Texas Bucket List

Texas Bucket List

The Texas Bucket List – 5 Cousins Strawberry Patch in Poteet

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Poteet – In the early spring here in the Lone Star State, there’s a cash crop that’s already blossoming in the fields of Poteet, and that is the Strawberry. Considering this section of our state is called the Strawberry Capital of Texas, you’d expect to see strawberry fields forever but if you want to pick your own, 5 Cousins Strawberries is a good place to pluck out of the crowd. “You want to come look at this situation right here,” said Will Bates. “You may not ever see another one just like it.”

Will and his wife Ann have lived in Poteet since 1972 and they own the Five Cousins Strawberry Patch. “We made a career teaching school here in Poteet, and we both retired here,” said Will. “I don’t know that we started out to stay here, but we just got stuck.”

When you plant roots, that’s usually what happens. For Will, the seeds he sowed weren’t just strawberries, but also a family that turned him into a grandfather. “We have five grandchildren, hence the name, five cousins,” said Will.

Turns out this name defines Will’s Strawberry patch to a T, because it’s his grandkids that run it. “My wife and I are the landlords, we’re the heavy equipment operators, we’re the managers, we’re the bankers, and we do this in order to encourage them to do some physical work and to take responsibility for what they do and make some decisions and stand by those decisions,” said Will.

Running this strawberry patch isn’t just a chore for his grandkids either, it’s much sweeter than that. “The money that’s generated from this patch goes into their college fund,” said Will. “That’s what we do with that money.”

“We love the fact that we have this opportunity,” said Josh Bates.

Josh is Will’s son, and all this started when his daughter Hallie joined 4-H. “The crazy story about that is my dad and her came together on that,” said Josh. “That’s the beauty behind it, is it’s not based upon, ‘Man, we got to make this amount of money.’ It’s nice that it pays for itself, but more than that, giving them the opportunity to learn what it’s like to work on something together and come together and opportunity for people to come out and experience this outdoors and be part of nature. It’s cool.”

And with a strawberry patch of this size, it’s no surprise that these kids are putting in some serious work. “When the plants come in, they get out here and they plant them, and they put 20,000 plants in the ground in three days,” said Will. “Old hardened field hands can do it pretty fast, but when you got a bunch of kids out here, they’re having a blast.”

The work doesn’t stop there. “Then comes picking time, at which point they’ll pick if we need them to pick and they take care of the barn, they fold the boxes,” said Will. “They’ll go out and take people out and direct them on how to cut the strawberries, what to look for, that type of thing. They do a lot of the work around here.”

Family is forever, and this family is putting together a whole lot of fond memories out here in the strawberry fields. “That’s the blessing of it all, and honestly, that’s the beauty of this whole thing is them getting to spend time with their grandfather and their grandmother and be out here together and it’s brought everybody together,” said Josh. “It’s built so much unity within our family. It’s just a complete blessing.”

As for the strawberries themselves, there as sweet as you can find. “These are a Ruby June variety,” explained Josh. “They’re characteristically a little smaller than other varieties, but they have a higher sugar content than probably any of the other varieties that we have out here. You pull it off and it’s ready to eat. We don’t have any pesticides or anything else that’s out here.”

Of course you could go into any grocery store and grab a box of berries, but there’s just something special about picking them for yourself. “The difference between our berries and the berries that you get at the store, the only difference is because the same varieties and everything like that, the difference is that these berries are really ripe,” said Will. “They’re vine ripe, which means that when you take them, you want to eat them or you want to process them, but don’t expect them to be around for very long.”

Having created a place where people want to come and pick is only part of this whole experience for the Bates. It’s creating joy and memories for them and for those who venture to this small strawberry patch in Poteet. “Never thought I’d be the guy growing strawberries in Poteet,” said Josh. “That’s not where I thought my life was headed, and I’m extremely thankful for it.”

“It means a lot to me,” said Will. “I think it means a lot to the kids too. They appreciate it, and at least they say they do.”

The Texas Bucket List – San Felipe de Austin

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San Felipe – Texas history is something we hold near and dear to our hearts. Sacred sites like the Alamo, San Jacinto, Gonzales and Washington on The Brazos all played major roles in Texas gaining its independence from Mexico, but none of it would have happened without San Felipe de Austin. “A lot of what triggers the Texas Revolution is involved in this story here,” said Jordan Anderson.

Jordan grew up in Austin, which has been the capital of Texas since 1839, but today he works at the San Felipe de Austin State Historic site, which happened to be the first capital of Austin’s Colony from 1823 to 1836. “I thoroughly enjoy being here because it’s a story that’s not as well known,” said Jordan.

Now before Texas was Texas, it was a part of Mexico, and in order to populate this part of the country, Stephen Fuller Austin was commissioned to colonize it. “Mexico is looking to populate Texas and rebuild the economy, so they do have some stipulations,” said Jordan. “They’re looking for people who are going to be industrious and they’re looking for people who are going to bring their families. Texas in general lost about half its population in the 20 years from 1800 to 1820. They’re looking for families, people who are willing to convert to the Catholic Church, because they are a Catholic nation. There’s this whole story out there that people had to learn how to read and write and speak Spanish. That’s absolutely not the case. They didn’t care what language you spoke in, as long as if you’re communicating with them, it was in Spanish. Stephen F. Austin did most of the communication for you as a colonist, so that was taken care of. And of course, you’re going to be a good Mexican citizen.”

