Fun, food ... Fair!

[TexasStooge]

By REBECCA RODRIGUEZ / WFAA ABC 8

DALLAS, Texas - The 118th state fair is open for business. The theme for 2004 is "Good food, great fun."

For some, the games along the Midway are hard to resist. For others, it's the food.

Jane Gleason's been a fan of Fletcher's corny dogs for most of her life. "They're just bad for you," Lon Rollins said with a smile.

Fletcher's corny dogs were invented at the State Fair of Texas in 1942 and the lines are always long for the crispy treats.

If you'd rather not wait, the fried cheese curd stand is wide open. "Most people think it is cottage cheese, but it's actually real good. It's actually real, real good," Steve Covert said.

Nothing goes better with all that food than a Midway ride. This year, fairgoers have 75 ways to defy gravity and logic. The Texas Star, the tallest ferris wheel in North America, towers over them all.

Over the next three weeks, the foods and rides alone will generate $24.5 million.

That's good news for the young men working the fried cheese curd stand. It's only their second year, and they're hoping to create a little state fair magic of their own, one customer at a time.