DALLAS (AP) - As the Texas State Fair comes to a close, one big mascot's absence continues to loom large over the fairgrounds.
    
Fairgoers this weekend lamented the loss of 50-foot-tall Big Tex to a fire. The towering, cowboy-hat-wearing icon of the State Fair went up in flames Friday. All that was left were hands, parts of his shirt and a charred metal skeleton.
    
A makeshift memorial features flowers, candles, corny dogs and a banner that proclaims Big Tex to be "lost, but not forgotten." One attendee, Jill Beam, tells Dallas television station KDFW that she felt like she had lost a family member.
    
Vendor Debra Williams tells The Dallas Morning News that Big Tex merchandise is a hot seller.
    
Fair organizers have vowed to rebuild Big Tex for next year.