Courtesy of SMU’s DeGolyer Library

Besides petting exotic animals, gorging yourself on fried food and screaming on carnival rides, you also can watch some of the most intense competitions offered at the State Fair of Texas.

We’re not talking about football games at the Cotton Bowl, either.

Lego architecture competitions, diorama contests and KARO syrup cooking battles all get heated at Fair Park’s Creative Arts Building. If you don’t believe us, read this Advocate story from 2012, where we chronicle a few of our neighbor’s contenders.