With only 63 days until opening day of the 2019 State Fair of Texas, the competition to make it to the 15th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards is heating up.

State Fair concessionaires are busy perfecting their innovative offerings in hopes of getting into the final round of judging at the coveted event.

After the first round of judging, 33 semi-finalists – 20 savory and 13 sweet entries – are moving forward, putting these contenders one step closer to the main event, where they will compete for one of three winning titles: “Best Taste – Sweet,” “Best Taste – Savory,” and “Most Creative.”

The contest started in mid-July with 49 individual entries from 30 concessionaires. It is required that competitors have at least one year of experience as a concessionaire at the State Fair of Texas before entering.

Making past the first round requires contestants to be super creative with the name and description of their original creations.

Judges are looking for the food with the name and description that sounds most appealing to their personal palette, just like a fairgoer might do while at the Fair.

Over the next several weeks, the second round of preliminary judging will begin, and these edible creations will have to prove to the panel of judges that they are just as delicious as they sound.

The tasting round will judge each semi-finalist on, at minimum, four main ingredients of a finalist-worthy concoction: uniqueness, presentation, creativity and, of course, taste.

To keep everything fair and solely based on the food, judges sample each submission during a “blind judging” throughout the entire process.

Judges will also have to defend their rankings against the seemingly simple yet crucial question – how likely is a fairgoer to actually buy the item?

The top 10 finalists, to be announced in mid-August, will go on to compete live in the final round at this year’s Big Tex Choice Awards ceremony.

Even if your entry of choice does not make it to the main event, concessionaires can still choose to introduce their food at their stand as a “new food” during this year’s State Fair.

The 15th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards, presented by Metro by T-Mobile, will take place Sunday, August 25 at 2pm in the historic Tower Building at Fair Park.

A limited number of tickets are available online for $125. Tickets always sell out, so get yours fast. You do not want to miss the chance to view the competition while getting a first taste of this year’s new Fair foods.

All proceeds from the annual Big Tex Choice Awards competition are donated to the Big Tex Scholarship Program, which provides college scholarships to students across the Lone Star State.

Dynamic Sports Medicine, a luxury sports medicine studio, has opened in Dallas.

Owned by Dallas Drs. Brian and Jinna Mann, the studio offers athletes and everyday fitness enthusiasts new ways to train and cutting edge technology for recovery.

“With our wide variety of treatments and rare access to some of the newest recovery tools, Dynamic Sports Medicine completely changes the recovery game for Dallasites, allowing them to both train and recover like professional athletes,” says co-founder Dr. Brian Mann.

Some of the innovative treatments and tools available to clients include cupping, Myo Acoustic Compression Therapy  – a deep tissue massage without human hands, chiropractic, CBD-infused massages, and much more.

Dynamic Sports Medicine currently has three locations in Austin. The Galleria-area marks the first for the brand in Dallas. For more information, visit Dynamic Sports Medicine online.

Registration is open for Tour des Fleurs, the quarter and half marathons benefiting the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden, scheduled for September 21.

Participants will start and end on the lakeside trail of White Rock Lake at the Arboretum. The Arboretum’s 1,100-space parking garage, located directly across the street from the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden, opens at 5:00am for runners. Walkers and strollers are welcome.

The half marathon race begins at 7 a.m. and the quarter marathon race begins at 7:50am.

Overall winner awards will be announced at 9:15am. Tour des Fleurs offers over $10,000 in cash prizes for overall winners in both the quarter marathon and half marathon. The three prize winning race categories include Open Women and Men, Masters Women and Men and Age Group Awards. More details regarding cash prizes visit tourdesfleurs.com/race.

After the race, stay and enjoy live music from the Emerald City All Stars band, complimentary food, beer and other beverages, and freebies from a variety of TDF sponsors. The celebration takes place on the Dallas Arboretum’s Martin Rutchik Concert Stage and Lawn overlooking the picturesque White Rock Lake.