South Texas State Fair

Annual event in Beaumont, Texas, United States

South Texas State Fair

Genre| State fair
Begins| late March – 27 March 2025
Ends| early April – 06 April 2025
Frequency| annually
Venue| I 10
Location(s)| Ford Park, Beaumont, TX 77705
Coordinates| 30°0′35.68″N 94°10′50.78″W﻿ / ﻿30.0099111°N 94.1807722°W﻿ / 30.0099111; -94.1807722
Country|  United States of America
Years active| 1907 (1907)–1916, 1919–1941, 1946–2004, 2006–2007, 2009–2019, 2021–
(Cancelled 1917–18 – World War I, 1942–1945 – World War II, 2005, 2008 – Hurricane Damage, 2020 – pandemic)
Founded| 1907
Founder| City of Beaumont
Attendance| Estimated 500,000[1]
Member| Texas Association of Fairs and Events
Sponsor| Young Men's Business League (YMBL) since 1942
Website| www.ymbl.org

The South Texas State Fair is an annual regional state fair held in Beaumont, Texas. The fair features a livestock show, a commercial exhibition, and a carnival Midway. Food concessions are a major attraction of the fair. Reflecting Beaumont's location in Southeast Texas, normal carnival foods can be found alongside barbecue, Tex-Mex, and Cajun foods (often including fried alligator).

As of 2009[update], the South Texas State Fair had an attendance of over 500,000 people, second in the state to the State Fair of Texas in Dallas.[2] The fair is held annually in late March to early April.

Fair patrollers include security guards, the Beaumont, TX Police and Jefferson County, TX Sheriff.

## History

[edit]

The South Texas State Fair traces its roots to the first confirmable fair in Beaumont, held in 1907. With the exception of cancellations in 1917–18, 1942–45, 2005, 2008 & 2020 because of World War I, World War II, Hurricane Rita, Hurricane Ike & COVID-19 pandemic respectively, the fair has continued every year since. It was first known as the Beaumont Fair, then the Southeast Texas State Fair, and in 1921 just the South Texas State Fair. In 1942, operation of the fair was transferred to the YMBL (Young Men's Business League), a local non-profit civic improvement organization.

While other state fairs, including the larger State Fair of Texas, were closed for the duration of World War II, the South Texas State Fair continued as the "YMBL Victory Fair". The YMBL states that this was in part on request from the US military as an attempt to improve morale of soldiers stationed in and near the Beaumont area.

After the war, the fair continued. In 2004, the South Texas State Fair moved from the Beaumont Fairgrounds on the east side of the city to Ford Park on I-10 on the west side.

The 2005 fair was cancelled due to the extensive damage that Hurricane Rita inflicted on the region; It returned in 2006. Due to Hurricane Ike and the hurricane relief staging centered in Ford Park, the 2008 fair was canceled.

The fair resumed in March 2009, marking a permanent schedule change from fall to spring. Reasons stated for the change included better weather, lack of competition from football, and a better fit for midway ride provider Bill Hames Shows.[3]

And 2020 saw cancellation on grounds of COVID-19 pandemic, with next year being delayed to late May.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Ashley Sanders (March 21, 2009). "South Texas State Fair makes permanent spring move". Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2010-08-17.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
3. ^ SANDERS, ASHLEY (March 21, 2009). "South Texas State Fair makes permanent spring move". Beaumont Enterprise.

## External links

[edit]

* Texas portal

* Young Men's Business League

* v
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City of Beaumont

Counties|

* Jefferson
* Orange
* Hardin

Businesses|

* ExxonMobil
* Jason's Deli
* City of Beaumont
* Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
* Port of Beaumont
* Entergy
* Conn's
* Ohmstede Limited

Education|

* Higher education:
* Lamar University
* Lamar Institute of Technology

* Primary and secondary education: Beaumont ISD
* United HS
* West Brook HS
* Texas Acad. of Leadership in the Humanities
* Monsignor Kelly Catholic HS

| Closed|

* Beaumont HS (1900-1975)
* Charlton-Pollard HS (1900-1975)
* Beaumont Charlton-Pollard HS (1975-1986)
* Central HS (1986-2018)
* Ozen HS (-2018)

|

Government|

* Mayors

History and landmarks|

* Timeline
* Montagne Center
* Vincent–Beck Stadium
* Provost Umphrey Stadium
* Beaumont Civic Center
* Doggett Ford Park
* Hotel Beaumont
* Julie Rogers Theatre
* Spindletop
* Tyrrell Historical Library
* Jefferson Theatre
* Beaumont Commercial District

Parks and
preserves|

* Beaumont Botanical Gardens
* Beaumont Country Club
* Big Thicket National Preserve
* Tyrrell Park
* Cattail Marsh
* Village Creek State Park
* McFaddin and Texas Point National Wildlife Refuges
* Sea Rim State Park

Bodies of
water|

* Neches River
* Sabine River
* Village Creek
* Pine Island Bayou
* Gulf of Mexico

Museums|

* Art Museum of Southeast Texas
* Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum
* Beaumont Art League
* Beaumont Children's Museum
* Beaumont Police Department Museum
* Chambers House
* Clifton Steamboat Museum
* Dishman Art Museum
* Edison Museum
* Fire Museum of Texas
* John Jay French House
* Jefferson County Historical Commission Mini-Museum
* McFaddin–Ward House
* Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum
* Texas Energy Museum
* List of museums in East Texas

Community events
and culture|

* Downtown Beaumont
* South Texas State Fair
* Symphony of Southeast Texas
* Beaumont Jazz & Blues Fest
* Boomtown Film and Music Festival
* Crockett Street
* Dog Jam
* Babe Didrikson Zaharias
* Gusher Marathon
* People From Beaumont

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Counties|

See: List of counties in Texas

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