Some people are just fair people, and 97-year-old Michael Guadagnoli is definitely one of them.

The Dallas native recently celebrated his 72nd year at the State Fair of Texas alongside two of his children.

“We’re so happy to come to the fair with our father, he’s really — if you will — our big Tex,” said Guadagnoli’s son Michael, according to CBS News Texas. “Just looking at things from his perspective, it really teaches us. We’re happy to do it.”

Guadagnoli told the news outlet that this family tradition began when he was just a child himself in 1951.

“First went in and out of where the animals are, and then we came up this way through the buildings and we went in every building all the way through and looked at everything,” he said.

He continued the tradition by bringing his children to Fair Park and encouraging them to appreciate the fair season.

“I can remember when we first came here … the kids, and holding hands and walking through,” he recalled.

The State Fair of Texas has been a beacon of joy for many generations, attracting people from all walks of life and creating timeless memories since it was launched at the turn of the 20th century.

While attendance hit the 1 million mark in 1916, World War I and then World War II disrupted the tradition until it was given new life with R.L. Thornton at the helm. By 1949, shortly before Guadagnoli had begun his visits to the fair, attendance had grown to 2 million.

“I’m happy to say that I’ve enjoyed coming here, every year,” Guadagnoli said, per CBS News. “I always find lots to do, things to see and people to meet. It’s just wonderful.”

Much has changed over seven decades, with the State Fair hitting record-breaking attendance figures of over 2.5 million last year, as previously covered by The Dallas Express.

“There’s just more demonstrations,” Guadagnoli remarked. “More people and different kinds of food and drink.”

Even Big Tex, which was first erected at Fair Park in 1952, initially stood at 52 feet. He was rebuilt three feet taller after the statue burned down in an accident in 2012.

“I don’t think he was as big as he is now, but he was dressed as a Texan,” Guadagnoli said, who also happened to be wearing Texas-themed socks and a State Fair badge.

No matter how big the event gets, Guadagnoli said he still runs into friends and is even seen by some of the vendors as a regular.

“The person who was serving the root beer recognized me,” he said, per CBS News. “I was starting to walk up and order and she said, ‘I know, I know,’ and she handed it to me.”

This year’s theme, “Explore the Midway,” is suitably nostalgic, paying tribute to the fair’s most iconic attractions, such as the historic neon Midway arch and the Texas Star Ferris Wheel.

This year’s fair runs through October 22.