Big Tex is the 52-foot tall icon of the annual State Fair of Texas held at Fair Park in Dallas.
Big Tex made his debut at the 1952 Fair. He was altered the following year to straighten his nose, correct a lascivious wink and allow him to talk. Former disc jockey Al Jones was the first voice of Big Tex, but would fill the role for only one season. His most familiar voice is that of radio announcer Jim Lowe, who boomed Big Tex's signature "Howdy, folks!" for a total of 39 years.
Perhaps it was a case of bad karma. I was at the Fair back in 1978 when:
Big Tex made his debut at the 1952 Fair. He was altered the following year to straighten his nose, correct a lascivious wink and allow him to talk. Former disc jockey Al Jones was the first voice of Big Tex, but would fill the role for only one season. His most familiar voice is that of radio announcer Jim Lowe, who boomed Big Tex's signature "Howdy, folks!" for a total of 39 years.
Perhaps it was a case of bad karma. I was at the Fair back in 1978 when:
"Members of the Hare Krishna religious sect distributed small flowers and flags to Fairgoers, seeking donations from anyone who accepted their gifts. After receiving complaints, the Fair tried to restrict the group’s activity to a booth, but the Krishnas went to court and secured an injunction allowing them to continue. The Fair posted signs notifying fairgoers of their right to ignore the Krishnas and even had Big Tex issuing occasional warnings."
As I recall, Big Tex would boom every so often out something along the lines of "Howdy folks! Pay no attention to those Hare Krishnas!" It was like something out of a Hunter S. Thompson piece.
I'm sure Tex will return, bigger than ever -- maybe even as a 75-footer.
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