North Texas Fair and Rodeo opens with adjustments amid heat wave

Under unusually hot conditions, a Denton County tradition is getting underway. But while the North Texas Fair and Rodeo is going on as planned for its 95^th year, Executive Director Glenn Carlton said they’re moving forward with adjustments.

“As event planners, you want it to be perfect. You want everything to be perfect, the way you set it up and the weather, but we never can control that,” said Glenn Carlton.

To help fairgoers cope on the hottest day North Texas has seen in more than a decade, Carlton said the fair’s doubled EMT staff and has volunteers handing out free water.

Most notably, it’s delaying the opening of carnival rides until 7 p.m. or whenever surface temperatures cool.

 “We want everyone to be safe and comfortable,” he said.

While daytime crowds were small, those who’d braved the triple-digit heat sought relief in the form of entertainment housed under some of the fair’s 30,000 square feet of tents.

“There are these fans here, so we tactically came and found this fan here so we can eat while the show’s at 5:30,” said Mark Madrigal.

This year, the event has doubled the number of outdoor fans from years past.

It also has some indoor spaces, where people can seek relief in air conditioning.

“We’ve had so many people even just wanting to borrow a chair, you know what I mean, just to sit down and cool off a little bit,” said Julie Mattson.

After hosting a boutique last year, Mattson took advantage of the extreme temperatures to offer I.V. services.

Others simply shopped to recharge.

For livestock, fans and water made conditions tolerable.

Organizers hoped the evening would bring the promise of some relief and hopefully larger crowds.

“It’s a little disappointing that we didn’t get the weather that we’d love to have. But you know it’s our annual fundraiser,” said Carlton. “And each year, we put about $700,000 back into this community in scholarships, youth programs like 4-H and FFA.