Rebecca and Melanie Ziriax breezed through check-in around noon and sought shade near the west end of the Fair Park Esplanade, waiting on their mother to cash in two jars of peanut butter at the gate.

The State Fair of Texas is open and for the next 24 days, people from all over the world will stream into Fair Park. Last year more than two-million visitors said ‘Howdy’ to Big Tex. NBC 5’s Vince Sims reports for many North Texas visiting on opening day is tradition, for others it’s about making money.