With 1.5 million acres to hash out in Austin’s Colony, he had to set up a center of operations, so San Felipe was established. “San Felipe is the administrative center of Stephen F. Austin’s colony,” said Jordan. “So, any of the colonists or prospective colonists who want to receive land in Mexican Texas, they’ve got to come here and receive approval from Austin himself, or one of his secretaries. And then they start the process of working with the surveyors to issue them lands on behalf of the Mexican government.”

An acre of land cost around $1.25 in the United States back then but in Mexican Texas, it was much more affordable. “You, the colonists, just have to pay the surveyor, the paper, the seal to make it official, and the land commissioner’s time,” said Jordan. “So you’re paying about 47 cents an acre. It’s a really screamingly good deal here.”

Of course, the land was divided up according to what your trade was. “There are two different types of land allotments that you could receive,” said Jordan. “First is going to be a league. So, that’s 4,428 acres, and that’s if you’re going to be a livestock raiser. The other is a labor, 177 acres, and that’s if you’re a farmer. So, the question was pretty much up to you, what of these two things do you want to do? The fee’s dirt cheap, as I mentioned earlier. Most people said they’re going to raise livestock. Some people said, ‘Actually, I plan on doing both. Can I get both allotments of land?’ It’s one of those that never hurts to ask. Worse you can be told is no, because they were told yes.”

Over time, Austin settled over 1,200 families and San Felipe became one of the biggest towns in Texas. “In the run-up to the Texas Revolution, San Felipe grows to become the second largest town in Texas behind San Antonio de Béxar,” said Jordan. “It’s the political hub of Anglo Texas. So, whenever the Anglo colonists have an issue with the Mexican government, they’re gathering here to talk about those issues and sending petitions to the Mexican government. But most of the business that is here has to do with the land business associated with Stephen F. Austin’s empresario grants.”

As Texans started to gain their fierce independent spirit, several attempts to separate from Mexico fell flat here. “San Felipe is where we passed on declaring independence from Mexico,” said Jordan. “We were declaring support for the Mexican Constitution of 1824. We wanted Santa Anna and his friends out, which in 1832 and ’33, we were in support of Santa Anna at the time. So, we liked him for a period of time. There’s even a ball we know of that was thrown in honor of him being elected president here in San Felipe.”

In 1836 everything changed. Texas battled with Mexico and while the Alamo is under siege, San Felipe receives a letter declaring Victory or Death from William Barret Travis and promptly starts printing it. “There’s a printing press in San Felipe, which is printing up all the government documents for them,” said Jordan. “And then later when the government moves and declares independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos, that printing press here is still printing all those documents. So, the Travis letter calling for help from the Alamo, that comes here to San Felipe. It’s then forwarded to Washington-on-the-Brazos.”

At the historical site, there are artifacts that take you back to these historic days of Texas’ past.“This represents the print shop run by Godwin Cotten, who came here with this style press, the Ramage press,” said Jordan. “And he ran the first newspaper, the Texas Gazette, in San Felipe. We actually use everything in this shop. Mark and a number of other volunteers have created some of these form documents, letter by letter. And first, they have to create a mirror image.”

It was from here that the citizens of Texas spread the word about the siege that was already underway. A few days later, Texas declared its independence and the declaration was sent here to once again spread the word. “They declare independence at Washington-on-the-Brazos,” said Jordan. “They send the copy of it down to San Felipe to print overnight, and the printers worked overnight and prints 1,000 copies.”

That same month, San Felipe burned to the ground in the Runaway Scrape as General Sam Houston pushed his forces back to San Jacinto. “It’s a strategic choice, which oftentimes is not a popular choice,” said Jordan.

According to Texas lore, Austin’s nephew, Moses Austin Bryan, refused to start the fire. “So, there’s stories of Moses Austin Bryan having split feelings about what they’re doing to their town, their friends’ businesses, their own homes,” said Jordan. “Moses Austin Bryan actually asked to be excused from service saying, ‘I refuse to burn the town that my uncle first laid off in the wilds of Texas.’”

On April 21st, 1836 Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto and Texas became a country. Stephen F. Austin would pass away in December of that same year from pneumonia. “When Stephen F. Austin dies, Sam Houston even writes in his letters, ‘The Father of Texas has died,’ because Stephen F. Austin spends a lot of his effort trying to guide Texas and the people living here in a positive direction,” said Jordan.

While San Felipe de Austin wasn’t a pivotal point in Texas’ Battle of Independence, it was crucial to the story of Texas, making it well worth a stop on The Texas Bucket List. “To fully understand the story of the Texas Revolution, this place is important and its stories, that aren’t as well-known at the moment, give you the full picture,” said Jordan.

The Texas Bucket List – Magical Winter Lights in Houston

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Houston – When it comes to bright lights in the big cities of the Lone Star State, H-Town rockets to the top with one of the best skylines in the state. And when it comes to Christmas in the space city, there are all sorts of options like the Zoo Lights, the crazy Nutcracker Market, or even the ice sculptures at Moody Gardens in Galveston. But now, you can add the Magical Winter Lights to the long list of things to do in Houston for the holidays. “It’s just a beautiful place to be and something I think once you’ve come, you want to come again,” said Roshelle Salinas.

Roshelle guides guests through this massive display that’s a little bit different than your normal twinkling lights on a tree. “It’s not just a Christmas celebration,” said Roshelle. “It really is representing our whole world and what we have here in Houston.”

