Kevin Brown
There’s a reason why the State Fair of Texas is one of the longest-running celebrations in the Lone Star State. Since 1886, this annual festival has attracted over 2 million fans to Fair Park every year, with families enjoying the rides, shows, attractions and of course, the fried food. While this year will feature new and inventive variations of fried goodness, we’re going to focus on beloved staples like Sweet Connie’s candy apples and Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs, some of which even predate Big Tex’s arrival in 1952. Together, they keep the fair faithful coming back year after year.
Bert Concessions
While Samuel Bert didn’t open his own concession stand until 1936, he’s been involved with the fair since 1919, selling penny matchbooks, operating the roller rink and even devising the first motor-driven ice-shaving machine in the 1920s. After he passed away in 1984, Bert Concessions was passed down to family members over the years until it reached his grandson. Since then, Nick Jr. has successfully kept his grandfather’s legacy alive and well through the additions of several new staples like the Texas Fried Fritos Pie, Fried Pecan Pie and the Lucky Duck Dumplin’. The latter is filled with duck bacon, cream cheese and sweet corn and was named a finalist in last year’s Big Tex Choice Awards. “I’m always looking and creating new products for the fair, just like my dad and grandpa always would,” Nick Jr. says. “Family and tradition are what’s held us together and kept us going all this time.”
Sweet Connie’s
Before she came to the state fair, Isabel Lusk, otherwise known as “Apple Annie,” was living in Ireland where she learned how to make candied apples beside her mother. After she immigrated and opened her own stand at the state fair in 1936, it didn’t take long for fairgoers to fall in love with her family’s special recipe. Affectionately named after Isabel’s daughter, Sweet Connie’s was an immediate hit with fairgoers enjoying not only their candy apples, but their caramel and chocolate-dipped apples as well. Today, Isabel’s granddaughter Robin continues to keep Sweet Connie’s thriving by offering other items like chocolate-dipped strawberries and margaritas. Even with the new offerings, the apples continue to remain as the stand’s biggest hit. “Every time I dip an apple, I can still hear my mom like the first time she was teaching me,” Robin says. “There are so many family memories here.”
Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs
One of the most recognizable treats from the state fair undoubtedly comes from Fletcher’s Original Corny Dogs. Before Neil and Carl Fletcher were dipping battered hot dogs into the fryer, they were vaudeville performers at the state fair. As they were on their way out of show business, they stumbled onto a cook who was baking hot dogs inside cornbread. When they discovered frying the dog cut cooking time in half, the corny dog was born. While their original 1942 recipe remains a popular favorite, the corny dog stand has since expanded to include additional flavors such as jalapeno, cheese and even brisket. “My dad took me as a child to get Fletcher’s corny dogs all the time, and his father took him — and that’s the story we kind of hear from everyone,” Neil’s granddaughter Amber says. “It’s a family tradition and a Texas tradition.”
Nevins Concessions
If Tami Nevins-Mayes looks familiar, it may be because of her appearance on national television. Earlier this year, Tami and her 70-year family business, Nevins Concessions, made a guest appearance on A&E’s “Deep Fried Dynasty,” showing a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to be part of the state fair. Since airing last spring, excitement is at an all-time high for Nevins Concessions, not just for its iconic Barnyard Burger served with a bacon cheeseburger and chicken-fried chicken patty, but also for its tater twisters, chocolate-dipped nutty bars, peach bellinis and its all-new wagyu on a stick. “We have a lot of pride in what we put over the counter,” Tami says. “That’s why we have third- and fourth-generation customers coming back to see us year after year.”