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State Fair of Texas to Honor Innovation and Martin Luther King Jr. with New Exhibit

The 2018 theme is "Celebrating Texas Innovation"

In just 107 days, the State Fair of Texas will celebrate 132 years of tradition with tons of new exhibits and activities.

The State Fair will also stay true to its 2018 theme, "Celebrating Texas Innovation," with an exhibit of the same name. It will offer a firsthand look at some of the most innovative and groundbreaking inventions made by Texans.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy the Big Tex Urban Farms indoor growing facility, which includes growing systems that can be built in your home, and the all-new Livestock Birthing Barn. There will also be three new rides for thrill seekers: The Y-Factor, Haunted Castle, and Airmaxx.

The State Fair will introduce Home on the Range, an attraction located inside the Coliseum. The attraction will feature a re-designed Little Hands on the Farm, farm-to-market activity for kids, and a petting zoo.

The Fair will also celebrate a non-Texas icon this year's fair. Following the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the iconic civil rights leader, the Texas State Fair's Hall of State will host an exhibit titled: "Dallas in the Time of MLK."

The exhibit will focus on Dr. King's 1963 speech in Fair Park and his 1966 speech at Southern Methodist University; it will also feature a number of Dallas civil rights activists who played important roles in Dallas' transition away from state-sponsored segregation.

In his speech at SMU, on March 17, 1966, King chronicled the journey of African-Americans from bondage to Brown v. Board of Education. He also shared his thoughts on civil rights activists killed seeking their basic rights; systemic poverty in the African-American community; universal health care; nationwide school segregation, despite the Supreme Court's landmark ruling; and the "moral" reckoning needed to fix these issues through public policy. 

To those who doubted the effectiveness of legislative change, he argued while it "may not change the hearts of men, it does change the habits of men."

In addition to the MLK exhibit, the African American Museum will host a new exhibit, to be announced on Juneteenth.

This year's fair will also host Sensory-Friendly Mornings every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in an effort to welcome individuals with disabilities. Modifications around the fair will include sound and light adjustments on the midway, as well as a guided itinerary for families to get the most out of their visit.

The State Fair kicks off on Friday, September 28 in historic Fair Park. Season Passes are available now at BigTex.com.

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