These massive glowing displays are called lanterns and Yusi Cheng is the one who had the bright idea of bringing this to the Space City back in 2014. “Yusi’s from Houston, born in China, but lived her entire life in Houston and she really wanted to share this cultural aspect with everyone and you need a large space for it,” said Roshelle. “It’s a very big footprint. So she first started in different areas of Houston, has moved the festival around the city, and now our goal is really to touch everyone in Houston to build memories and create a tradition that we can get everyone from Houston to participate in.”

Turns out these lit up lanterns have a lineage that goes back to Yusi’s home country. “Her family came from the town in China that first started creating these Chinese lanterns,” said Roshelle. “So she grew up going to these festivals in China and really wanted to bring that tradition here to her home in Houston.”

These lantern displays do a great job of showcasing one part of the diverse culture of Houston. “It really pays tribute to the creator’s roots, and I think it’s one of the most detailed lantern sections that we have too,” said Roshelle. “We’ve got the traditional homes, we’ve got the Palace Lantern, the Chinese drums that you can hear that also are to go with the Dragon and the lion dance.”

While these exhibits can be explored during the colder months of the year, bringing these lanterns to life is a process that takes a ton of dedication. “Yusi starts approving designs and looking at creations in the spring, the year before the show, and it takes about 60 to 90 days to build all of this as well,” said Roshelle. “So we bring in Chinese artisans and engineers to actually fabricate everything right here on site live. So it’s not stored, it’s not kept here. They really come and build it this whole time.”

The class on culture doesn’t stop there either, as you’ll also find acrobats and even a cotton candy sculptor who can create some incredibly spherical sweets and some really cool characters too. “They get really creative with their desserts,” said Roshelle.

While mini McAuliffe was ecstatic, we’re here for Christmas lights and don’t fret, you’ll find those here too. “We couldn’t have Magical Winter Lights this time of year, all of November and December without a Christmas section as well,” said Roshelle. “You can even get some Santa photos right here closer to Christmastime too. And with so much detail. I mean I think it was like over 4 million lights in here, but you’ve got the reindeer and Santa’s home, and the snowmen, all the ornaments on the castles. It’s just festive.”

There’s even a section of lights dedicated to the Lone Star State. “Yeah, we got to have some space for two-stepping of course. Well, we’ve got the longhorns, the boots that are full of detail, like a good boot maker. We’ve got the skyline, the football players, the Texas flag. I mean, we got to be patriotic for our state here.”

While I had flashbacks to Qbert watching folks dance, my boy had Saturday night fever on a Tuesday thanks to all the unexpected things you can find here. “You’ll be able to play some Chinese drums and you’ll see some animal life and every little boy’s favorite thing, dinosaurs,” said Roshelle.

While you won’t see Santa on every sign, the Magical Winter Lights do provide a unique way to celebrate the season with the world. “We have one of the most diverse cities in the country and to be able to respect all of the cultures that Houston represents, it’s definitely seen here in Magical Winter Lights,” said Roshelle.

The Texas Bucket List – San Antonio Zoo Train

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San Antonio – Breckenridge Park is one of San Antonio’s most sought after stops in the state.  Since 1899, this 343-acre park has been the place to get back to nature, and over the years it’s added a zoo, a Japanese tea garden, and a train that’s particularly popular with pint-size people.

Nick Lopez is the lead train mechanic for the San Antonio Zoo Train. Nick says that it takes a lot of work to keep the trains operational, and that there’s a lot of hands involved that help give the satisfaction of these rides to riders every day and all year.

Formerly known as the Brackenridge Eagle, the train has been a part of the park for a long time. It started in 1956, and there were over a million riders over the first two years of operation. Everyday, 365 days a year, even on Christmas and Easter, this train takes to the tracks around Breckenridge Park providing riders with a 20-minute escape around the 2-mile track.

During the ride you get to see the parks, the zoo, and the nature of the river. Through trees, tunnels, and past golfers who are trying to concentrate on their game, there are all sorts of sights to see while riding the rails. This simple but satisfying train ride has stood the test of time, creating memories for generations.

Making sure the train is in tip top shape takes place in a shop surrounded by trees deep in the park. Known as the San Antonio Zoo Roadhouse, this is where Nick can get away and concentrate on making sure these little locomotives are ready for a long day of chugging along the tracks. Here’s a certain kind of heartbreak you experience whenever the train isn’t up and running for little riders, so Nick and the rest of the team make sure to take care of issues as quickly as possible.

The memories of the train don’t just sit in the hearts and minds of the kids and families that ride it. They also find a place to pull into the hearts of those who work on it. From the conductors to the ticket takers and the mechanics, this train is special to them too. So for a stop that brings joy to everyone its path crosses, hop on at this stop on The Texas Bucket List.

 

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – Tyler State Park

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Tyler – Texans are used to open spaces. But as the population of the big towns in Texas continue to grow, getting away from the concrete jungles of the Space City or Big D is something the souls of the Lone Star State need once in a while. Fortunately, you can find your own Fortress of Solitude just a few hours away from town, where lanes of traffic get replaced with serene lakes that are surrounded by the sounds of native birds. “It’s very calm out here,” said Boyd Sanders. “You can hear lizards rustling in the leaves. Claws of woodpecker going up a tree. It’s very, very peaceful. It’s really nice.”

