1958 when Pete Dawkins took the honors. Past NFL coaches Vince Lombardi and Bill Parcells were Army assistant coaches early in their careers. The football team plays its home games at Michie Stadium , where the playing field is named after Earl Blaik. Cadets' attendance

1596-640: The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads Army 38–19–1 through the 2023 season. In a shocking upset Army defeated Air Force on November 4, 2023, in Denver at Empower Field. Air Force was nationally ranked and undefeated going into the game. Army prevailed 23–3. After the Navy–Notre Dame game was canceled in 2020, the Army–Air Force game became the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football. Army and Navy play each other annually in

1653-423: The Fair". In May 2016, the State Fair released a list of capital projects for the past 10 years, detailing how the fair had spent excess revenue. According to media reports, 90% of excess revenue was spent on projects that solely benefited the State Fair. A survey of Fair Park revealed out of the 277 acres available, 200 are covered in asphalt or concrete, compared to 10 acres of green space. In 2014, Errol McKoy,

1710-574: The Independence Bowl were announced to be the Pac-12 and the American on January 30, 2020. The Duke's Mayo Bowl can extend an invitation to Army once during the even years (2020, 2022, 2026) and once during the odd years (2021, 2023, 2025) to fill a vacancy as part of a secondary tie-in. ESPN Events operates the following 16 bowls that Army could be invited to during odd years of

1767-702: The Mechanical and Blood Stock Association of Texas (MBSAT). The first fair convened in Houston on the north bank of Buffalo Bayou in 1870. The MBSAT hosted another state fair at the same location in 1871. Beginning in 1872, the fair moved to a new location south of Houston in an area more recently known as "Midtown," until the last state fair held by the MBSAT in 1878. After its last fair, the MBSAT declared bankruptcy, and no other organization in Houston emerged to restart

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1824-499: The State Fair have traditionally reported that attendance at the fair runs in the vicinity each year of between 3 and 3.5 million people. These figures were disputed in an April 2016 study published by Tom Kelly, Ph.D., a professor of economics at Baylor University and the Director of Baylor University Center for Business and Economic Research, along with Bennet Hickok, an Economics student at Baylor. The Kelly/Hickok report argues that

1881-519: The United States to include a full auto show, dating back to 1913. However, the Texas Museum of Automotive History was forced to pull out as a tenant, blaming the fair for forcing it to close down during the annual event. The State Fair formerly featured "Birds of the World" where several birds would fly overhead. It was removed from the Fair lineup in 2014, only to return in 2019. The Texas Skyway

1938-509: The YMBL (Young Men's Business League), a local non-profit civic improvement organization. While other state fairs, including the larger State Fair of Texas , were closed for the duration of World War II , the South Texas State Fair continued as the "YMBL Victory Fair". The YMBL states that this was in part on request from the US military as an attempt to improve morale of soldiers stationed in and near

1995-410: The attendance at the fair is about 1.5-1.7 million visitors a year, or about half of what state fair staff reported it to be. According to the 2017 State Fair of Texas Annual Report, the Fair attracted a total of 2,250,433 attendees during the 2017 event with roughly 93,000 daily guests. The total annual reported attendance for 2018 dropped to 2,049,119 with a net operating revenue loss of $ 3,199,044 for

2052-560: The cycle: † Dennis Michie coached 1 game in 1890, and then coached a full season in 1892. Air Force, Army, and Navy have played each other every year since 1972 for the Commander-in Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads the FBS service academies with 21 victories, Navy has 16 victories, and Army has 10 victories, with the trophy being shared 5 times. Army is the current holder of the trophy. Air Force and Army meet annually and vie for

2109-636: The early 20th century, Army and Notre Dame were considered football powerhouses, and met 34 times between 1913 and 1947. Though the rivalry has slowed down, they last met in 2016. Many media members considered the 1946 contest to be the " Game of the Century ". Notre Dame leads the series 39–8–4 through the 2018 season. Michie Stadium , which opened in 1924, is the home stadium of the Army Black Knights in West Point, New York . The stadium

2166-546: The exception of cancellations in 1917–18, 1942–45, 2005, 2008 & 2020 because of World War I , World War II , Hurricane Rita , Hurricane Ike & COVID-19 pandemic respectively, the fair has continued every year since. It was first known as the Beaumont Fair, then the Southeast Texas State Fair, and in 1921 just the South Texas State Fair. In 1942, operation of the fair was transferred to

2223-551: The exception of seven seasons (1998–2004) where the team was a member of Conference USA , Army competed as an independent , meaning that they had no affiliation with any conference. They started to compete in the American Athletic Conference as a football-only member in 2024. For all other sports Army is primarily a member of the Patriot League . Army competes with their historic rivals Navy in

2280-467: The fair for the full season, but were not served in restaurants or allowed on the midway. Only on Negro Achievement Day were African Americans allowed full access to the fairgrounds. The Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce, under pressure from the African American community, began to denounce the State Fair as segregated. White Dallas leaders continued to assert that the fair was not segregated. In

2337-427: The fall would be set aside annually for the fair and exhibition. On February 10, 1942, a fire-alarm blaze raged unchecked for an hour in the automobile building at the State Fair park causing damage estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. One fireman was hospitalized after being overcome with smoke and a half dozen others were given treatment at the scene. Roy Rupard, secretary of the State Fair association, said

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2394-542: The first time. Bradley played end opposite the legendary Knute Rockne , the Notre Dame end who later coached the Irish to national championships before dying in a plane crash near Bazaar, Kansas, on Easter Friday in 1931. Schedules as of September 21, 2023. Army has games against Tulsa in 2025 and BYU in 2032 with dates yet to be announced. Radio rights are held by Learfield through Army West Point Sports Properties,

