Big Tex Is Ready, Y’all (A Special Intern Report From the Field)

Today they erected Big Tex. I think that’s what she said. Anyway, we dispatched intern Taylor Walker to see what was what. Her report follows after the jump.

Big Shoes, Big Deal

Today, I had the honor of watching a 58-year-old cowboy put on his size 70 Twisted Boots. After you double take, let me assure you that this measurement is not a typo. I mean, really, why would we write a blog about a man putting on regular-sized boots? Now, I’m sure you’re asking yourselves, “What kind of man can fill size 70 boots?” That man, icon, legend, and apparently former Santa, is none other than Big Tex, the statuesque figure that has welcomed visitors to the State Fair since 1952. Okay, so I left out the part about him being fictional, but nonetheless, he, as well as the Dickies crew, is why I spent my Monday morning in the sweltering Texas sun.

Parking in Gate 5, I locked my Mustang, which was parked (fittingly) in between two monstrous trucks — we’re in Texas after all — and made my way into the State Fair. After passing The Old Mill Inn, I eventually spotted the horizontal 52-foot greeter and knew I had reached my destination.

In addition to the unveiling of Big Tex, today’s event was also a means for Dickies, the supplier of Big Tex’s fashionable threads, to present members of the Dallas and Fort Worth independent school districts with 2,500 school uniforms each, a charitable tradition that was started at the 2008 State Fair. Stumbling through hundreds of giddy schoolchildren donning matching t-shirts, uniforms and in The da Vinci School’s case, crossing guard vests, I met Jane Didear, coordinator of community relations for DISD, who admits that with so many families facing hard times, something like this is heaven sent.

As the ceremony began, I made my way back through the hordes of children chanting “Big Tex! Big Tex!” to get a better (and by better I mean less crowded) view. Along the way, I heard several women pleading under their breath for the speeches to be “short and sweet” and reassuring their children that they, too, were sweating. When I reached what I deemed a satisfactory area, I met Jeanette Prasifka and her 81-year-old stepdad, Bud Roden, who (again fittingly) was wearing a white t-shirt that championed Texas as The Lone Star State. When I asked Roden why he was at the fair today, his stepdaughter informed me that he was deaf. Lucky for me, she served as my translator. Before she asked Roden my question, she explained that the fair was very important to her since she “grew up at the fair.” With teary eyes (in efforts of full disclosure this could have been due to the sun, but I’d like to think she was overcome with emotion) she explained that her family attends Big Tex’s unveiling every year, as well as the parade, and that the experience brings her back to her childhood. When Roden got a chance to explain his favorite part of the fair, he immediately responded with “the corny dogs and black eyed pea soup,” followed by a hearty and contagious chuckle.

Seeing the joy emanate from this pair as well as the smiles on the kids’ faces, I realized how significant and special the fair is to Texas natives, and although it’s been years since my last visit, I think this year might be the one that brings me back. –Taylor Walker