Boyd has been a Park Ranger at Tyler State Park since 2007. “My primary job is to explain why these places are so special, why we need places like state parks,” said Boyd. “And I get to show them from the littlest critters to the grandest trees out here and enhance their experience in the park.”

The son of a sailor, Boyd was born in Tyler but moved around the country with his Navy dad until one day, he got to come home. “The day after I graduated, my truck was pointed to Texas,” said Boyd. “It was time to get home.”

While getting back home to the Lone Star State was high on his list, being a park ranger wasn’t.  That is, until he got the job. “I don’t know, I never really thought about being a park ranger, but got the job here and wished, ‘man, I should have been a ranger a long time ago,’” said Boyd.

With a workplace like this, who can blame him? “I tell people I have a room with a computer, but all this out here, this is my office,” said Boyd.

Tyler State Park sits on 935 acres directly north of Tyler. “We have tremendously huge parks and we have little tiny parks,” said Boyd. “This fits right nicely in the middle.”

While most Texans know the topography of our state includes pretty much every sort of landscape, this is all foreign to foreign visitors. “We have people coming from all over the world here and don’t realize Texas has trees,” said Boyd.

What some Texans don’t realize is that these trees actually provide a plethora of seasonal colors. The elusive fall foliage that folks in our part of the world don’t get to see too often. “We all enjoy it, even the staff does, because of how pretty it is,” said Boyd. “We just drive around the park, look at trees. It’s just that expectation of what’s coming. You know it’s going to be beautiful. And then when it starts to turn, there’s a bit of an excitement for that.”

As the crisp fall air cuts through the colorful leaves, you can’t help but stare at the sensational colors and wonder if it’s the serene saturation that’s mesmerizing you, or the complete sense of peace and quiet in these parts. “We’re going to get a beautiful change that really, to me, rivals the stuff that you see up in the northeast on the Appalachian Trail and all those places,” said Boyd.

With hues of gold, red, maroon, or just a random tree changing colors in a sea of green, there’s beauty everywhere you look. “One day it seems like a tree is green. The next day it seems like it’s bright gold. And the next day the leaves are gone,” explained Boyd. “Kind of what it seems like, but it’s a slower process than that. It all kind of depends on how many hours of daylight we have and how cold the temperatures get as to how the trees react. Some of the sweetgums turn a real deep maroon. This is absolutely gorgeous, but the black tupelo trees just turned fire red, and that’s probably some of my favorites.”

Besides the beautiful landscape, the buildings also bring out sightseers. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 40’s, they look nothing like you’d usually see in a state park. “It is more modern,” said Boyd. “Sort of toward the end of the Civilian Conservation Corps time or later in it, some of the young architects were kind of getting tired of the national park rustic. That’s that real pretty log cabin look or stone cabin look. Something that the buildings were made out of the natural resources around the area and looked like they grew out of the natural resources from the area. These are more inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School, so it’s a more modern style. It’s made to complement the landscape and not hide in the landscape.”

While unique and historic, it’s safe to say the natural beauty here steals the show. But you do have to be there on time to catch it. “Starts kind of the end of October,” said Boyd. “Our peak is typically right around Thanksgiving, and then it still has color usually in the first week or so of December. Once these trees are kind of done, it’s time for Christmas.”

So enjoy an early gift before the holiday season and unwrap yourself in the East Texas beauty of Tyler State Park. “To see the beautiful views and to get off the concrete and asphalt, they need to explore,” said Boyd. “They need to get out in the woods, they need to get out in the trees. We were made for this. We weren’t made for high rises and concrete. We were made for woods and being outdoors.”

The Texas Bucket List – Peter Pan Mini-Golf in Austin

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Austin – The ever-changing skyline of Austin is unrecognizable from the college town feel of the 80s.  Watching fireworks from Auditorium Shores was always a highlight of any childhood summer in the state capitol but sitting in that park, you always knew that Peter Pan Mini-Golf was nearby and well worth a visit. “We’re just simple,” said Margaret Dismukes Massas. “Old-school nostalgia is our calling card.”

Margaret grew up in this area and she has seen lots of change. “Things were a lot slower in the ’60s and ’70s, and a lot weirder,” said Margaret. “It’s hard to explain when you drive by these old… Even my old street where I grew up. And it’s like, ‘I don’t recognize this anymore.’”

But there’s been one constant in her life, the putt putt course that was started by her family. “It was started by my dad and his brothers,” said Margaret. “My dad, Glenn Dismukes, two brothers, Jack and Clifford Dismukes, opened operations here in 1948. At the time, it was called Varsity Links. Didn’t look like it does today. Didn’t have all the sculptures, but it was a simple golf course. And over the years, it evolved.”

With the city exploding around it, Peter Pan Mini-Golf gives folks the old school Austin feel. It’s quirky, weird, and a staple that doesn’t change. “There’s an emotional part of ‘This is old Austin,’” said Margaret. “This is the old Keep Austin Weird right here. And people that have been around any length of time, this is what they connect with old Austin. And they’re desperately wanting us not to become another cookie cutter city where everything gets raised and we just build condo buildings, but to keep these things that make it special. By and large, 99% of the comments are, ‘Don’t ever change. Keep it, keep it, keep it.’ So that’s our desire, to keep that for… It’s part of the culture of Austin.”

