TYLER, Texas (KETK) – The East Texas State Fair is officially back.

“They got bags of goodies, and everyone is having a good time,” Lynda Sutliff, who attended the fair.

The event kicked off this morning as Friday marked Senior Day to start the huge event and of course, the fair has all the essential fun you would expect. The fair had all the food you could want like giant turkey legs and don’t forget about the Ferris Wheel.

A fairgoer who started coming three years ago said Texas State Fairs are unmatched. 

“I came here from Arizona a couple of years ago,“ said Peyton Blake Spencer. “I lived in Arizona a couple of years ago and we never had anything like this. Everything is bigger in Texas. That’s the main thing you’ll hear across the country, and I would agree.”  

Spencer said it’s the community that brings him back.  

“One of my favorite reasons to come down here is really the environment, the atmosphere,” he added.  

Casey Bixby, who has been working at the fair for 18 years at the front gate and this year will mark her final year working at the event, said the relationship between her and East Texas is special. 

“It became a family,” Bixby said. “It’s my little fair family. I miss seeing the people and I like to interact, so I just kept coming back.” 

She added that her favorite part throughout the event is seeing the children having a blast.  

“I love watching the kids come in excited and happy,” Bixby added. 

The fair runs through Oct.1.