2451-406: The former President of the State Fair of Texas, received $ 1.425 million in compensation. Excessive executive compensation is a constant and major complaint of the fair. On May 13, 2016, the City of Dallas Auditor, Craig Kinton, released an audit regarding Fair Park Business Partners, which included the State Fair of Texas. The audit concluded the City of Dallas had no way to ensure the State Fair

2508-402: The introduction of new unusual deep-fried items, including deep-fried Oreos , deep-fried Twinkies , deep-fried s'mores , deep-fried pork ribs, fried cheesecake; deep-fried butter, fried avocados, fried alligators, deep-fried peanut butter , jelly , and banana sandwiches, and most recently a batter-based fried Coke . New foods in 2008 included chicken fried bacon and fried banana splits. For

2565-467: The judgment against the State Fair of Texas, holding that the trial court erred in, among other things, finding that the State Fair's lawsuit was a SLAPP suit. On October 15, 2023, there was a shooting at the fair. This resulted in three injuries. The fair delayed reopening to 2:00 the next day. The suspect was caught, and was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In August 2024, fair officials decided to ban all firearms as

2622-439: The land into parking lots. The State Fair in 1966 commissioned a report on the redevelopment of the fair, which concluded that the land around Fair Park should be 'bought up and turned into a paved, lighted, fenced parking lot" that would 'eliminate the problem from sight'. "If the poor Negroes in their shacks cannot be seen, all the guilt feelings…will disappear, or at least be removed from primary consideration". The State Fair

2679-586: The loss in Annapolis the following year. The academies still clash every December in what is traditionally the last regular-season Division I college-football game. Army's football team reached its pinnacle of success during the Second World War under coach Earl Blaik when Army won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946, and produced two Heisman trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946). From 1944 to 1950,

2736-479: The loss was covered by insurance. Big Tex , a 55-foot (17 m) tall cowboy statue, has been its symbol since his introduction in 1952. In 1953, Big Tex's jaw was hinged, so that he appears to "speak" the announcements that promote fair events. After a fire on October 19, 2012, destroyed the original Big Tex, he was rebuilt and reintroduced for the 2013 fair. Big Tex is claimed to be the world's tallest cowboy. Its 212-foot (65 m) Texas Star Ferris wheel

2793-566: The mid-1950s, then mayor R. L. Thornton , one of the founding men of the Dallas Citizens Council who helped fundraise for the 1936 Centennial Exposition, agreed to desegregate more, but continued to assert that some restaurants and attractions remain separate. Notably, two attractions that involved physical contact, the "Laff in the Dark" and "Dodge 'em Scooter" rides, continued to be segregated. In 1955, Juanita Craft organized

2850-568: The number of primary bowl tie-ins for each FBS conference and FBS independent for the 2020–2025 bowl cycle using eligibility data from the 2014–2017 seasons. The Black Knights received one guaranteed tie-in per year. On October 24, 2019, the West Point Athletic Department announced that they had agreed to a contract that placed their team, if eligible, in the Independence Bowl for three of the six years, with

2907-457: The park's esplanade. However, the start of the fair is largely viewed negatively by the residential, as the blight it creates is so severe that it depresses the real estate value of neighboring homes, which are already in a depressed neighborhood. In addition, nearby businesses lose money while the fair is in operation. Traditionally, the centerpiece of the fair has been the annual college football game between Oklahoma and Texas , nicknamed

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2964-405: The remaining years being contracted to an ESPN Events -owned bowl. The contract includes a clause that allows Army the ability to accept a bid from a different bowl game once during the three-year agreement with the Independence Bowl and once during the three-year agreement with ESPN Events. Aligning with this, on November 5 Army announced that it had agreed to a secondary contractual tie-in with

3021-422: The state fair in Houston. In its modern incarnation, the State Fair of Texas was charted as a private corporation by local businessmen. It was an immediate success and attracted thousands of people. However, in 1904 a series of events led to a financial crisis and not enough income was available to keep the fair running. Therefore, the businessmen sold it to the city of Dallas with the agreement that 24 days during

3078-424: The year. [1] The 2016 Kelly/Hickok study found that the State Fair generates around $ 50 million for the area economy. This is in contrast to the figure of $ 600 million in impact that the State Fair itself has traditionally reported. The State Fair has a lease with Fair Park , the terms of which require that any profit or excess revenue it generates be spent "for the development and enhancement of Fair Park and

3135-816: Was adequately investing in Fair Park , per the terms of the contract between the City of Dallas and State Fair. Army Black Knights football The Army Black Knights football team, historically known as the Army Cadets , represents the United States Military Academy in college football . The Black Knights team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as

3192-622: Was criticized in October 2014 for spending over $ 5 million on attorneys fees to two insiders. Despite a $ 30 million investment in Summer Adventures, the event was shuttered after just one season. In August 2015, the State Fair was sanctioned more than $ 75,000 for filing a SLAPP suit against a lawyer who had requested financial documents from the State Fair. On August 2, 2016, the Dallas Court of Appeals reversed in its entirety

3249-821: Was the largest in North America when it debuted in October 1985, just months before the Texas Sesquicentennial . It has since been dwarfed by Ferris wheels in Las Vegas and Orlando. DART's Fair Park station and MLK Jr. station opened in 2009 to serve Fair Park and the State Fair. In addition to regular service on the Green Line , the Red Line and Blue Line also run "special event" trains to Fair Park Station for major fair events. In 2017, Foundation for Community Empowerment commissioned

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