There aren’t any neon lights, loud music, or animatronic animals blocking your ball from making it in the hole. This is a simple course with a few fun figures that have stood the test of time. “We do have Peter Pan. We do have a couple of pirates,” explained Margaret. “We have Captain Hook and we have Tinkerbell, but then we have a whole bunch of other stuff that’s very eclectic and doesn’t have anything to do with Peter Pan. It was just whatever struck his fancy.”

You see, it was Margaret’s Dad, Glenn, who made all these crazy characters. Each and every one was handcrafted by Glenn over the 60’s and 70’s, and each of them found a place to perch on the hill at Peter Pan Mini-Golf. “My dad is the original artist,” said Margaret. “He did it just as a hobby. Wasn’t his primary occupation, but out in the backyard and in our garage, he was always carving and making new things. He created the Peter Pan, the T-Rex, a whole bunch of the original characters all scattered throughout the golf course, most of them just modeled after a ceramic piggy bank, or Peter Pan was modeled after the Jolly Green Giant on the green bean can. And T-Rex was just… He loved dinosaurs. He had a thing about dinosaurs, so he created the T-Rex. So it’s very eclectic, and we do have an artist now that keeps things painted and maintained.”

While the characters might have a fresh new paint job that’s a funky reimagining on the outside, the spirit of these statues hasn’t changed, and neither has their positions on the putt putt course. That’s especially important for two pieces in particular. “That is the most iconic image that you see all over,” said Margaret. “It’s been used on souvenirs in Austin-centric shops. So that is the most iconic shot, and that’s probably the most sentimental to me, is just standing below and looking up and seeing Peter Pan with the T-Rex towering over.”

With nearly 80 years of history on this hill, the fate of Peter Pan Mini-Golf is the true hazard on this golf course, considering they still have to lease out the land on which the 36 holes sit. “The gentleman that owned the land back in the ’50s, when he died, he left it,” said Margaret. “He didn’t have heirs, and he left it to be used for the benefit of the orphans of Texas. It went into a trust that went to the Texas Youth Commission that has now become the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. So all the monies raised off this property and others that are in the trust all go towards youth programs. We have every confidence that we’ll be able to work with the Juvenile Justice Department and sign another long-term lease like we have in the past.”

So, folks keep putting away and pulling for Peter Pan Mini-Golf to continue its iconic run in Austin. “Well, this is old school mini-golf,” said Margaret. “The people of Austin are really desperate to keep not just ours, but other older businesses like ours. People don’t want Austin to just look like another rubber stamp city, but these are the things that made Austin unique.”

 

 

The Texas Bucket List – The State Fair of Texas

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Dallas – The State Fair of Texas is iconic. Throughout the year, images of Big Tex, Corny Dogs, football, and the fair itself flutter in the minds of Texans ready for the annual fall event. This Texas sized affair wasn’t an overnight success but over the decades it became a destination, and it all started over 100 years ago. “In 1886, a group of businessmen in this area decided they needed to have an exposition, and so it started in 1886 and continued on until what you see at the present time,” said Rusty Fitzgerald.

Rusty is the Senior Vice President of Operations at the State Fair of Texas and he’s been a part of it since 2001. “It’s the most Texan place on earth,” said Rusty. “I always look forward to opening day.”

From making sure all is well in the Midway to maintaining just about every aspect of the fair, Rusty doesn’t let the rust set in during the 24 days of craziness that happen on 277 acres attracting 2.5 million people. “A lot of times, I don’t get in bed before midnight and I’m up at 3:00 AM,” said Rusty.

Only Big Tex is expected to stand taller and longer than Rusty does. One of the major milestones of making your pilgrimage is getting your picture taken in front of this long, tall Texan who happens to say ho, ho, ho before his iconic ‘Howdy!’ “Big Tex started off as Santa Claus in Kerens, Texas,” said Rusty. “Basically, Kerens wanted a gimmick to get people to come to their town instead of going to Corsicana or up to Dallas. So they kind of thought, ‘Hey, we’ll build a giant Santa Claus.’ Well, they did that in ’49 and ’50. They had their big Santa Claus and it worked in 1949. 1950, it kind of worked, but it wasn’t new anymore. And so, in 1951, R.L. Thornton, who was the president of the fair and former Dallas mayor, went down there and purchased Big Tex, or the giant Santa Claus, for $750. He debuted at the fair in 1952, and he didn’t do much. And then in 1953, he started talking.”

In 2012, Big Tex burned down the ground due to an electrical shortage, but he was brought back even bigger and better. “Old Big Tex was made out of chicken wire, baling wire, a little, bitty steel frame,” said Rusty. “Big Tex back then weighed 6,000 pounds. The Big Tex today is an engineered Big Tex. He can withstand a hurricane. Might blow his clothes off, but he’s going to still stand. He weighs 26,000 pounds now. 55-foot-tall.”

With his 95-gallon hat and his size 96 boots, Big Tex is hard to miss. “Now Big Tex, he can wink,” said Rusty. “He can blink. He can close his eyes. He can turn his head back and forth. He can turn his shoulders. His elbow moves so he can point. He can fold these three fingers and he can point at you. So he does a lot more than what the old Big Tex used to.”

Now if you think that’s impressive, wait till you see the Midway. “The atmosphere of the Midway at night, it’s almost like a shot of adrenaline,” said Rusty.

Here you’ll find 74 rides including the Texas Star Ferris Wheel standing at 212 feet, the Texas Skyway transporting folks across the fairgrounds, and the Top O’ Texas Tower that has its own unique distinction. “A world record, most slender, tallest ride of its kind,” said Rusty. “It’s 500 feet tall.”

