Beloved Longtime Tulsa Fairgrounds Worker Retiring

Sunday was the last Tulsa State Fair for a man who's been a part of the 11-day event for 32 years.

His departure and dedication is being felt all around the fairgrounds.

Wayne Driggers is one of the hundreds who keep the Tulsa State Fair moving.

As a one of the supervisors for the groundskeepers, he's seen the fairgrounds transform over the past 32 years.

"[From] when I first came, things have really changed,” Driggers said. “We used to have some old barns, and now the facilities are probably some of the best facilities in the country and I think the guys do a great job taking care of them."

If it needs to be picked up, recycled or watered, you'll find Driggers and his team moving around in the background.

"I'm proud of the guys who are behind the scenes... the setup, the tear down,” he said. “They make the things so we can have an event. A lot of long hard hours they just keep going,"

Just about every vendor knows Driggers on a first-name basis.

It's tough for those who know this is going to be his last time working the state fair.

"I am going to miss him, but he knows who makes the best tea out here, don't you?" vendor Tammie Quillman said.

Vendor Adam McKinney, added, "just look around you. Look how clean it is. Look at the flowers. Look at the landscape. I mean, that says it all. That's all you gotta do is look around.”

People who worked with Driggers are going to miss him.

"I think he was a good man, I started out with him," fairgrounds employee Garrett Stapleton said. “He's cool, collected and clam and he doesn't let anything get to him. That's what we love about Wayne."

Driggers is quick to tell you that his success or years served is not all about him.

“We got things done,” he said. “I mean, when we needed to step up and get some things done, we got them done."

It's about the hard-working people he enjoys being around who keep the fair running.

“People are important no matter how you look at it. They're important," Driggers said.