Texas State Fair Unveils Birthing Barn, Other Attractions

DALLAS, TX — With the Texas State Fair less than four months away, changes to the usual slate of activities are rolling off the presses — among them a livestock birthing barn.

The idea purportedly came after a longhorn birthed a calf at the state fair in 2017, a spectacle that made headlines after the birth was caught on camera by a Dallas Morning News reporter.

Karissa Condoianis, a state fair spokesperson, told the Dallas Morning News fairgoers have asked for this type of attraction for years.

"We've been asked about it for many years," Condoianis told the news. "The goal would be to have a birth every day, but these are real animals."

And while the fair cant' guarantee daily births, it can help children and adults alike learn about incubation and birthing process of various livestock animals.

The birthing barn is far from the only new attraction added to the fair's repertoire. In keeping with the fair's 2018 theme of “Celebrating Texas Innovation," a new exhibit will offer a first-hand look into some of the best Texan inventions and innovations of all time.

This family-friendly exhibit intends to teach about the Lone Star State’s contributions to food, medicine, agriculture, art, industry, and science.

Also premiering at this year's fair is an exhibit titled "Dallas in the Time of MLK." The educational activity focuses on King's 1963 speech made at Fair Park and his 1966 speech at Southern Methodist University.

Additionally, the exhibit will feature a number of Dallas civil rights leaders who were active during this critical decade as Dallas transitioned away from being a segregated city.

Also among the hundreds of exhibits and activities, a Mundo Latino exhibit titled "Cuba — A Country Trapped in Time" will give fairgoers a one-of-a-kind glimpse into Cuba’s colonial era transformation through a display of photographs and street art collected by Cuban artists who have lived through the reconstruction.

The African American Museum is also bringing a new exhibit to the State Fair. Details of the exhibit will be announced June 19 on the museum's website.

For those with an inclination toward sports, the fair has another big announcement. In addition to its regularly scheduled games between University of Texas and University of Oklahoma and between Grambling State and Prairie View A&M, the fair is adding a new game matching up Texas Southern University and Southern University.

This game will be held in the Cotton Bowl on the fair's closing weekend.

To see the full list of new exhibits, visit the Texas State Fair website.

This fall will mark the fair's 132 consecutive year of family-friendly, Texas-sized fun.

Image via Kevin Brown/State Fair of Texas