Big Tex Has Bad Day: It's Like 'Losing Santa'

Dallas' mayor vows Big Tex will be back "bigger and better" after the 52-foot statue that has towered over the Texas state fair for 60 years burned to a crisp yesterday, reports AP. It's not clear what happened, but officials suspect a mechanical glitch at the base started the blaze. "Got a rather tall cowboy with all his clothes burned off," said one dispatcher, and jokes have been flying on Twitter and elsewhere since. "Then there are those of us fuddy-duddies who find it hard to laugh," writes Lisa Falkenberg at the Houston Chronicle. No more "Howdee, folks!" It's "a little like losing Santa." Read her full piece here. (More strange stuff stories.)