Tag: Employee Profiles

New fairgrounds police chief settling in just in time for GTBNC festival

The N.C. State Fair has a new police chief who’s just getting settled into the job in time for the Got to Be NC Festival. Anthony “Tony” Prignano started on April 25. Technically, his job title is Public Safety and Security Chief, and it’s a shift from his decades of work in the Durham County Sheriff’s Office. “When I retired from the sheriff’s office in March at age 53, I didn’t want to just quit working,” Prignano said. “I’ve been in in law enforcement for nearly 30 years. It’s not just something that leaves your blood. When it comes to…

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Advice from the Deep Fried rookies

The N.C. State Fair is full of surprises and hidden gems. When you work at the fair for the first time, like I did in 2019, those things add up quickly. If you’ve visited before, it’s easy to think you know pretty much everything there is to know. If you’ve visited a lot, you learn even more and find even more surprises and gems over the years. I can say I learned a lot by working at the fair and being inside the gates for all eleven days in 2019 (plus a week before opening day too). I wasn’t alone…

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Employee Profile: New assistant fair manager James Romer brings passion for fairs

New assistant fair manager James Romer has developed many passions, from collecting rocks to horticulture and gardening. However, when it comes to his love for fairs, Romer said it just got into his blood as a child and has been there ever since. “Some of the best days of my life have been spent at fairs,” Romer said. “In fact, I met my wife at a county fair in Iowa. Fairs are always going to be special to me.” Romer’s experience with fairs began with his parents who, in 1965, began raising and showing dahlias at local county fairs and…

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