Garland is tipping its hat to history — literally.

The city will unveil its newest landmark, a massive 20-foot-long cowboy hat sculpture in the heart of Downtown Garland.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27.

Fittingly named The Big Hat, the installation celebrates Garland’s official title as the “Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas.”

“I mean, we have a hat that even Big Tex would approve of,” said Amy Rosenthal, Cultural Arts Director for the City of Garland.

The sculpture, designed and built by Mello Signs of Fort Worth, arrived on Thursday aboard an extra-wide trailer. Now, it stands proudly near the city’s historic rail yard, just blocks away from where some of the world’s most iconic cowboy hats have been made for nearly a century.

“A couple of years ago, we renovated our square. We’ve got all kinds of live music happening, and great places to eat. And so, we wanted to add a special project. We worked with the Texas Commission on the Arts and the Garland Cultural Arts Commission to create the biggest cowboy hat in Texas,” said Rosenthal.

Since 1938, Garland has been home to leading hatmakers, including HatCo, Inc., Master Hatters of Texas, and Dorfman Milano.

That long legacy has made the city home to worldwide brands like Resistol, Stetson, Justin, and Scala.

Their craftsmanship has reached far and wide, outfitting everyone from Hollywood stars like John Travolta in Urban Cowboy and Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing in Dallas, to U.S. presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush, and music icons ranging from George Strait to Beyoncé.

City of Garland

City of Garland

The hat sculpture recognizes a hat history like no other.

“This is a permanent installation. So, it’s got lighting trimmed, and at night, it will come alive to help kind of entertain people when they’re downtown in Garland at night.”

The unveiling on Saturday also coincides with the opening of Hats Off to Garland, a new exhibit highlighting the city’s influential role in shaping cowboy culture.

For more information about the history of hat-making in Garland, click here.