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FAIR PARK IN
DALLAS: |
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Click here for a
map with directions to |
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click a thumbnail to view a photo
The November sun darkens the Statue of Liberty and causes the flag to glow. The Texas Statue of Liberty stands near the Texas Hall of State east of the Centennial Buildings.
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The new Texas SkyWay. The gondolas have an art deco look matching
the art deco look of many of Fair Park's pavilions.
Go here for more photos of the State Fair and the Texas Skyway, including video. |
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Fair Park's Texas Star, billed as the largest Ferris Wheel in the Western Hemisphere, or maybe just in North America, the size of the wheel seems to depend on what Texas source you are looking at. But, whatever the status of the Texas Star may be in the international rankings of Ferris Wheels, there is no disputing the fact that this is one big wheel. |
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Here the Texas Star appears about to roll
over the Science Place Planetarium.
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The Texas Star is too big to get the full wheel in a photo when the photographer is standing right below it. | |||
Go
here for more photos of the Texas Star |
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Click here for video of the Texas Star in motion | |||
Here we see one of the little gondolas strapped to the Texas Star. It appears that 5 or 6 people could sit inside. | |||
A blue lagoon called Leonhardt Lagoon is surrounded by Fair Park places; like the Dallas Aquarium, the Science Center, the Cotton Bowl, the Natural History Museum and others. Leonhardt Lagoon is an interactive sort of place, with usable artwork you walk over to navigate the waterway. | |||
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Leonhardt Lagoon has the look of something from the Flintstone's town of Bedrock combined with the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. | |||
The route over Leonhardt Lagoon is a tangled maze of cement artwork walkways. | |||
Click here for a map with directions to Fair Park & the Texas State Fairgrounds | |||
Hordes of turtles infest Leonhardt Lagoon. They are very territorial. | |||
Groups of turtles battle from both ends of this part of the Leonhardt Lagoon artwork. | |||
This turtle would not give up his spot. The rest of his tribe ran into the water when the photographer got close. But not this guy. | |||
A huge elephant outside the Natural History Museum, looks over Leonhardt Lagoon, guarding the turtles. And possibly stomping on litterers. |
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Click here to watch video of our visit to the Texas State Fair |
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Here we see that the Cotton Bowl is rather close to the turtle-infested, elephant-guarded Leonhardt Lagoon. |
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This is the Science Place, looking at it through the trees from the vantage point of standing on the artwork in Leonhardt Lagoon. | |||
Another view of the Science Place. Odd name. Dallas Science Center sounds better. Or North Texas Science Center. |
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The Texas Hall of State was built for the 1936 Texas Centennial to serve as a shrine to Texas history. It is the home of the Dallas Historical Society. Exhibits are open to the public free of charge Monday through Saturday, 9 am - 5 pm and Sunday, 1 pm - 5 pm. |
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The plaque below this statue of a bear says it was given to the people of Dallas by the people of Berlin, in 1970. No further explanation. In 1970 the current Berlin in Germany was known as either West Berlin, West Germany, or East Berlin, East Germany. Maybe there's a town in Texas named Berlin that gave Dallas this metal bear. | |||
What appears to be the center of the Texas State Fairgrounds. A collection of buildings built for the Centennial Exposition in the Art Deco style. A reflecting pool runs between the rows of buildings. |
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One of the Art Deco Centennial buildings. These buildings are now used as exhibition halls. | |||
The Women's Museum. Seems like reverse sexism. Where is the Men's Museum? And what is that statue out front? |
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Click here for a map with directions to Fair Park & the Texas State Fairgrounds |
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Well. The statue in front of the Women's Museum does appear to be a woman. She seems to be wearing only a tiny little swatch of cloth across her mid-section. Her ample bosom is completely exposed to the elements. And the elements must be cold. Maybe this statue is some sort of homage to the over 4000 woman who work in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Gentlemen's Entertainment industry. As strippers. Meanwhile a few miles north of Dallas another Texas town is a bit more modest. |
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The lady who looks down from the Women's Museum looks upon the Texas Viet Nam War Memorial. Many Texans died in Viet Nam. Did any other state lose more? California? Relatives leave notes on the memorial. And put flags next to the names. It's a very poignant spot. Somewhat on the order of the Murrah Memorial in Oklahoma City. |
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The Viet Nam Memorial is next to the grassy field you see here with a fountain. The building behind the fountain is the Music Hall. From this side the fountain looks like a giant crawfish. But from the other side it turns out to be a couple people with an eagle over them. The fountain was built in the early 1900s. |
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One of the entries to Fair Park. This one goes by the Old Mill Inn, a restaurant which is open year round. You can drive throughout Fair Park, except during events. Fair Park is huge. But it would seem that it would be a nicer place if cars were not allowed and the roads were turned into pedestrian friendly walkways. |
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This disturbing sign is on the earthen slope which helps form the western side of the Cotton Bowl, near the backside of the Hall of State. It seemed a very odd warning. Almost like an invitation. But the lid was too difficult to pry off. So it remains a mystery as to the exact nature of this dangerous confined space. Sans crowbar we'll just have to enter the Cotton Bowl using more conventional means. |
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A view of the famous bowl from the mid-section. It is a very beat up venue. It was to be replaced or remodeled if Dallas won its Olympic bid. The Cotton Bowl appears frayed and torn enough to warrant major surgery with or without a major event being an impetus. The Cotton Bowl is old enough to qualify for historic building status. Like the Alamo. |
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On the Cotton Bowl playfield. Concerts and other events, like flea markets, are held here as often as sporting events. A major football game, something called the Battle of the Red River, takes place during the Texas State Fair. The Red River is what separates Texas from Oklahoma. |
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Visit our Eyes on Texas Blog
to make a comment or share info about Fair Park |
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HOME TEXAS TOWNS PARADES | |||
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