As part of the community tenet of its mission, the State Fair of Texas aims to preserve its historical Fair Park home while helping to fund necessary improvements to its buildings and facilities. Following their most successful year in its history, the State Fair has pledged a minimum of $6 million to the City of Dallas to be used for Fair Park improvements, with the decision on how to allocate these funds at the discretion of the Park and Recreation director. In addition to the $6 million, the Fair will complete several other projects in Fair Park throughout the year as part of its annual effort to improve State Fair operations.
“Fair Park has been our home now for 130 years, and continues to serve as one of Texas’ greatest landmarks,” says Mitchell Glieber, State Fair president. “We are grateful to all our loyal fairgoers, whose support leads to the success of our annual event, which in turn allows us to honor our commitment to preserving and maintaining our Fair Park home.”
In 2016 the Fair gave $4 million to the City of Dallas to use for Fair Park projects, also with decisions at the discretion of the City. The Fair contributed another $3.7 million in 2016 to support additional projects in Fair Park, going toward the improvement of State Fair operations. Approximately half of the $3.7 million is being used to complete the Briscoe Carpenter Livestock Center, which will be a city-owned facility upon completion in 2017.
Since its establishment in 1886, the State Fair of Texas has hosted a premier event in the location now known as Fair Park. After serving as the State Fair’s home for a whole century, Fair Park was officially designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986 because of its historical significance. With 130 years of shared history, the State Fair has maintained a deep-rooted connection to Fair Park and continues to call it home. As a longtime tenant of Fair Park, the State Fair operates under an agreement with the City of Dallas in which the Fair rents the property from the City for its event every fall. Each year, the net proceeds from the Fair are reinvested in Fair Park, in the form of capital improvements; given as scholarships to deserving youth throughout the state of Texas; used to support the Fair Park museum facilities and community outreach programs; and used to improve the State Fair’s operation.
The portion of the Fair’s excess revenue that is reinvested in Fair Park goes toward the upkeep and maintenance of the Fair’s home – Fair Park’s historic buildings and facilities, as well as the iconic Cotton Bowl Stadium. Through the years, the State Fair has contributed tens of millions of dollars toward such improvements, in addition to making financial donations to support Fair Park museum programming.
