Becoming 
a food vendor at the State Fair of Texas takes more than experience, tenacity and drive. It’s easy to apply, but vendors from previous years are given the right of first refusal, which means that slots rarely open up. Once you’re in, it can be quite the golden ticket. Food booths at the fair can earn as much as $1 million in the one month they’re open every year, and vendor licenses at the fair are often passed down through generations. There were no Black food vendors for the first 78 years of the fair until Huey Nash opened Little Bob’s BBQ there in 1964, three years after the fair was desegregated. It took Nash five years and pressure from the Black Chamber of Commerce to get his license. He was the only Black concessionaire at the fair until the early ’80s. Now, about half of the food booths are Black-owned. (More)
THE BACK STORY
Custom cars: Is it weird that we’re sad to miss the car show at the State Fair of Texas, of all things? “Let’s take a look at the action and some of the wild colors” at the 1971 Autorama car show. (More)
Cutting edge: Take a 1968 tour of Braniff Airlines’ “Terminal of the Future” at Love Field Airport. A $150-million redevelopment of the mid-century modern terminal, almost completed, combines restaurants and shopping with office and aviation space. (More)
😍😍😍 Just look at 1974 Roger Staubach talking to a reporter during practice in Dallas, before the Cowboys moved to Valley Ranch. (More)
DEEP ELLUM BLUES
Progressive country: Could a band like the Old 97’s exist without Ray Wylie Hubbard? The Texas singer/songwriter grew up in Dallas and made the progressive country scene alongside Willie Nelson and them. Here is Hubbard performing “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother” in 1975 Dallas. (More)
Speaking of Willie: Did you know that he recorded one of his best-known albums, “Red Headed Stranger,” in a suburban Dallas studio? The history of country music in Dallas runs deep, from Jimmie Rodgers to Merle Haggard and Charley Crockett. (More)
Listen: Here is a playlist of country songs related to Dallas. (More)
Welcome back to the future. Retro Advocate features archived stories and history about the culture and heritage that define our neighborhood. Do you have old photos of Dallas? We would love to see them! The history of Dallas is your story, too. You’ll be seeing Retro Advocate every Friday. Now, step into our time machine.
