2014 State Fair of Texas

Even if you weren’t born in Texas, the State Fair of Texas will make you feel like a native in no time. Since 1886, crowds have flocked to historic Fair Park in Dallas each fall to celebrate the best of Texas culture. The 2014 fair is jam-packed with a schedule of college football (Texas-OU on Oct. 11), live music (headliners include Kool & the Gang and Collective Soul), dance performances, a carnival midway, livestock and auto shows, art, and shopping. And we’d be remiss not to mention the world-famous fried food—worth a visit in itself. Sep. 26-Oct. 19. Call 214/565-9931.

Delicate Balance: Metamorphosis of the Monarch Butterfly

Theresa DiMenno first noticed the plump caterpillars in her backyard a few years ago, voraciously eating newly sprouted milkweed plants. An accomplished nature photographer, Theresa monitored the striped bugs and photographed the stages of their transformation into monarch butterflies. Her striking images are featured in the exhibit Delicate Balance: Metamorphosis of the Monarch Butterfly, on display at the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science through Dec. 1. The exhibit coincides with the monarch migration, when the butterflies flutter south from Canada through Texas to their wintering grounds in Mexico. Call 713/639-4629.

EnPleinAirTEXAS

Taking its name from the French expression for painting “in the open air,” the inaugural EnPleinAirTEXAS in San Angelo (Oct. 27-Nov. 2) features 33 selected artists competing for $13,000 in prize money. The artists, coming from 12 U.S. states and France, will paint in and around San Angelo for four days with the public invited to observe. The Quartermaster building at Fort Concho will host an awards presentation Oct. 31, an exhibit of competition paintings Nov. 1-2, and a chuck-wagon breakfast with the artists Nov. 2. A “Quick Draw” painting contest on Nov. 1 is open to all. Call 325/656-2500.

Get Spooked in Houston

Capitalizing on its naturally spooky atmosphere, the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston is holding a series of special events to celebrate Halloween and el Dia de Los Muertos. The museum will host a family-friendly haunted house Oct. 1-Nov. 3. Also, in the Dracula Cemetery Exhibition (Oct. 1-Nov. 3) visitors can have their picture taken in a coffin and learn the history that inspired the novel Dracula. There’s also a Halloween Classic Car Show on Oct. 25 and a Dia de Los Muertos Celebration on Nov. 1-2. Call 281/876-3063.

Marathon 2 Marathon

The West Texas town of Marathon had already been the site of informal marathons for three years—with runners from El Paso, Austin, Washington State, and Oregon—before Marathon2Marathon was started in 2003. Running along scenic U.S. 385, Marathon2Marathon is a sanctioned and certified race, meaning it acts as a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon.

Cedar Park Pumpkin Express

Austin Steam Train’s Pumpkin Express takes you and your family to the Hill Country town of Bertram, where you can pick out a pumpkin, enjoy a chat with Farmer Brown, and tour the fully restored 1912 train depot. Oct. 12–Oct. 19.

Jefferson Runaway Fright Train

Something spooky is hiding in the swamplands and among the pine trees of East Texas. The scenes and ghouls along the track will keep you at the edge of your seat—and give you a laugh now and then, too. The show is professionally directed by East Texas Performing Arts.

Photos: (from top) Kevin Brown/State Fair of Texas; Courtesy Theresa DiMenno; Courtesy EnPleinAirTexas; Courtesy National Museum of Funeral History

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