If you prefer to see things at ground level, not to worry, there’s plenty for you too, including a unique collection of buildings that have been a part of Fair Park for nearly 100 years.

“In terms of Art Deco architecture, this is the largest collection of Art Deco architecture under single ownership anywhere in the world,” said Norman Alston.

Norman, who normally goes by Fred, is a Dallas architect who grew up in Garland. He’s also a Longhorn. “Hook ’em Horns! Yeah,” he said.

The only thing he’s more passionate about is preserving the history of these structures built in 1936 to commemorate Texas’ independence from Mexico. “The Alamo was the place where Texas really found itself and there were a lot of sacrifices made, sacrificed lives to make Texas happen,” said Fred. “The Texas Centennial Exposition, 100 years later, celebrated all the accomplishments, all the freedoms, all the things that had happened because of those sacrifices 100 years earlier. So this is both a celebration and a memorial to those who really gave their all to form Texas, and this was the showplace, in ’36, of Texas. It was one big event.”

Modern, state of the art, and visually stunning, the buildings were central to the celebration. But as the years have gone by, it gets harder and harder to keep Fair Park in peak condition. “When they were built, they weren’t really designed to get much past the centennial, let alone be here for almost another 100 years, so it’s always a challenge to keep those up,” said Rusty.

Fortunately, the fair gives these stucco structures a chance to shine, something chief architect George Dahl wanted to do in a unique way, so he helped create a new sort of style with these projects.

“This is sort of the culmination of a lot of stuff that really weaves into the Texas psyche and the Texas history all the way back,” said Fred. “He refers to this style, this variation on Art Deco as Texanic architecture. That’s a term I like to throw around quite a bit. It is Art Deco, but it is unique to Dallas, it is unique to Texas and reflects a lot of things that he thought were specific for here.”

Symbols of the Lone Star State can be found on every corner mixed in with typical art deco details but the granddaddy of all the buildings is the Hall of State by Texas architect Donald Barthelme. “Everything about it is art,” said Fred. “From the doorknobs and the window hinges to the stone and the light fixtures, everything about that is art.

Surprisingly, Barthelme isn’t credited on the plaque that was placed on the building, but he made sure his name would be associated with the Hall of State in his own unique way.

“So those Texas names you see across the top, he arranged them so that the first letters spell his last name,” said Fred. “Bartholomay. So he worked himself into the building even though he is not on the plaque.”

Now these are only a few of the things that makes the fair so fun and unique, as there’s also a massive car show, where you never know who you’ll run into, and a rodeo of course. But a trip to the State Fair of Texas, ideally for more than a day, is the best way to experience everything this stop has to offer on The Texas Bucket List.

The Texas Bucket List – Maniac’s Mansion in Wichita Falls

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Wichita Falls – Downtown Wichita Falls is full of fantastic stops on The Texas Bucket List. Progress and Provisions, the World’s Littlest Skyscraper, Gidget’s, and the Elvis Always store are a few of the places we’ve checked off the list. But I got all shook up when I heard about an arcade in the Falls that’s fond of another great time in history, the 80’s and 90’s.

Marcus McGee grew up in Wichita Falls. Marcus has an obvious obsession with arcades, and that’s why he opened Maniac’s Mansion. Instead of going back in time, Marcus decided to bring the past back to the present with his unique arcade for kids of all ages.

Over the years Marcus has worked at game stores, arcades, and even the ancient video rental store. In 2010, he bought his first arcade game and started collecting these machines that made so many memories. So Marcus took his nickname from school, Maniac McGee, which happened to be one of his favorite books and combined it with one of his favorite games, Maniac Mansion, to create, well, Maniac’s Mansion.

When dealing with machines this old, it’s inevitable that something’s going to break. Marcus says that each game has its own personality, and it takes a special kind of tender love and care to keep each one running. On the other hand, sometimes all it takes is simply turning them off and back on again.

Now we’ve seen our fair share of old arcades around Texas, but Marcus wanted to make his standout, so he added a snack bar unlike any other we’ve seen. A cereal bar, complete with all sorts of collectible boxes, different sorts of milk, syrups and toppings.

Marcus had his mind set on creating a cereal concoction dedicated to The Texas Bucket List, and decided to go with a red, white and blue theme. Strawberry milkshake frosted flakes and waffle crisps are the cereal base, and those get a pour over of blue milk. That gets topped with whipped cream, strawberries, fruity pebbles syrup and blue sprinkles, and one spoon later you’re ready to chow down on the sweet taste of Texas.

Playing the games of our youth, surrounded by the signs of those times, while chowing down on some seriously sweet cereal definitely takes you back in time. It provides a nostalgic feel that Marcus is happy to manifest.

 

The Texas Bucket List – National Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock

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Lubbock – It doesn’t matter where you find yourself in Texas, you’ll always come across cattle grazing in a field. Ranching and raising livestock have been part of the state’s identity since before we were even a state. In fact, it was the Spanish that first raised cattle down in the Rio Grande Valley sometime around the 16th and 17th centuries. Today it’s a 15-billion-dollar business. With so much history and lore about this little business of beef raising, it’s no wonder that you’ll find the National Ranching Heritage Center smackdab in the South Plains in Lubbock. “We really strive to tell the real story, and it has its own magic of its own,” said Jim Bret Campbell.

