On Friday morning, the septuagenarian was erected and installed in his usual spot near the entrance of Fair Park, ahead of the State Fair’s run from Sept. 27 through Oct. 20.
Once again, the fair is ready to roll out its stellar lineup of free concerts. Through the years, its stages have hosted icons from Elvis Presley to Nirvana and the late, great Selena, who performed with her band Los Dinos 30 years ago on Oct. 23. This year's famously fried fair menu includes Big Tex Choice award winners The Fritura Dog and the insulin spike in a cup known as the Texas Sugar Rush.
But no one and nothing is more iconic than Big Tex, the only cowboy taller than Trace Adkins at 55 feet tall. Big Tex was raised on a crane, turned and bolted down to the stand on Friday. He also has a new belt buckle sponsored by Shiner Bock and still sports an ensemble by his personal designer, the brand Dickies. It's no surprise Big Tex has been a fashion icon for 70 years. Who wouldn’t be after being born into this world in a Santa Claus outfit?
Though the fair doesn’t open for another week, the raising of Big Tex is open to the public and brought out plenty of admirers.
Natalie Janacek was at the scene on Friday with her 3-year-old son Parker and 10-year-old son Luke, who has Williams Syndrome and has been obsessed with Big Tex for five years.
Luke and Parker showed up dressed like Big Tex to see their hero awake from his yearlong hibernation.
“His entire room is Big Tex; he actually has a 14-foot painted cowboy in there, and he counts the [days leading up to] the fair as soon as it ends the year before,” Janacek says of her eldest.
Janacek visits the fair several times a year.
“Every time we come here, though, we probably have to sit in front of Big Tex for an hour and watch him say all the things,” she says.
Taylor Pulfer, director of communications for the State Fair of Texas, calls Big Tex's installation “one of my favorite days of the year," adding that it, "marks that first fair moment with Big Tex going up and being installed.
“The Big Tex installation has always been a thing we like to welcome the public out to," Pulfer says. "1952 was the first year that Big Tex was officially installed at the State Fair of Texas to welcome guests at the most Texan place on Earth.”
For Pulfer, the state fair icon embodies the spirit of Texas.
“It’s so much more than a 55-foot-tall talking cowboy; he really personifies everything that it means to be Texan and a friendly neighbor,” she says. “He’s one of the most photographed places in Texas and probably the country at that time of year.”
Artist Eric Hanson, who paints Dallas landmarks, was also present, easel and paint in hand, to capture Big Tex’s likeness on a canvas. Hanson says he’s been getting up at 6 a.m. to paint Big Tex every year for seven years. Two years ago he was named “Big Tex’s official painter.” “It’s a role I’ve created for myself, basically,” he says.
The State Fair of Texas runs from Sept. 27 through Oct. 20 at Fair Park, 1300 Robert B. Callum Blvd. Tickets are now on sale.
