October 19th, 2012 
BBParks 
Big Tex…the mascot for the State fair of Texas was destroyed early this morning when if burst into flames at Fair Park in Dallas. Sources say the fire was caused an electrical issue.
The Texas icon has represented the fair since 1952. This year marked it’s 60th birthday celebration.
Big Tex was actually built in 1949 as a giant Santa Claus for a Christmas celebration in Kerens, 60 miles south of Dallas. Intrigued by the idea of a towering cowboy, the State Fair paid $750 for the structure.
Dallas Texas mayor Mike Rawlings assured all fair goers that the 52 foot statue which wears a size 70 boot and a 75 gallon hat will be rebuilt and standing proud at next years event…In 2013 the State Fair will also open up a brand new attraction which will be a 500 feet observation tower called “Top of Texas Tower”, as part of a renovation of part of the midway to be called “Summer Adventures at Fair Park”.
The Texas State Fair is reportedly the largest fair in the United States base on the attendance. Fair’s economic impact on Dallas: approx. $350 million annually.
The Texas State Fair began on Sept 28 and will end on Oct 21, 2012.
Archives:
Officer Fired After Issuing Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney a Speeding Ticket
September 29th, 2012
A former Pickens, S.C., police officer is speaking out and claims that he was unjustly fired. On Sept. 3, CPl Michael McClatchy stopped a vehicle which was traveling 63 mph in a 35 mph zone. The driver of the car was Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney.
Texas State Fair Trivia
Exhibit space: approx. 370,000 sq. ft. in six buildings.
Amusement rides: 70-75.
212-ft. Texas Star is the tallest Ferris wheel in the Southwest.
Livestock entries: approximately 8,000.
Creative Arts entries: approximately 7,000.
Food service locations: approximately 200.
Ride & food revenues: $28.6 million (2008).
The Texas-OU football game has been played during the Fair every year since 1929.
Big Tex made his first State Fair appearance in 1952.
Corny dogs were invented in 1942 by State Fair concessionaires Carl and Neil Fletcher.
Since 1992, the State Fair of Texas Scholarship program has awarded more than $2 million in new and renewed college grants to eligible students.
HISTORY : The first State Fair to be held in Dallas was presented at this location in 1886. Fair Park was the site of the 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition which ran for six months and attracted 6 million people. An extended 31-day Fair in 1986 celebrated the Texas Sesquicentennial and drew almost 4 million visitors
Where : Fair Park, a 277-acre entertainment and recreation complex owned by the City of Dallas, is located two miles east of downtown. The park is the year-round home of the Music Hall, Cotton Bowl and eight museums. Fair Park is a National Historic Landmark and boasts the largest collection of art deco exposition buildings in the United States.
Big Tex Video
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