DALLAS — “Howdy, folks!” The Southern sentiment echoed throughout the State Fair of Texas’ opening day. For the next three weeks, thousands of ​​attendees will flood Fair Park for the annual event, which runs through Oct. 20. With a bright, colorful new logo, information booths provided visitor guides and buttons commemorating the fair’s opening day. Since around 2013, the state fair has given attendees custom, exclusive pins to celebrate the grandeur opening. For Alvarado, Texas, residents Alicia Gonzalez and Ashley Mowles, coming out and obtaining a button has become a tradition. Pig races, magic shows, a chainsaw carver and the State Fair Rodeo are featured at the fair alongside classic rides like the Texas Star Ferris Wheel, Sparkletts Log Flume and the Dentzel Carousel. Fairgoers can find food and entertainment in the State Fair Midway with over 70 rides, various vendors and the Kidway area. While corndogs keep bringing Mowles back to the fair, Gonzalez said after attending the fair together for nearly eight years the pair now get to bring their husbands. North Texas residents Robin and Ray McBlain have made attending the state fair a yearly tradition since the '60s. “It’s an important Texas tradition, and it’s tradition for our family,” she said. She said they look forward to the award-winning food and seeing the arts and crafts each year. Usually, they don’t come on opening day, but since they had a friend visiting from Sweden, they wanted to make the day special. Ray McBlain said they plan to return with their kids and grandkids to uphold the tradition. Robin McBlain said she was most looking forward to having Fletcher’s Original Corny Dog, seeing Big Tex and bringing her Swedish friend to be a part of their annual tradition. “It’s just an annual family thing we do every year,” Robin said. “And the year that it was closed because of [COVID-19], we even came and did the drive-thru.” Big Tex, official greeter and icon of the State Fair of Texas, annually sports his famous cowboy attire and size 96 boots. With nothing but love for the mascot, Irving, Texas, resident Carlos Martinez proudly sports his nearly 10-year-old Big Tex calf tattoo while visiting. “I just love Texas,” Martinez said. “I love the fair. Everything about the fair.” While he admittedly doesn’t usually make it to opening day, he said he’s been buying season passes and attending as frequently as possible for the last 12 to 15 years. Like many fairgoers, Martinez’s favorite part of attending is the plethora of food. With a menu so extensive it’d likely take people days to try everything, foodies can look forward to items on the Big Tex Choice Awards and classic snack favorites. Since she was five, Grace Gilas has helped her dad with their state fair cotton candy business. Her dad began working at the shop when he was 15 and decided to co-own the business. Following in her dad’s footsteps, Gilas began working in the family business and running her own stand at 15. The shop sells bags, cones and buckets of the classic pink cotton candy throughout nine stands at the fairgrounds. Working with her family brings her back each year. Gilas said everyone who runs a stand is related to her somehow. “It’s kinda been timeless. This cotton candy business has been here for over 50 years, and, I mean, nothing’s changed,” she said. “Everyone always gets a bag before they leave.” @amandaLaldridge @hjgarcia0 news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu

Quiet whispers filled the room as attendees caught up with old and new friends alike while munching on refreshments. The Arlington and Grand Prairie chapter of Silent Book Club had its one-year anniversary Sept. 28 at George W. Hawkes Downtown Library. Sisters Angela Harris and Jennifer Moore, co-leaders of the Arlington and Grand Prairie chapter, started the chapter last year, having no idea it would have a big turnout. Moore found the concept of the Silent Book Club on social media, and was intrigued by the aspect of members being able to read whatever they wanted. Previously, the closest chapters in the area were in Dallas, Fort Worth and Euless. Harris and Moore said they wanted something closer to the Arlington area. In Silent Book Club, there’s no assigned group novel and members can enjoy reading together in silence. “I want reading to be more normalized,” Moore said. “I’ve told people about it and sometimes you can tell by their reaction, ‘Why would you just meet with people to read quietly?’ and well you go to the movies and you meet with people to silently watch a movie.” Moore said it’s about the social aspect of community, without the pressure of reading a specific book. She said she wanted people to realize that reading could be a fun, social activity. “Everyone is welcome to come to it, we don’t have an age limit,” Harris said. “Anyone can join.” Although Silent Book Club is billed as a book club for introverts, Harris said there is a community of readers with common interests who come together to read. A year after its creation, over 70 attendees are on the member list. At 11 a.m. members began the silent reading hour, with soft music playing in the background. Becca Glander has been attending the meetings since the chapter started, after her mother saw a meeting advertised at the Arlington Public Library. Glander said this was the most unique book club she had been to, noting that unlike traditional book clubs, the aspect of reading was the main event. “I’ve met some of my best friends in this group and we hang out outside of book club,” she said. Glander said her favorite part of the anniversary meeting was seeing the book club’s growth. “Just to see how much it's grown is amazing,” she said. “It’s cool ‘cause we get new people every month, which is awesome.” After the reading hour, awards were given for most attendance, the person who came from the farthest location, the summer reading challenge and the original members of the book club. Laura Sifuentes, original member of the club, won the award for attending the most meetings. She originally found the Dallas chapter of the club on Instagram, then found the Arlington chapter which was closer to her. Sifuentes said that her favorite part of the club was being able to talk about books. “Here I can talk about my book and feel comfortable and listen to other people talk about their favorite book,” she said. “I’ve gotten so many great recommendations.” After the awards, attendees participated in book trivia, played in Jeopardy form, either in teams or individually. Book club member Alexis Birkenheuer has attended around seven meetings. “The appeal was being in a place where, if I wanted to, I could just be quiet and read my book,” she said. “But it’s also been really great to meet all the different people who come to Silent Book Club and get what they’re reading and learn a little about their tastes. Birkenheuer said she likes getting diverse reading suggestions from other members and getting out of her reading comfort zone. Meetings occur every fourth Saturday of the month. The next meeting will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 26 at the Live! By Loews hotel at Texas Live! The location of meetings are announced on the book club’s Instagram page @sbc_arlingtontx. @marupudisairam news-editor.shorthorn@uta.edu