Jim is the executive director of the center and he’s been in association management his entire career. “The biggest challenge is always struggling with weather,” said Jim. “And the markets as well as just all the challenges associated with ranching.”

Born in Hereford and a Texas Tech grad, Jim Bret loves telling this tale of Texas since it’s been a part of him his whole life. “Well, it really is the story of us,” said Jim. “Lubbock and the South Plains and really Texas and the West. It was a fascinating period in history. And we wouldn’t exist as a community, as a place here on the South Plains, if those folks hadn’t come before us. We are still an agriculturally supported town and region. A state, a nation that, if we can’t produce food, we’re going to go offshore for that or depend on somebody else. And so for us to be able to produce beef and all of the food and fiber that we do, it’s really critical for us as consumers, but also for people to understand the culture and where they came from. So we think it’s really critical that we tell that story.”

This massive complex has all sorts of incredible exhibits including the costumes from 1883, a show that’s a part of the massively popular Yellowstone series. But what really brings people here is the real story of Texas ranching told through the buildings that were a part of it. “It’s about all I can do to maintain many of these structures,” said Jim. “We have 55 historic ranching structures now and many of which are approaching 200 years old. In fact, I always say I could keep two guys painting all year round because as soon as they finish, they’d have to start over again.”

Started in 1966, the center was the idea of Dr. Grover Murray, the former president of Texas Tech, to preserve a part of the past. “We were really going through a phase,” said Jim. “This was in the mid-1960s. And we were losing so much of the architecture and the history that had originally been developed by the early pioneers that came in to this part of the world. And so there became this really kind of swell of support within the ranching community.”

The ranching industry in Texas as a whole really had to come together to make this project work. “They actually had to establish a committee that began to select which structures would actually be able to be donated,” said Jim. “Because the word started getting around and offers for ranch buildings, houses, pens, barns, came from all over the state. The ranches that donated the structures also donated the funds to actually move and restore it here at the National Ranching Heritage Center, so it really has been a passion project for the ranching industry.”

Moving some of these massive structures was a monstrous task. “This is Los Escobates that originally was on the XIT Ranch,” said Jim. “There were seven main division headquarters of the XIT, and this was one of those. But they all had very similar architecture and served the same function. It would have been built in the late 1880s, and we actually used up until the 1930s.”

As one of the first structures moved to the center, getting it up in one piece was quite the challenge. “It was one of the original structures that was here as part of the National Ranching Heritage Center,” said Jim. “You can see, it’s obviously several hundred tons of rock that really had fallen down. It really was a pile of rubble. Out there when it’s original location. So this one, they kind of had to guess, and so they brought all this quarried limestone back from Deaf Smith County and reassembled it here at the National Ranching Heritage Center.”

This old building even has signs of cowboy life embedded in the walls all these years later. “So apparently somebody had some guns at one time and it probably bore out of entertainment, the cowboys would shoot up the smokestacks on occasion,” said Jim. “But yeah.”

One of the more popular barns has a very famous façade. “This is probably one of the most photographed and videoed ranching structures anywhere in the country,” said Jim. “So this is the original Four Sixes El Barn. It actually housed the ranch horses for many years. It was built in 1908. And it was here, or on the ranch until 1980 when Mrs. Marion, who was the owner of the ranch, donated it to us.”

If you’re especially fond of the exaggerated tales of Texas’ past, you may want to skim over this next part. “Her great-grandfather, Samuel Burt Burnett, was the progenitor of the Four Sixes ranch,” said Jim. “We actually don’t know where the Four Sixes came from. He bought 100 head of cattle when he was 19 years old that already carried the Four Sixes brand. Of course, the legend is that he won them in a poker game with four sixes, but it’s not true. We always hate to tell people that.”

“The Four Sixes really only had one heir per generation,” said Jim. “So it was Samuel Burt Burnett, and then his son Tom, his daughter Ann, and then her daughter Ann. And then obviously when she passed away in 2020, her wish was that the ranch would be sold. Even though she has one daughter. And it was sold to Taylor Sheridan and a group of investors. And obviously Taylor does Yellowstone and 1883 and 1923, many of which have been filmed at the ranch, even before they purchasedit.”

These structures have seen all sorts of people live out their lives in the fields and farms of our state and each one has a unique story. But for Jim Bret, the Pitchfork Ranch Cookhouse has a special place in his heart because he actually got to be part of its story. “So yeah, in an earlier career, I was a writer for the American Quarter Horse Journal, and so I would go out to the Pitchfork ranch, which was just located in Guthrie, Texas, east of here,” said Jim. “And actually, it was doing stories there on the ranch, and I’d get to eat in the Pitchfork cookhouse on a regular basis. These cookhouses were originally built because you’re isolated, you can’t run into Alsups to grab something, or Dairy Queen to grab something to eat. And so, just to keep a workforce, they had to feed their cowboys, in a lot of cases three times a day. But it was also kind of the central gathering place, and that’s where you had community and that’s where family reunions happened and birthdays and Christmas celebrations. And so there’s a lot of history in these old cookhouses. This one was actually built in 1900, and it was in continuous use until 2010, when it was moved here to the Ranching Heritage Center.”

Everything was done deliberately back in those days, from the way you ate to the way you sat. “The ranch manager, who was Bob Moorehouse at the time, he had his seat, and then you went by seniority until the least senior, youngest cowboy was on the far end of the table,” said Jim. “There was a very prescribed way for the way you ate and what order you got to eat. And then you cleaned your own plate and you put it in the sink so that the cook could do the dishes afterwards, and then you went to get to work. Because I was a guest, I got to sit by Bob. But I probably displaced somebody, so I’ll probably hear about it one of these days. Typical chuck wagon cookhouse. But there was always desserts and lots of beef.”

