Long before Heath Cheek became a member of the State Fair of Texas Board of Directors and Chair of its Agriculture & Livestock Committee, he was an eight-year-old boy from Chillicothe, Texas, loading Hereford cattle into a trailer and heading to Dallas.
Cheek spent nearly every fall exhibiting livestock at the State Fair of Texas. Those experiences did more than introduce him to the excitement of Dallas; they shaped the course of his life. He credits those childhood trips with inspiring his decision to build both his career and family life in Dallas.
Today, nearly two decades into his volunteer service, Cheek views the Fair through a different lens. As a nonprofit organization, the State Fair of Texas exists to celebrate Texas while investing in its future. Through scholarships and educational opportunities, year-round community initiatives, and the preservation of Fair Park, the State Fair's impact extends far beyond its iconic 24-day annual event.
For Cheek, agriculture remains at the heart of that mission. Raising livestock taught him budgeting, responsibility, discipline, and work ethic long before he entered a classroom studying business or law. Those same lessons, he says, continue to shape thousands of Texas students today, whether they pursue careers in agriculture or simply carry those life skills into adulthood.
Now raising his own family in Highland Park, Cheek hopes more Park Cities residents discover what he has known since childhood: the State Fair belongs to everyone. "It's the one event in Dallas where people from every background come together," he says. "You may not agree on much else, but you can all agree on a Corny Dog."
He also hopes his neighbors will look beyond the midway and embrace the Fair's philanthropic mission. From attending the annual State Fair, supporting fundraising events like Saddle Up, to volunteering and championing the Fair's mission year-round, he believes there are countless ways for Park Cities residents to become part of something much bigger than a single event. For Cheek, that's what the State Fair has always been about, not just celebrating Texas for 24 days each fall, but investing in its
people for generations to come.