Texas State Fair’s Big Tex Mascot Gets Quarantine Makeover in San Antonio-Area Town of Boerne

Big Tex, the world’s tallest cowboy, has been transported to Boerne for a quarantine makeover. The State Fair is taking advantage of the cancellation of its 2020 festivities to get some work done on its iconic 55-foot-tall greeter, KENS5 reports.

"A spa treatment, as you'd say," Rusty Fitzgerald, senior vice president of operations at the State Fair of Texas, told the news station. "We're bringing him back to new.”

The animatronic cowboy has been trucked from Dallas to SRO Associates, a Boerne company that builds and fixes interactive attractions for parks, retail outlets and restaurants. Other SRO clients include Dollywood (we know there’s been some extensive work done there), the Witte Museum and the Indianapolis Zoo.

When Big Tex burned down in 2012, the State Fair organization rebuilt him a few feet taller and with new animations.

"You know, there are no blueprints for making a 55-foot tall cowboy. You can't just go out and buy one," Fitzgerald said. "SRO has been our partner and we knew they were up for the task.”

Fitzgerald said he expects to bring Big Tex home in late August. While the cowboy will definitely be ready to greet visitors at the Texas State Fair in 2021, Fitzgerald told KENS5 that Dallas residents may see the friendly Texan sooner.

"There's a pretty good shot Big Tex might just stand," Fitzgerald said.

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