For some people, it’s the game or the rides that bring them back to the State Fair of Texas each year; for others, it’s the food that draws them. “It’s a generational thing,” Mark Zable said. “It’s fun, and it’s like a second family.” Zable runs the Belgian Waffle concession, a business passed down from his father, who started it 60 years ago. “Most of the people I grew up with are now running their family’s stand,” Zable said. “So it’s a very tight-knit group.” If you like Belgian waffles, chances are you’ve been to the Zable’s stand. “It’s one of the classics. You’ve got Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, you’ve got us…you’ve got Fernie’s Funnel Cakes,” Zable said. “We’re all the ‘old school’ people that have been here a long time.” That group includes Jack’s French Frys, which opened in 1945. “We’ve been here 79 years,” Jack Pyland said. Pyland also took the business over from his father. “I don’t know any better! I was raised here. My dad said I have to do it, and when I grew up, I thought, you know, I’d probably go into withdrawals if I wasn’t here in October!” The State Fair is like an extended family for those who make the Fair their business. “Oh, Jack’s Frys? I’ve known Jack since I was a kid,” Zable said. “I mean I’ve known him a loooong time!” Maybe one day, their children will be saying the same thing. Zable and Pyland said the secret to their longevity is having a good product that makes people want to return for it, year after year.