How was your fair experience?

[NuevoJuanSeguin]

Hey everyone. I would be curious to know of the experience of a Fair-goer who carried an out-of-state CHL, i.e. Floridian in my case. Thanks!

[The Annoyed Man]

...now the fried beer on the other hand was a huge let-down. I'm just sayin'....

I expected as much. I think it won the creativity award, not necessarily on taste. Now, the fried frito chili pie is what I'm interested in trying :)

It wasn't even that creative. It was basically raviolis, injected with Shiner Bock beer, and deep fried to a state of warmness.... ....that is to say, not really fried.... ....and then drizzled with Cheez Whiz.

[sjfcontrol]

It was basically raviolis, injected with Shiner Bock beer, and deep fried to a state of warmness.... ....that is to say, not really fried.... ....and then drizzled with Cheez Whiz.

Now you make it sound just... AWE... (wait for it...) ...FUL!!

[dicion]

I still want to know why they think the Old Mill is off limits....

If it legitimately is Private Property, and they have a 30.06, that's fine. But if it's Government Property, and not a 51% location, then they are incorrect, and it is legal.

The Old Mill is privately owned.

Alrighty then. Privately Owned, not on gov't property, with a 30.06. That is indeed legit then.

[Hoi Polloi]

I still want to know why they think the Old Mill is off limits....

If it legitimately is Private Property, and they have a 30.06, that's fine. But if it's Government Property, and not a 51% location, then they are incorrect, and it is legal.

The Old Mill is privately owned.

Alrighty then. Privately Owned, not on gov't property, with a 30.06. That is indeed legit then.

But all we know so far is that it is privately owned. We don't know if it is sitting on govt property (in our crazy real estate laws, that's possible) or if it has a legit 30.06 sign.

It does have a very large deck with tables. Would a hip-high fence surrounding the deck that opens onto city property (doesn't require walking through the building) be covered by a 30.06 on the door if they do indeed have one?

[steve817]

What is "The Old Mill"?

Thank You for asking.

[drjoker]

I think some letters are in order commending them for the changes.
-They are not having their security handle it, but are referring all CHLs to commissioned police officers.
-They are not placing any burdens on CHL holders other than showing their CHLs to a commissioned officer.
-They have clearly pushed discretion, courtesy, and promptness in their training.
-They are not trying to document anything about the CHL holders.

I'd say some huge accolades are in order for their progress!

This is progress that we CHL'ers have fought hard for by writing city council, calling the police, writing texas state legislators, etc. Make no mistake, your 2nd Amendment right is a CIVIL RIGHT that has to be fought for or we'll lose it. Just like Rosa Parks sat at the front of the bus to push civil rights, we must go to the fair to push civil rights. Your going to the fair is the equivalent of those black lunch counter diners in the 60's. Your right to defend yourself is a God-given HUMAN RIGHT.

Thanks to our semi-coordinated efforts, we've opened up the State Fair to CHL'ers. Another victory! Yay!

Let's keep up the good fight, guys! Thanks!

[mikeintexas]

Mrs. mikeintexas and I took the 3 grandsons to the State Fair yesterday. Other than the long line to buy tickets, everything went very smoothly. We rode the DART train and that was smooth, also. There wasn't an officer at the stand when we passed the wander and both showed CHL and DL. She glanced at the empty PD stand and said to go ahead, she verified us and that there was no officer to check anyway.
Other than following 3 boys under 10 years old around Fair Park for 6 hours, it was a pretty painless day. Especially after I got home and got some Advil!
OTOH, I wouldn't have missed it for the world!

[Griffen]

I went to the fair today, and based on my expectations from reading prior posts, my entry went exactly as anticipated.

I bought the tickets, asked the nearest security guard if she was the supervisor, and she escorted me and my wife to the police podium stationed nearby. A fairly corpulent LEO grudgingly looked at my licences, and grunted something I took to mean as "you may pass into the kingdom - go forth and enjoy", or something equally loquacious.

Anyway, I kept trying to pickout other CHLs throughout the day. I had to check out anyone that had long shirts or vests on. I have to say, the CHL'ers do a good job of concealing. I was never able to pick out a print all day.

[magicglock]

Very smooth process now! Security was discreet and walked me over to the dpd stand. Quick look by the officer and "enjoy the fair". My wife could not believe it was that easy. She was sure I would be walking back to the car....nice that she was wrong again.

[Mack]

I wish my experience had been that easy. I went last week and arrived right at 10:00 when they opened. I walked up to the wander and showed my license. He had me stand to the side until a LEO could come. Long story short it was over 25 minutes before the LEO arrived. By that time there were four of us waiting. The LEO looked at my license and the proceeded to tell me "Be sure and keep it concealed". My jaw hit the ground. I so wanted to ask him which part of Concealed Handgun License he didn't understand. But I just kept my mouth shut and started my day at the Fair.

[Diesel42]

FWIW, I went to the Fair today as part of a work retreat. Since I work for Uncle Sam, I was not carrying and I was wanded just like the rest of my crew.

A CHL holder went before us and I overheard the police officer tell him the Old Mill and Cotton Bowl were off limits. I just reread this thread and noticed all CHLs commenting here were told the same thing. Then the light went on... every CHL is given a verbal notice that concealed carry is not allowed in the Cotton Bowl or the Old Mill restaurant. Therefore, neither building requires a 30.06 sign.

I had a good time and recommend going during a weekday. I only had one line and that was at Fletcher's Corny Dog stand.
Happy Trails! N

[Hoi Polloi]

A CHL holder went before us and I overheard the police officer tell him the Old Mill and Cotton Bowl were off limits. I just reread this thread and noticed all CHLs commenting here were told the same thing. Then the light went on... every CHL is given a verbal notice that concealed carry is not allowed in the Cotton Bowl or the Old Mill restaurant. Therefore, neither building requires a 30.06 sign.

VERY good point, sir! You get the prize!

Not all were told, however. Some were only told to keep it concealed or to let the cops handle any problems.

[Tamie]

A CHL holder went before us and I overheard the police officer tell him the Old Mill and Cotton Bowl were off limits. I just reread this thread and noticed all CHLs commenting here were told the same thing. Then the light went on... every CHL is given a verbal notice that concealed carry is not allowed in the Cotton Bowl or the Old Mill restaurant. Therefore, neither building requires a 30.06 sign.

VERY good point, sir! You get the prize!

Not all were told, however. Some were only told to keep it concealed or to let the cops handle any problems.

If the Old Mill is private property, how does a public servant have authority to act for the private owner?

I'm not challenging it. If they don't want my money I won't spend any there, whether or not it's legal. I treat it the same as gun shows that post 30.06 signs. There's lots of other businesses that do want my money.

[Rex B]

South gate, Sunday AM.
Walked up to Wand Girl, she waved the wand before I could hit her with the plastic.
Wand alerted, her eyes got big, then she saw my CHL, smiled and waved me in.
No notice about the Old Mill Restaurant or anything.