At 9 a.m. sharp, Gate 5 at Fair Park hums to life. The sun cuts through the State Fair of Texas banners, while the smell of turkey legs and fried dough hangs in the air.
鈥淕ood morning! Y鈥檃ll have your tickets ready?鈥� calls out 87-year-old Faye Thomas, her voice both warm and firm 鈥� the sound of someone who鈥檚 been doing this long enough to know that kindness keeps the line moving faster than impatience ever could.
She鈥檚 wearing a blue shirt and hat both with the State Fair logo on it. She scans tickets, waves to families and directs child-filled strollers and happy parents to photo ops with people dressed as popular superheroes.
Everyone gets the same thing: a smile and a 鈥渉ave a great day.鈥�
Thomas has worked at this same gate for 35 years. Her daughter-in-law worked here first and asked her if she wanted to try it.
鈥淎nd I did, and I鈥檝e been going back ever since,鈥� she said.
Gate 5 is one of seven entrances and Thomas hasn鈥檛 budged when it comes to working anywhere else.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best gate in the State Fair of Texas,鈥� she says with a grin. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a special gate.鈥�
Gate 5 is the Grand Gate to Fair Park, right next to the African American Museum of Dallas and Magnolia Beer Garden.
It鈥檚 also home to a kind of community that lasts far beyond the fairgrounds. Ann Taulton has been Thomas鈥� supervisor for about 18 years. They spent their shifts laughing, teasing their younger co-workers and greeting kids as they walk by.
鈥淪he's here when I can't get nobody else to be here,鈥� Taulton said. 鈥淢iss Faye is always on time and she'll stay as long as I need her. We hang out outside of it, too.鈥�
Visitors recognize Thomas, as well. Some families seek her line every year, skipping others just to be greeted by her familiar face.
鈥淪he鈥檚 sweet,鈥� says Lee Andrews, who comes to the fair each fall with his wife. 鈥淚t gives you that family feel. She's gonna greet you with a smile and is very welcoming.鈥�
Thomas was born in Frederick, Okla., and moved to Dallas in 1960. In 1989, she started her long tradition at the fair. These days, her income is a mix of Social Security and her few weeks of State Fair pay, which started out as $5 an hour and is now $18 an hour.
鈥淸It鈥檚] a big chunk in my income,鈥� she admits. 鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 do it just for the money. I do it because I enjoy it 鈥� meeting people, talking to them, making sure they have a good time.鈥�
For residents of South Dallas, the State Fair is more than a yearly event 鈥� it鈥檚 an economic engine. Locals rent out yards for parking and sell snacks or souvenirs to crowds streaming toward Fair Park. Thomas sees how much the fair means to the neighborhood.
鈥淚t just benefits the whole community,鈥� she said. 鈥淧eople enjoy having to park their cars in their yard so they won't have to go so far to walk to the State Fair.鈥�
Her work is steady and joyful, but it can sometimes have its moments.
鈥淵ou tell the people what they can do and can't do and [some] have an attitude with you,鈥� she said, laughing softly. 鈥淵ou just keep smiling and tell 'em have a nice day.鈥�
Thomas has watched the fair change and grow 鈥� she鈥檚 seen co-workers retire and pass away, attractions come and go and each new generation of attendees. She鈥檚 been around since the building of the African American Museum to the day Big Tex caught fire in 2012.
鈥淚t was really a sad day for everyone,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey really didn't want to work here no more. Big Tex had been there for so many years. They were really saddened about that because they knew there wasn't gonna be no other Big Tex like him.鈥�
But each fall, when the banners go up and Big Tex鈥檚 arm starts waving again, she鈥檚 back at Gate 5.
鈥淚'm still there, so I thank God for that,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t makes me feel young.鈥�
By midday, the crowd thickens with families, teens, school kids, couples in matching fair T-shirts. The sun beats down, and Thomas barely pauses as she scans ticket after ticket.
Each beep of the scanner is part of her rhythm. Each 鈥渢hank you鈥� is a small act of care. When asked if she鈥檒l ever stop, she just chuckles.
鈥淚 enjoy going back every year and hope to go back next year if I can.鈥�
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