This year’s South Texas State Fair will be held at Doggett Ford Park, March 26- UP file photo
The annual South Texas State Fair, hosted by the Young Men’s Business League, will be held at Doggett Ford Park, March 26-April 5.
“Expect to have lots of fun, make family memories and meet new vendors,” Lori Perkins, YMBL director of marketing and community engagement, said. “We have lots of local bands scheduled for the outdoor stage. We have a Kids Fun Zone, rides, a petting zoo, things like that.”
Perkins said a fan-favorite ride will be making a return.
“We have a big ride coming back this year, the Crazy Mouse roller coaster,” Perkins said. “It’s been several years since it’s been out here. Then, there’s a new ride called the Kraken — it swings at 147 feet.”
YMBL office administrator Tina Johnson said there will be around 175 vendors in attendance.
“Ninety percent of the vendors we had last year are coming back,” Johnson said. “Rudy Kabobs, Amish Donut — they’re definitely coming back.”
Along with amusement and vendors, the State Fair will host a rodeo during the first weekend.
“You get into the rodeo for free with your fair ticket,” Perkins said. “You can also buy reserved seats for the rodeo that are only $12. Also, we’ll have a bull ride the second weekend.”
Perkins said the YMBL uses the money from the fair to give back to the community. The YMBL holds events such as the Babe Zaharias Memorial Relay and a special needs fair rodeo day, and also gives out Thanksgiving baskets to people in need.
“When people come and spend money at the fair, that money goes back into the community,” Perkins said. “We also put on a boys basketball tournament, a volleyball tournament and a golf tournament.”
Perkins said she encourages attendees to review security policies before entering the fairgrounds.
“We have a security policy to try to keep everybody safe, where we want people to bring clear bags, and bags could be searched,” Perkins said. “Some people have strollers or diaper bags, but guidelines are all on our website.”
The YMBL has more than 700 members.
“I’m excited to see the YMBL members pull this off, because they are all volunteers,” Perkins said. “There’s guys here that have just been here for 40-plus years. We do work here in the office, but they are all out there making things happen.”
The fair hosts livestock shows and an auction for local schools’ 4H and FFA programs, Johnson said.
“This is Beaumont’s county show, and that’s a big part of the actual fair,” Johnson said. “So, (attendees) should go out to the barns and see the animals that the kids have worked on. We do an auction, and all that money goes back to those kids. We don’t keep any of that.”
Johnson said seeing the fair come together is exciting.
“When you sit over here in the office and we hear on the radio that the traffic’s backing up, you know that people are coming out and they’re actually enjoying something that you had a hand in,” Johnson said.
For more information, visit ymbl.org.