The past two weeks since I went from being just a rising senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to an intern with the State Fair have felt less like days and more like minutes. Life with this Deep Fried Crew is a whirlwind, and I still can’t believe I get to be part of it.
Last summer, while Honey Bee was in my seat, I was serving food on a beach boardwalk in California. Sounds crazy, right? It was an adventure to say the least, but it was the adventure that catapulted my love for the fair. While in California, I got a brief glimpse of daily life in the midst of crazy rides, fried desserts and energetic people; I felt like I lived on the State Fair midway.
When October rolled around in North Carolina, I was reunited with all the sights, smells and sounds that I fell in love with over the summer. Standing in line to ride the Fireball and thinking about the fried Snickers I would eat after (key for a successful State Fair experience: ride THEN eat), I truly thought life couldn’t get better.
And yet, it did! Just a few weeks later, I heard about the internship opportunities through the Youth Advocacy and Involvement Office, one of which would allow me to get paid to make people excited about the fair. Now, after a few phone calls, interviews and months have passed, I’ve made it to the dream seat.
My love for the fair has steadily grown over the years, and I’m confident that this summer will skyrocket my State Fair enthusiasm. I’ll be more involved and even more excited than ever, which is perfect, because I want you to be, too. I’ll be working hard with the rest of our crew to keep you updated about what’s happening at the fair this October and things at the fairgrounds until then.
And although it may seem like a long time coming before the fair is actually here, don’t fret. The Deep Fried Crew is by no means waiting idly for Oct. 17, beckoning their intern to fetch coffee. In the two and a half weeks that I’ve been here, they have kept me busy with finalizing advertising for the fall, planning fun social media contests and organizing promotional efforts. Fair season has officially begun in our office, and as fast as the past weeks have gone, I’m sure that things are getting ready to really take off.
Yes, the N.C. State Fair is still an agonizing four months away, but stick around here and I guarantee you’ll feel like you’re part of it the whole year ‘round.
