October is the month for fairs in Texas—from the biggest of them all, The State Fair of Texas, to local church bazaars and school carnivals. The weather is beautiful (sunny and cool) and pumpkins, scarecrows and haystacks adorn doorways and walkways all around, adding to the beauty of the season.
People want to be outdoors chatting with one another and taking advantage of the colors and tastes of autumn.
Members of Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) left Dallas Saturday morning for the Greenwood Country Fair.
About an hour and a half northwest of Dallas, Greenwood, once a ghost town but now revived and boasting a fire station and general store, holds an annual country fair put on by locals in the surrounding farming communities.
A parade of tractors kicked off the festivities on fair day. An estimated 50 booths were offering home-baked breads, home-canned jams and pickles, hand-made quilts and crafts and other “klediments”* that you might find at a country fair.
There were train rides, games for kids and an old-timey cake walk for everyone. Grilled hot dogs were available at the booths with burgers and buttermilk pie in the country store. The fair ended early afternoon, but still ahead was the Saturday night fish fry, a weekly event in Greenwood.
Our church group loaded our treasurers into our vans and headed to the historic town of Decatur just a short drive away.
Across the street from the beautiful Wise County Court House and on the town square is Sweetie Pies Restaurant. Owned by the family who owns Babe’s Chicken restaurants and Bubba’s in Highland Park, Sweetie Pies is known for their Rib-eye steaks.
Some of the members of our group enjoyed a chicken-fried rib-eye and said it was the most tender chicken-fried steak they had ever eaten.
An added bonus while we were dining: one of the waitresses walked about singing the Norah Jones hit “Don’t Know Why.”
We learned that several of the wait staff have beautiful voices and often entertain the diners with song.
The historic town square in Decatur was also lined with booths of goods for sale. Wreaths, picture frames, jewelry and wood work were among the items available, so those who wanted to continue shopping for crafts browsed the booths while others visited the antique shops before we returned to Dallas.
It was a fun and different day. Leaving the hustle-bustle of the city and venturing into the rural community of Greenwood was a step back in time (we could not even get cell reception on our phones) reminding us that while we have so much to enjoy here in DFW, we also have the whole great state of Texas to explore. If you would like more information about next year’s Greenwood Festival (the second Saturday of October) contact Gerry Galloway at 940-466-7997 or Linda Hood at 940-466-7597.
*The late June Carter referred to her collectibles as “klediments” in her book, “Among My Klediments.” The word is a Hillbilly colloquialism likely derived from “clutterments.”