Scenes from the Red River Rivalry Weekend

Matt hit up Fletcher's Corny Dog. I haven't had my annual treat....yet.

Ah, Red River Rivalry weekend....for those of you not from Texas or Oklahoma, this is a huge football weekend between OU and UT that occurs each year at the Cotton Bowl at the State Fair of Texas.  As someone who went to a high school and a university without a football team, it is sometimes an overwhelming venture.  It's fun to watch everyone decked out in their school colors and see how passionate the fans are about their respective teams.  I am still trying to figure out how a punter and a place kicker differ on the field and why five minutes in football takes twenty minutes in real time.  Nonetheless, I survived my third Red River Rivalry weekend with flying colors....yellow and black.  

 My cute little opening show announcers while Trackside Tina, our racing expert looks on from the audience.

 Immediately following the game.  We survived!  Sweaty, but rather gleeful. 

 I've been tweeting for Toyota Trucks while at the fair. Crystal is one of Toyota's most enthusiastic fans and she came out to say "hi".  We were so happy to finally meet her!

 A night show!  It's been hot here, look how shiny I am!

 And then it rained.  I found a new use for Toyota bags on the way home....and I'm always advertising for them.

 That would be my co-host also avoiding the rain.

 The battle of the teams.  I aligned with UT while Matt aligned with OU for their schools' fight song.

 Hitting the RC Tundra race tent with a little bit of Toyota trivia.

 Limbo time!  Everyone made it through this game safely. Phew.  The crowds had been drinking for awhile when we began this game.

 There were thousands of people in our display watching the game which was only a few feet away.

Parting shot......

Photos Courtesy of Kristyn Burtt, Matt Troyer, and Tina Pettet.

Weekly Wrap-Up

It's been such a fun first week here at the State Fair of Texas.  The weather has been beautiful and tomorrow is the big Red River Rivalry game at the Cotton Bowl, so it should be an action-packed weekend.  Here are a couple of photos from the week and a wrap-up of what you were reading this month at Red Carpet Closet.

I'm in a tornado with the Tundra!

The Top 5 Posts for the month of September.  If you missed one of them, catch up here over the weekend:

1.  Dos and Don'ts on the Red Carpet:  The Sequel:  It's hard to believe that this post was from July 2010, but I think it made a resurgence with the Emmys and the fact that it has a clip of Anna Torv from Fringe.  She's a lovely gal and a popular one too.  

2.  It's Giveaway Time:  Well, this giveaway is over.....today!  I am proud to announce the winner of two tickets to the Web TV Prom on October 20th.  Congratulations, David August!  In the meantime, head on over to read the comments about everyone's prom experiences.  Priceless.

3.  Emmys: Part 2:  A fun weekend was spent hanging out at the gifting suites with my favorite TV stars.  Check out the photos in this post, I bet you will recognize a face or two.

4.  Disneyland's Club 33:  Yes, it is here again. It's always in the Top 5.  If you have no idea what Club 33 is, then this post is for you.

5.  Web Series Wednesday:  This one snuck in at the last minute.  I posted this article earlier this week about some upcoming shows.  Sure, it has a whiff of nepotism, I am making cameos in a few of the shows.  Check out the on set photos from the shoots.

The Toyota Live team, Week 1 rocking the bumble bee wardrobe.

In parting, my fellow co-host departs tomorrow, so a big thank you for stepping in and making this week so much fun.  We danced, we sang, and he even did The Worm. (voluntarily!)  Thanks, Chris!

I hope your weekend is filled with laughter and fun, make sure to let me know what you are up to this weekend in the comments below.  See you on Monday at Red Carpet Closet.

My First Weekend at the State Fair of Texas

Howdy, Folks!  Yes, it's that time of year again and the State Fair of Texas has officially opened.  If you have never experienced the State Fair, you are missing out. It is the largest state fair in the U.S. and it certainly does not disappoint.  Just like everything else in Texas, it's big!  Big Tex is your host and he greets you each day with a big, slow, "Howdy, Folks".  

Yep, Born in Texas and Built by Texans.  The beloved Tundra greets you at the entrance of the outdoor display:

Uh oh, this is what greeted me when I arrived on Saturday:  lots of rain and some flooding reminiscent of last year's fair:

 Lots of rain=really wet sneakers.  Those hand dryers come in really handy on the wet days.

 The show!  Trackside Tina is a great addition this year with some great prizes, a little NHRA and a whole lot of Kyle Busch from the Toyota Racing NASCAR team:

 Perhaps my favorite edition to Toyota Live this year is the new intro:  new music, new graphics, and my picture on the Jumbotron!

