OUR STATE FAIR
September and October elicit the excitement of fall. Bring out the sweaters. Stop in your favorite café and order a pumpkin spice latte. Bake pumpkin spice cake. Buy a pumpkin scented candle. Adorn your foyer with chrysanthemums and finally, attend your state fair!
A highlight of fall as a child was to “Do the Puyallup!” No, it is not a new dance step. It is the Washington State Fair in Puyallup, Washington. Taking a picture with the giant pumpkin, seeing the Flemish giant bunny, the animals in their stalls, and laughing at the crested chickens with black tufted feathers on their heads; these were my favorite fair activities. But no trip to the fair was complete without eating a Fisher Scone. Yes, scones at the fair. Forget the hot dogs and funnel cakes, give me an English-style scone dripping with whipped butter and local raspberry jam!
Fisher scones are a beloved tradition at the Puyallup Fair. This year, I was fortunate to attend with my family, and we returned to the same corner booth where the iconic scones have been sold for over a century, “celebrating 110 years of yum!” In fact, the fair sells 1.5 million scones each year.
While we are on the topic of fairs and icons, no fair icon could be as beloved as Big Tex, the cultural ambassador of the Texas State Fair. I am ashamed to admit that it took me 30 years to attend the Texas State Fair in Dallas. I am so glad I did, last October, because Big Tex, with his “Howdy Folks” greeting, did not disappoint!
Big Tex, standing at 55 feet, will be 75 years old next year. That is pretty good for a guy who has survived face lifts, a nose job, a fire, a hurricane, theft, and constant changing of his western attire. Tex came to the fair from Kerens, Texas where he began life as a giant Santa Claus. The fair bought him in 1952. When he celebrated his 50th birthday in 2002, Big Tex received an AARP card, a giant cake, and even had a few wrinkles and some gray added to his hair. In 2020 during the pandemic, Big Tex stood with solidarity with his Texas fans and wore a face mask.
I took my picture with Big Tex last year, posing next to his size 70 cowboy boots, 75-gallon hat, 14-foot shirt collar, and Dickie jeans that have a 27-foot waist and 22-foot inseam. This fall you are in for a treat if you attend the 140th year of the Texas State Fair. You will see this icon in a brand-spanking new red shirt courtesy of Cavender’s Boot City. He will cut quite a figure in his new duds. His head seems to have grown to 95-gallons, his feet are now size 96, and he will be wearing one hundred pounds Levis 501 Jeans size 434 x 240.
Whether standing in line to buy a scone or posing for a picture next to Big Tex with his size 96 cowboy boots, fall spells FAIR. To quote the great musical theater duo, Rogers and Hammerstein, “Our state fair is a great state fair, don’t miss it, don’t even be late!”
Published in The Facts Brazos Living column October 14, 2026
