Beloved Texas icon returns to State Fair
DALLAS—Joe Kolanek couldn’t sleep Thursday night.
The crane operator rarely gets anxious at work, even when handling a 240-ton piece of machinery most would find daunting.
But Friday morning was different. His job: lift Big Tex in preparation for the State Fair of Texas, which begins Sept. 30.
“My hands shake like this,” he said, demonstrating with his right hand. “I get nervous.”
By late Friday morning, Kolanek’s job was winding down. Big Tex, State Fair ambassador and beloved Texas icon, stood upright, towering over the crowd. His lips curled upward in a slight grin.
The 55-foot-tall animatronic cowboy is wearing all new duds this year. A neatly pressed Western shirt is decorated with stars and fringe down the sleeves that sway in the wind. New blue jeans weigh roughly 150 pounds and require two people to carry them. Texas-based Dickies created both.
A giant new belt buckle is courtesy of Shiner, and his old size 96 Lucchese cowboy boots still fit perfectly.
Around Big Tex, school children squealed and families clapped for the cowboy’s return.
Chad Lee snapped photos of his three sons, Isaiah, 9, and 5year-old twins Zachary and Zane, all dressed in identical blue checkered shirts and bandanas. The Weatherford family attends Big Tex’s arrival every year to kick off the State Fair.
“This feels like a reflection of a simpler time,” Lee said. “It’s about family and tradition.”
Big Tex didn’t start out as a cowboy. Originally built in 1949 for a Christmas celebration in Kerens, Texas, the original statue served as the world’s tallest Santa Claus for two years.
The city’s Chamber of Commerce then sold him to the State Fair of Texas for $750, and Dallas artist Jack Bridges performed an extreme makeover to transform him from Santa to Big Tex.
His State Fair debut in 1952 was a hit. Speechless the first year, a little engineering gave Big Tex a voice one year later.
A friendly wave was added in 1997, and three years later, he began to turn his head.
Then on Oct. 19, 2012, the original Big Tex was destroyed by an electrical fire. A new, slightly heavier Big Tex returned to his rightful spot in 2013.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the fair to close, Big Tex returned to work, wearing a mask and greeting visitors to the fair’s food drivethru.
Big Tex will celebrate another big milestone this year. His 70th birthday is Oct. 4, and a party will feature a giant cake, cookies and sing-a-long.
On Friday, 4-year-old Izaiah Banks jumped up and down and pointed to Big Tex.
“Oh my gosh,” she screamed “He’s going up.”
Izaiah attends preschool at Oak Cliff ’s Kids Concepts Child Development Center, which takes a field trip every year to watch Big Tex’s arrival.
“It’s about building connections and cultural awareness,” school director Marylis Mitchell said. “Learning doesn’t happen only inside a classroom.”
Nearby, Kolanek, the crane operator, glanced at Big Tex while chatting with his family, who attended the installation for the first time. Kolanek, who lives in Mansfield, has lifted Big Tex for more than a decade, and it’s still a thrill.
“I get this same feeling year after year,” he said.
And in just one week, Big Tex will again welcome throngs of fairgoers, uttering his simple, signature phrase: “Howdy, folks.”
Grand Oak High School’s Ishmael Kabore, left, and Ved Shetty adjust the team’s robot during the annual The Remix robotics competition Saturday at College Park High School in The Woodlands.