 Never a dull moment on the stage:  dancing to our intro music with my co-host, Chris Petschler.

Sunday was the most incredible day with beautiful fall weather, the sun shining brightly, and more laughs onstage than my stomach could handle.  Thanks for a great first weekend, Dallas!  We have 20 more days at the State Fair of Texas, be sure to stop by and say "hi"!

The State Fair of Texas: A Long, Wet Weekend!

Here I am, still alive and thriving on Day 12 of the State Fair of Texas. I cannot believe how quickly time is going by. I think it is because this whole State Fair thing is new and exciting. I am overwhelmed at how serious Texas is about their fair and FOOD!

So, I finally decided to dive into the fried food. My co-host and I came up with a whole points system where we get 3 points a week for fried food. Any vegetable or fruit that is fried is 1 point while fattening desserts are 2 points. We haven't agreed as to where the Corny Dog falls...1, 2, or a disgusting 3 points? So, I wasted my first point on fried green tomatoes. I love fried green tomatoes. I did not love salty Texas fried green tomatoes.....

Look at my hesitant face. I love to eat, but I do not love to eat these fried green tomatoes.

Okay, this is one thing I take issue with, the State Fair coupons. For every item of food I want to purchase, game I want to play, or ride I want to go on, I must have a coupon. Honestly, it works fine for rides, but for food.....not so much.

Dear Texas State Fair administration, I do not want to wait in two different lines to get my food--one for coupons, one for food. It is inefficient and it has kept more money in my wallet than you can possibly imagine. I don't like to wait in line. If you want me to spend money, get rid of the food coupons. Okay, off of my soap box.

This was another wasted point: fried peaches and cream. Supposedly, this was voted the "tastiest' fried item at the fair this year. Eh, I disagree. It was a canned peach soaked in high fructose corn syrup. Where is my fresh fried peach? Hmmm, another fried point down the drain.

What was delicious? Good old-fashioned soft serve ice cream. Our team has made friends with the ice cream man......

We all scream for ice cream!

On Saturday, we had a lot going on in the booth. The Kaizenettes performed songs on demand for their littlest fans.....

Crowds raced over to our area the second the Grambling State Drum Line came through....

Have you ever seen a drum line in person? Oh, it is amazing, even better than the movie.....

To even things out, we had the cheerleading squad from Prairie View tumble around the Tundra.

Now, let's talk about Sunday. It was so rainy, we had to sweep the water to the drains to prevent flooding. He hosts and he sweeps......

Even though she is breaking a sweat, Vicki still has great hair!

Super rainy as the puddles form in the mulch.........

It was also a bit chilly, so the Tacoma was a great place for little people to warm up. Wait a minute....that's Simms!

There's nothing worse than wet feet and wet socks, so the bathroom hand dryers came in handy.

Another day upon us! Monday brings cloudy skies, but little rain. You can step inside for "Food, Fiber, Fun, and more!" Who knew fiber was so exciting?

Ah, this must be where the mythic fried butter is sold........

Hmmmm, I see fried moon pies.........

.....and Dr. Pepper Beef Jerky......I will never understand the Dr. Pepper craze. I just don't like the taste.....

.....wait! Is that the famed fried butter sign? Yes, it's here! No, I didn't try it today, I am saving it for a special day.

Oh, you can also get fried cookie dough here. Perfect for dessert, but 2 fried food points.

Um, how does one deep fry a latte?

Good thing that cotton candy is "Fat Free"!

Dr. Pepper is a big "no" for me, but I sure do like a Coca-cola. Do I want it fried?

If I keep eating this way, I will be "Big As Texas"!

By the way, Michael Jackson made an appearance at the fair......

And like all music superstars, he was ready with a wardrobe change.

The rides, uh, I am kind of a wimp in this department. Unless it is at Disneyland, I stay on the ground.

One ride you won't see me on.....we saw a cell phone fly out of someone's pocket and hit a person in the crowd from this ride.

People hanging upside down and enjoying it. I can't believe people pay to do this.
Okay, 13 more days to go! I promise more photos as the week goes on and I want to thank everyone for following along. I hope you are enjoying the ride as much as I am.

One final update: If you want to hear the story of the Dallas robots, click here: Robots!
Thanks to Detroit Bitter for the link.

If you missed the other Dallas posts, click here, here, and here.

Part 5 is here.