This State Fair of Texas season, Big Tex will be standing proudly in his circle for over decade since his previous burning in 2012.
Welcoming locals and newcomers alike to the festivities, Big Tex is sporting his classic Wrangler Jeans, Dickies Shirt, and 95-gallon hat this year, as well as a new edition by Lucchese Bootmaker in the form of size 96 boots.
The boots, unveiled on the Sept. 15, are the result of a boot design contest held from October 2022 until March of 2023.
From over 300 entrants aged 10 to 79, the final design chosen was from Jessica Bonilla.
Bonilla, a social worker at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and an alumna from the University of North Texas at Arlington, submitted her entry to the contest while attempting an art style she was inexperienced with.
An artist in her free time, she runs a small business in the form of an online art store where people can purchase tote bags and pins displaying her work.
She creates art for multiple reasons, stating on her online store that she could “share my crafts with others and double it as a form of self-care so I can shift my focus to something more creative.” In submitting her entry, she likely had no idea that it would be the design going on the boots.
The boots were made by the Lucchese Bootmaker Company and are 12 feet tall, 10-feet- 6 inches long, and weighing in at an astonishing 900 pounds. Lucchese Bootmaker has been involved in the construction of Big Tex’s Boots since the burning of the previous Big Tex in 2012.
Partnering with the State Fair of Texas, they created a pair of boots for the new Big Tex based on their previous commission by Acme Boots in the 1950s, the “50 state boots.”
Those boots went on to adorn the new and improved Big Tex in 2013. Since then, they have hosted two boot design contests in 2018 and 2022, engaging the community to freshen up Big Tex’s wardrobe.
Design-wise, the boots encompass many iconic features of Texas, from its wildlife to its landscape. Animals such as armadillos, road-runners, longhorns, and a horned toad are placed in a canyon among blooming cacti and bluebonnets while a windmill, monarch butterflies, Mexican free-tailed bats and a warm Texas sunset make up the sky.
Her design was painted onto the boots, with them being revealed Sept. 15 and Big Tex donning the fashionable footwear on Sept. 22. Her design, as well as Big Tex himself, are now settled in the center of Fair Park, ready to greet this year’s fairgoers.
Bonilla, speaking with State Fair of Texas officials, expressed that she is “beyond excited that my design was selected to be featured on Big Tex and I will have the opportunity to share my art with millions of people!”
The fair will run through Oct. 22.