It’s me again, Fried Pecan Pie (aka Sydney Phillips)!
With the end of the 2025 State Fair so ends my time as the State Fair’s Public Relations Intern. Although it’s bittersweet to have to say goodbye I can’t help but look back on my time with the agriculture department and the experiences I’ve had fondly.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve thought of myself as storyteller. Back when I was little I would scribble out stories on colored construction paper, convinced that I was going to be the next “Great American Author.” Somewhere between then and now that dreamed has faded (keep an eye out in your local Barnes & Nobles, though, you never know) but my love of storytelling has only grown stronger.
When interviewing for this position what seems like forever ago, I told my soon-to-be supervisor Heather that one of the main things that I’d be interested in doing during my time with the State Fair would be telling the stories of the people behind the State Fair. Sure enough, I spent my summer doing exactly that. The “On the Road” series I spent this summer goes behind the scenes to tell the stories of everyone from the State Fair police chief to fan favorite food vendors.
Some of my favorite memories from this past summer come from the interviews I conducted and the opportunities I had to take photos. I spent countless hours interviewing people from all kinds of walks of life to learn about all the work that goes into the State Fair and what they love most about what they do.
When I wasn’t busy writing up articles about the people working behind the scenes to make the fair the success it is, I had the opportunity to talk to farmers from across the state and learn more about the world of N.C. agriculture. As a city girl myself, I didn’t know much about all the effort and dedication that goes into the work that our farmers do when I started out this summer. By the end of July, however, I learned more about agriculture than I ever could have imagined.
I’ll miss going into the office each day and talking with my supervisors Heather and Andrea. During my time with the Ag Department both of them became invaluable mentor figures and offered me advice that I’ll never forget. For the rest of my coworkers I’ll miss the many conversations we’ve shared about everything from agriculture to Tarheel football (no, I do not want to comment on how our 2025 season is going so far).
During this experience I’ve learned enough about agriculture to last me a lifetime (largely in part thanks to Brandon, who for some reason has a sesame plant in his office) and there’s still so much left that I don’t know. Serving as the public relations intern has played an important role in shaping my future goals and career and I know that the lessons I’ve learned during my time here will better prepare me for a future career in the public service field.
Although my time as the State Fair public relations intern has come to an end, this is far from the end of my involvement with the fair. Come next year I’m sure that I can be found somewhere on the fairground probably snacking on some hushpuppies or sharing a funnel cake with a friend. If you hang out in the Village of Yesteryear you’ll probably catch me walking through with my mom pointing out all the crafted items that I want to buy (alas, I am still a college student on a tight budget so the chances of me walking out with everything I point out is slim to none.)
“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
– Winnie the Pooh
Until we meet again,
Fried Pecan Pie