www.fairpark.orgLooking for the Woofus? Well a reproduction of the Woofus, a "composite animal fountain," was created in 2002 by sculptor David Newton. It stands outside the Swine Building and opposite the Livestock Arena corral on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. in Fair Park. The original, made in 1936 by Lawrence Tenney Stevens for the Texas Centennial Exposition, was removed from its 16-foot tall pedestal in October 1941, after workmen building a new livestock arena accidentally damaged the statue's nose with a steel beam. For years afterward it was rumored that it had been removed and destroyed in deference to one or more religious groups, who viewed the odd creature as some sort of pagan idol. No one seems to know what became it after it was stored away. Maybe it is collecting dust in some remote corner of a forgotten warehouse somewhere.
The Woofus (the origin of the name is uncertain) is an amalgam of 6 animals: It has the head of a sheep, the neck and mane of a horse, the body of a hog, the wings of a duck, the tail of a turkey, and the horns of a Texas longhorn (they span 10 feet). If you take a look at the back of the statue, it is evident that the Woofus is male.During the State Fair a stream of water spurts from the Woofus' mouth and into the fountain below. Made of bronze and concrete, he weighs nearly 3,000 pounds (that's one and one-half tons!).The move to replace the Woofus was started in 1997 by Friends of Fair Park executive director Craig Holcomb. Over a period of five years, more than $60,000 was raised from private donors, much of at dinner parties where the guests were called upon to sing "The Woofus Song," the chorus of which includes the words, "Oink, quack, neigh!"
Fair Park - A Cultural & Entertainment Center was founded in 1904. Located just east of downtown Dallas, Fair Park is home to nine museums and six performance facilities, including the Music Hall, Smirnoff Music Centre, Band Shell and the Cotton Bowl Stadium. Special features include the Leonhardt Lagoon, Texas Vietnam Memorial and the Smith Fountain. Over 749,000 square feet of enclosed space can be leased for exhibits, markets, festivals and sporting events. Over six million people visit Fair Park annually, with 3 million attending the State Fair of Texas for four weeks each fall. Fair Park is a 227-acre National Historic Landmark, owned by the City of Dallas and operated under the management of Fair Park Administration a division of the Park and Recreation Department.
Fair Park has over 500,000 sq. ft. of outdoor malls, plazas and festival areas for your special event needs.Fair Park is one of Dallas' hidden treasures. It is a central location to spend the day relaxing and learning about the rich history of the city. Fair Park has the largest collection of 1930s Art Deco architecture in the United States and is the only unaltered pre-1950s World's Fair site in the nation.
