Big Tex , the fair’s beloved 52-foot-tall cowboy, marked the big 6-0 this year and celebrated in style. Belgian waffles were served up in his honor. The world’s largest Fritos Chili Pie was made at his feet. Then came Friday, when the tallest talking Texan caught fire. Clearly, Big Tex looms large in our hearts — over the weekend, fairgoers visited the site where the big guy once stood, leaving flowers, notes of condolence and even a bouquet of corny dogs. The State Fair says he’ll be back next year. The 2013 fair, which starts Sept. 27, will likely be all Big Tex, all the time. Until then, don’t be surprised to see people dressed up as Big Tex for Halloween.
A year of milestones
The corny dog, the quintessential fair food, celebrated its 70th anniversary. And, to mark their 100th anniversary, the Girl Scouts put on a high-tech, interactive exhibit in the Hall of State.
Lanterns light up Fair Park
Thousands of lanterns lit up the lagoon as part of the Chinese Lantern Festival. The nighttime display was spectacular, although the show was pretty during the day, too. More than 40 Chinese artisans spent several weeks making the whimsical lanterns by hand, including birds that lounged on giant mushrooms, an orchard featuring 800 peaches and the Temple of Heaven, about one-third the size of the Beijing original.
Fun, free concerts
Free concerts filled the fairgrounds’ nooks and crannies. The Killdares, the Celtic rock group, performed on a revolving 360-degree stage — a fun twist (pun intended). Inside the Food and Fiber Pavilion, did you catch the clog dancers or the Dallas Banjo Band?
Fry it, you’ll like it
Many people storm Fair Park each fall to graze on fried food. This year’s top new entries didn’t disappoint — the Deep Fried Jambalaya, in particular, received rave reviews. Did you try the fried chocolate tres leches cake or chicken-fried cactus? The Big Tex Choice Awards, which has honored the top new foods since 2005, fueled the fair’s fried food craze. But can food vendors top themselves in 2013?
Tex is toast
The burning of Big Tex on Friday attracted nationwide attention. Firefighters were sent to Fair Park by an unusual report from a Dallas Fire-Rescue dispatcher over the radio: “Got a rather tall cowboy with all his clothes burned off.” Fair officials first thought the fire started in Big Tex’s right boot, but later said the culprit was an electrical outlet near his feet. While no one was injured, it’s never ideal when your icon is destroyed — fair officials call Big Tex their Mickey Mouse.
Food and drink inflation
The fair has never been an inexpensive outing, but food and soda prices seem to be creeping up. In many food booths, a bottle of soda was seven coupons — or $3.50. That’s approaching what you’d pay in a movie theater. Many of the hot new foods required 12 coupons — or $6.
Blame it on the rain
Rainy skies washed out several events during the fair’s opening weekend. State Fair officials can’t control Mother Nature, of course. But rain is never good at the fair, especially on weekends.
What a ride
It’s never good to be stuck on a midway ride. Twenty-four people were stuck in midair for two hours Friday night after the Stratosphere broke down. Local TV stations led their 10 p.m. newscasts with coverage. Dallas police said the ride also had problems earlier in the week. Multiple malfunctions were reported on the Stratosphere ride at the Minnesota State Fair over the summer.
Big Tex welcomes fairgoers with his friendly drawl of "Hoooowwwdeee, fooolllllks!" and makes regular announcements throughout the duration of the State Fair of Texas. His booming voice has been played by only a few men over six decades, who perform every day of the fair from a booth known as the "doghouse."
Former disc jockey Al Jones was the first voice of Big Tex, filling the role for only one season in 1953. Radio announcer Jim Lowe, the most well-known voice of Big Tex, performed for 39 continuous years until 1998. Dan Alexander stepped up for the next two years. In 2001 a statewide competition and contest, held live at the Cotton Bowl, announced Sonny Ray Stolz as the next voice of Big Tex. But after only one season he was replaced with runner-up Bill Bragg in 2002. [ source : dallasnews.com ]
