City leaders and members of Dallas’ Park Board joined the South Dallas community on Saturday for a ribbon-cutting marking the end of renovations of the Cotton Bowl stadium’s west side.
City Council members, including Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno, spoke about their personal connections to the iconic venue and Fair Park. Moreno proposed to his now-wife at the park. Council member Kathy Stewart had one of her first dates with her now-husband there.
Council member Adam Bazaldua, who represents the district where Fair Park sits, said his father used to wait in line at the Cotton Bowl in hopes of selling hot dogs for the Cowboys games. Bazaldua said he also taught his daughter to ride a bike on the park grounds.
The $140 million stadium makeover was more than a facelift for the 95-year-old structure, Moreno said.
Texas College Sports
“It’s about revitalizing a neighborhood in Fair Park as a whole,” he said. “These upgrades will help bring more world-class events to Dallas, boosting our economy and supporting jobs.”
Related
Bazaldua said he also believes the continued investment in the Cotton Bowl and Fair Park will make the South Dallas landmark a destination that can compete against the region’s other venues.
“We are a competitor now. Did you hear me, Jerry Jones? We are a competitor,” he said.
After listening to speakers chronicle the significant cultural events that the Cotton Bowl once housed, attendees took a guided tour of the stadium’s renovations, including rides up escalators to a third-floor balcony with a view of the Dallas skyline.
Outgoing Park Board member Tim Dickey marveled at the renovations he, in part, helped spark. The longtime advocate of Dallas parks was instrumental in working with state legislators, city leaders and the community to make the funding possible for park venues like the Cotton Bowl.
(From left) Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Moreno, council members Paul E. Ridley and Kathy Stewart and Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert listen during the ceremonial ribbon-cutting for Fair Park’s newly remodeled Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Years ago, Dickey said, he saw the need for large investments in this park. It was a moonshot, he said, for all the pieces to fall into place to help Fair Park.
Sustaining investments in the park over the next 100 years could face fewer hurdles with the support of City Manager Kim Bizor Tolbert as its leader, Dickey said.
“The city needs to invest in Fair Park. The other buildings are still falling apart,” Dickey said. “The [deferred] maintenance needs are phenomenal. So the city really needs to make the financial commitment in the future years. This is kind of a beginning, but we’re hoping the city will step up.”
Asked if he thinks the city of Dallas will keep its commitment to Fair Park, Dickey said: “It’s Dallas, right? You never know. I think they will, because it’s just too important an asset to not. We can’t let it fall apart.”
Johnson: Fair Park holds a central place in Dallas’ civil rights story
The 1971 Cotton Bowl Parade was the moment equality started winning.
Big Tex rises as State Fair of Texas readies for its 73rd year
The 55-foot cowboy makes his debut fairgrounds a week before opening day.
First look at newly renovated Cotton Bowl: Transformation meets historical preservation
The Dallas Morning News got an exclusive two-hour tour of the historic Cotton Bowl’s $140 million extreme makeover.