Big Tex Files Workers’ Comp Claim After 12th Triple-Digit Day
Citing heat exhaustion, chronic boot swelling and 74 years of a speaker yelling 'HOWDY, FOLKS' from his own chest, the State Fair's greeter wants paid leave.
Fair Park, Dallas – Big Tex, the 55-foot cowboy who has greeted State Fair of Texas visitors since 1952, filed a workers’ compensation claim this week, citing “heat exhaustion, chronic boot swelling, and 74 years of being yelled ‘HOWDY, FOLKS’ at by a speaker in my own chest.”
The claim comes as North Texas logged its 12th triple-digit day of September, nearly doubling the old record for the month, after a dry streak that hit 66 days before a few scattered storms reminded everyone what rain looks like.
“He’s fine. He’s a professional,” said State Fair spokesperson Dusty Rhoades, standing in the only square foot of shade on the Esplanade. “He’s been doing this since Eisenhower. It’s a little warm, sure. But the man is wearing a 75-gallon hat. He has resources.”
Sources close to the cowboy dispute that. According to the filing, Big Tex’s size 70 boots reached an internal temperature of 140 degrees during opening weekend, and his denim has fused to his legs in a way doctors describe as “Canadian tuxedo, permanent.”
“I checked on him Saturday,” said a maintenance worker who asked not to be named. “His voice box kept saying ‘Howdy, folks, welcome to the State Fair of Texas,’ but real slow, like a ceiling fan dying. At one point it just said ‘Howdy’ and then sighed for eleven minutes.”
Fairgoers noticed, too. “We came for the fried food, and we got it,” said Kaylee Stroud of Mesquite, who waited in line for a deep-fried chocolate fudge corny dog. “Problem is, by the time I got it, the chocolate had melted, the batter had melted, and my husband had melted. He’s at the first-aid tent. I’m going back for a burger taco.”