Seeing what life on the range was like during a time when settlers only had themselves to depend on really puts our incredibly easy lives in perspective. It also spurs your appreciation of the path that was paved by the people who made Texas what it is today. “My friend Red Stegall puts it, I think, best is that the struggles of cow country really built its own set of values,” said Jim. “And there was no place for a shirker or a liar at the campfire. So it built integrity, hard work, determination, and grit. That I think are really important today, and I think those are values that we see families searching for all the time. And so if we can help show, this is how our ancestors did it. And those are values that we can take forward too. I think that that’s a really great story for us to share.”

The Texas Bucket List – Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream in Denton

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Denton – Since 1896, the Courthouse on the square in Denton has seen all sorts of things sprout up around it. Education is the cornerstone of this town, as it’s home to the University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University, and North Central Texas College. But these kids need a study break and what’s better than ice cream? Fortunately, folks in this town don’t need to fret because right on the square you’ll find Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream.

Margaret Rich has been a part of Beth Marie’s for 20 years, and her responsibilities involve more than just the ice cream. “I am the area supervisor,” said Margaret. “Slash babysitter. All of these kiddos every day. I have thousands of children in this town by now. I can tell you that.”

Of course anyone who’s worked in ice cream before knows all about the forearm of fire. “I tell every one of the kids the first two weeks that you work here, you’re going to feel some pain in your arm,” said Margaret. “I don’t care if you play softball, baseball, basketball, volleyball, all them balls. You don’t use this one until you scoop ice cream.”

Well if it’s gonna burn, it better be worth scooping and at Beth Marie’s, it is. Since 1998, Beth Maries has been a fixture for ice cream thanks to their assortment of insane ingredients that make up 276 different flavors. “Yes, because we keep creating these crazy flavors,” said Margaret. “There’s not many ice creams that I don’t have.”

Some of these flavors go well beyond your wildest imagination. “We did an heirloom tomato ice cream one time and that one did really well, I would say,” said Margaret. “The corn one was a flop, unfortunately.”

Beth Marie can experiment as much as they want because they make it all themselves. “I truly believe it’s the fresh cream,” said Margaret. “I know we don’t have the big machines either, that a lot of your large companies have. It’s more fresh, it’s more quality. When we’re producing it, it is produced four boxes at a time, which equals up to a five gallon batch.”

This small batch made ice cream is made with 14 percent butter fat and when they add ingredients to the ice cream, they’re all made here too. “This morning though, we did make our apple pie, so you have to bake this,” said Margaret. “We bake everything fresh. Except Oreos. I don’t bake apple pies. I bake my own little creation of an apple pie ice cream. So, we put all this stuff together, we bake it, and then it comes out. We got to let it cool down before we can put it into the cream, and the apples into the cream, so we have apple pie ice cream.”

Ice cream is always a visual experience between all the different kinds, but this selection is crazy. You’ve got the full spectrum of the rainbow here. “We’re going to try the Baa-Baa Blackberry, which is a blackberry swirl with goat cheese and thyme,” said Margaret. “Yes, that is the thyme on top. And I would barely touch that just so you don’t get too much, because you just want that little bit to make it taste.”

That’s a good, not overly sweet, but nice and creamy. And that thyme right at the end, just a nice little hint. That’s really good. I was worried about that one, but that’s good. I feel like I need to finish the book.

The next flavor up got even crazier. “We do have a Hatch Green Chili ice cream,” said Margaret. “We did it with a prickly pear background, and I can say that it’s pretty tasty. It’s got a little bit of a bite to it, but it is pretty tasty. Hatch Green Chili and Prickly Pear. Something a little different here at Beth Marie’s.”

The hot and cold combo of pepper and ice cream works well here with that pear flavor. “You get a little bit of spice in there,” said Margaret. “I have a lot of people talk about how at the end the chilies have a little bit of crunch to them and they like that flavor. I try to stay away from the iciness in the ice cream, but they like that part, so I’m like, all right, we’ll keep it.”

There was one last fantastic flavor to try out of the lineup. “The Texas Honey Whiskey ice cream,” said Margaret. “It is a local made honey whiskey ice cream. The honey is local as well. It’s very popular right now. I have customers say ‘I’m going to get drunk off of that bite.’ And I’m like, oh no, it’s not going to happen. I won’t let you do that.”

Now if you want to get crazy with Beth Marie’s they have a sundae that is too much for most sweet tooths but like they say, everything is bigger in Texas. “We do a crazy Sunday, the K.W. Extreme. So it’s eight big scoops of ice cream,” explained Margaret. “Eight large scoops of ice cream, two brownies, a banana, two cookies, eight toppings, and it comes in this bowl that your whole head can fit into. And I do have people challenge each other to eat this ice cream. And I’ve seen them do it too. When they get the syrup at the bottom and all, I’m like, ‘oh boy.’ There are people out there that can eat a lot of ice cream.”

So if you’re the adventurous type looking a crazy ice cream creation or just looking to cool off with a classic treat in the summer heat, this is the stop to make. “Oh, you find a lot of different kinds of ice creams at Beth Marie’s, which you thought you would never find anywhere else,” said Margaret.