On Tuesday, the Texas State Fair celebrated Big Tex’s 70th birthday by presenting him with a massive birthday cake.
The cake was four-and-a-half by six feet long and it reportedly fed around 700 people. The first two thousand attendees got free cookies as well.
There were many other activities that day to celebrate, including a Dr. Pepper and Blue Bell float, a sing-along, and a cookie happy hour. Midway rides were also half-off to celebrate Big Tex’s big day.
An attendee told CBS that Big Tex was an “icon” for the area when she was growing up. Another attendee called his birthday a “historic day,” saying that Dallas has reached a “milestone, and it’s fun to have cake to celebrate.”
Big Tex enjoyed his debut at the state fair all the way back in 1952 after previously serving as Santa Clause in Karens, Texas. Officials from the fair purchased the statue from the town for the price of $750.
The original Big Tex tragically burned down in 2012. However, the next year he returned to the fair bigger than ever, standing at 55 feet tall and sporting a 95-gallon cowboy hat and size 96 Lucchese-designed boots.
Fairgoers heading to the historic Fair Park to enjoy the sights, sounds, and food will see Big Tex watching over the festivities, standing as an ever-present reminder that everything is bigger in Texas.