Tag: Carol Turner

Livestock Special Awards Show celebrates 20 years

It’s impossible to talk about the N.C. State Fair Livestock Special Awards Show without talking about longtime participant Mike Smith. Smith started attending livestock shows with his nieces in the 1980s as they exhibited livestock in the youth shows. But as he traveled with his family to livestock events across the state, Smith, who has Down Syndrome, never had the opportunity to participate in a show. He helped behind the scenes by keeping the stalls clean. At the 1996 N.C. State Fair, Smith was given the opportunity to walk a goat through the show ring before the shows started. A…

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Behind the scenes with…Carol Turner, livestock office manager

What began as a temporary gig helping a friend, has turned into 25 years of service for Carol Turner, the N.C. State Fair livestock office manager. Carol oversees a six-person staff and coordinates with superintendents for each of the animal species during the Fair. For the past several weeks, she has been camped out in the Gate 9 ticket booth preparing for this year’s show. Her staff will join her in the Graham Building after Labor Day, where they’ll remain throughout the Fair.  One of the biggest challenges for Carol this year is converting the old entry database to new software. The software, Blue Ribbon, will be used to…

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