ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – In just a few short days the Taylor County Expo Center will be transformed into a food and rider lovers paradise. 

“people come from all over the region and it’s a long time tradition and its part of our heritage,” said Abilene Convention of Visitors Bureau communications director Kelly Thompson. 

The West Texas Fair and Rodeo kicks off this Thursday, bringing in thousands from all over The Big Country, Texas and even surrounding states.

“The neat thing about the fair is that it started with people coming to the city to show off their animals and so forth so you have a lot of that historical relationship of its almost a reunion when people come,” said Taylor County Expo Center executive vice president Rochelle Johnson. 

The theme of this year’s fair is “Are we fair yet?” and just like every year, the event will feature carnival rides and fried food for the whole family to sink their teeth into. But some may notice a new building in the south corner, which will house livestock vendors and their animals. 

“The people that have livestock or horses that have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on those animals, they want to put them in a nice barn and a nice stall and a good cattle tie. So we now have that brand new equipment and facility to offer to not only our local people but across the united states,” said Johnson.

While many residents will enjoy their favorite fair food and shell out cash to ride the rides, the fair will bring in about $1.1 million over the 10 days, which will go right back into our local economy.