Dallas’ art deco oasis, Fair Park, swarms with visitors during the 24-day run of the State Fair of Texas. Its cultural offerings, such as the African American Museum, Texas Discovery Gardens and Broadway Dallas, attract audiences with interests in the arts or nature.
On Sunday, local residents will have a new, no-ticket-required reason to drop by. Good Local Markets, a pop-up market that sells only goods produced within a 150-mile radius of Dallas, will begin operating at Fair Park on Sunday mornings. Market organizers hope to have 50 vendors on March 1, but said the generous space around Leonhardt Lagoon could accommodate up to 200.
“We’ve never had a space this big,” said Lisset Bell, the nonprofit’s executive director. “The only thing holding us back is finding farmers.”
It feels wildly appropriate to have a true farmers market at Fair Park. The State Fair is partly a celebration of all things agriculture; a producer-only market enhances and extends that legacy. Good Local Market’s fresh meat and produce also add nutritious food choices in a section of the city that could use more of them. And strolling through a farmer’s market offers physical and social benefits, exactly the sort of healthful activity that public parks are meant to promote.
Opinion
After shopping, visitors can wander over to the Esplanade to marvel at the architecture or raise their heart rates with a speed walk around the Cotton Bowl.
The new market is an encouraging sign that Fair Park is starting to receive the attention — and new attractions — it needs and deserves. The 277-acre historic landmark is a unique but often neglected Dallas treasure. It requires ongoing maintenance and infrastructure upgrades that the city’s annual budget cannot cover.
Dallas privatized management of Fair Park in 2019, but that experiment ended acrimoniously last year. The Park and Recreation Department manages it now, and has plans to add outside expertise to allow it to book more revenue-generating events and concerts. Ryan O’Connor, the park department’s deputy director, said staff will soon ask the park board to review and approve a draft contract with Visit Dallas to help with sales, marketing and booking.
The park department also is developing a request for proposals to find an experienced venue manager to operate the Cotton Bowl. That procurement process could take a few months, O’Connor said.
Even before those contracts are signed, Brett Wulke, Fair Park’s general manager, encourages local residents to take advantage of the sprawling space. The pedal boats at Leonhardt Lagoon will be open on market days. Park employees have been designating walking paths, adding distance markers, and working to improve way-finding signage. Fair Park is unique; explore it and you’ll see how lucky Dallas is to have this art deco gem.
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