Somewhere around Sunday afternoon, Big Tex is going to say goodbye for another year, and the whole city will feel it a little. This is the last weekend of the State Fair, the first weekend that actually feels like fall, and one of those rare stretches on the North Texas calendar where every corner of the Metroplex has something worth leaving the house for. Here’s how to spend it, and where to eat and drink along the way.
Start at Fair Park, because after this weekend you can’t. The State Fair of Texas wraps its 24-day run on Sunday, October 18. If you’ve been putting off that last corny dog, this is the deadline. Saturday brings the State Fair Clásico at the Cotton Bowl, where Dallas Trinity FC takes on Chivas Femenil at 4 p.m. Atlético Dallas star Javier “Chicharito” Hernández is scheduled for the pre-match ceremony, and halftime belongs to folklórico dancers and mariachis honoring Jalisco, home state of Chivas de Guadalajara. Can’t make it? The match airs in Spanish on TUDN USA and ViX+, and in English on the club’s YouTube channel. Elsewhere on the grounds, 3OH!3 plays a free show with fair admission that same day. Kids 12 and under get in for $10 every day. Go early, eat your way through the midway, and get one more look at the butter sculpture before it’s gone.
Up in Southlake, Oktoberfest Southlake turns 25 this year, and the Southlake Chamber of Commerce is throwing it a proper birthday party across Southlake Town Square. Admission and parking are free. It runs Friday from 4 to 11 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m., with live music, contests and the usual parade of lederhosen worn with varying degrees of commitment.
When you need a break from beer and brats, walk over to Mi Cocina at 1276 Main St., which has been part of the square for more than two decades. Order a Mambo Taxi and a plate of enchiladas. It’s a good month to raise one to Mico Rodriguez, the man who helped build the place, whom Dallas lost earlier this October.
Richardson has its own milestone. Huffhines Harvest Fest is celebrating its 50th year at Huffhines Park, 1500 Apollo Road. Longtime residents still remember it as the Huffhines Art Trails, and the bones are the same: makers and artisans set up along the park’s trails, local musicians play two stages, and families wander from the pumpkin patch to the petting zoo. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, and admission is free.
Saturday is also Pawtoberfest, so bring the dog. There’s puppy yoga, a ball hunt and a pet costume contest. On Sunday the costumes switch to the two-legged variety, with a contest hosted by J-Si of the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show at 2:30 p.m. (pre-registration required), and a Kids Markets area where young entrepreneurs ages 5 to 17 sell their own goods from noon to 4 p.m. A craft beer garden keeps the grown-ups patient.
Before or after, make the short drive west to Kirin Court (a Kirin review) at 221 W. Polk St., the second-floor dim sum hall that has anchored Richardson’s Chinatown for years. On weekends, the carts roll from 10 a.m. and the lines can stretch down the stairs. Flag down the har gow and the barbecue pork buns and don’t be shy about pointing at whatever looks good.
Saturday night belongs to the music crowd, and you’ll have to pick a side of the Trinity. In Dallas, Weezer brings The Gathering tour to the American Airlines Center, touring behind a brand-new self-titled album, with The Shins and Silversun Pickups opening. The show starts at 7 p.m. If you came of age with the Blue Album, that’s three bands’ worth of nostalgia in one night.
Over in Fort Worth, Brett Young takes the stage at Billy Bob’s Texas at 10 p.m. Anyone under 18 needs to come with a parent or guardian. The late start gives you time for a real dinner, so book a table at Cattlemen’s Steak House at 2458 N. Main St., a short walk from Billy Bob’s. Cattlemen’s has been cutting steaks in the Stockyards since 1947, and new owners, including Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, have given the old place a fresh coat of polish, along with a patio built around a fireplace and a campfire. Order a ribeye, take your time, then walk over in your boots.
Now for the best part of the weekend. Every great Dallas Sunday needs a long, slow afternoon with a cold drink in hand, and there’s no better place for it than Lee Harvey’s in the Cedars. The bar sits on the corner of Gould and Beaumont, just south of downtown, in a wood-paneled building that’s been pouring drinks under one name or another for half a century. Out front is a wide yard full of picnic tables and fire pits, and on a cool October afternoon, it’s about as close to perfect as this city gets.
Here’s the reason to go this Sunday in particular. At 3 p.m., Texas Flood takes the stage with a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Oak Cliff’s own guitar god, a few miles from where he grew up. Grab a cold beer from the outdoor bar, claim a picnic table near a fire pit, and order a burger from the kitchen, which serves until 10 p.m. on Sundays. The bar opens at 11 a.m. every day, so nobody’s going to judge an early arrival.
If you can’t wait until Sunday, Lee Harvey’s has live music Friday and Saturday too, with Graceland Ninjaz on Friday and Mur Mur & Dingo on Saturday, both at 9 p.m. Lee Harvey’s is at 1807 Gould St., 214-428-1555.
Whatever you pick, make it count. Big Tex says goodbye Sunday night, the cool fronts are finally rolling in, and there won’t be another weekend quite like this one until next October.
