Tiffany Wilkerson leads Arkansas’ 85-year tradition into a new era
As a child growing up in Little Rock, Tiffany Wilkerson looked forward to the annual family trip across the street from her grandmother’s house to the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show.
“We didn’t have a lot of family vacations,” she recalls. “We might have gone to, like, a family reunion over the summer, but the fair — that was the theme park. That was the annual event.”
She wasn’t a thrill-seeker. (“I didn’t even like the rides,” she says with a laugh. “I would get on the merry-go-round, maybe the Ferris wheel, but anything that took me for a spin — no.”) But Wilkerson treasured those visits: “We would walk through the barns; we spent a lot of time on the midway. It was kind of our thing.”
This fall, families will pour through those same gates again when the Arkansas State Fair and Livestock Show marks its 85th year Oct. 10-19. And now, the little girl once swept up in the midway’s magic is the one making it for others as general manager.
Receptionist to ringmaster
Wilkerson’s path to the top wasn’t planned. After graduating from Little Rock Central High, she was raising a young son and looking for steady work. A temp agency sent her to the State Fair office in 2002.
What began as a receptionist job quickly expanded. Over the next 20 years, she did it all — sold tickets in the box office, booked vendors, worked with food and exhibition stands, oversaw gate sales and eventually became box office manager — while still pitching in wherever help was needed. “Multiple jobs at the same time, because that’s kind of what we did,” she says. “And I just loved it. Today, I couldn’t see myself doing anything different.”
When the general manager position opened, she hesitated. “I enjoy being in the background, just getting the job done,” says Wilkerson, who served as interim general manager. But colleagues and board members pushed her forward, she recalls: “They said, ‘You’ve been doing this job. You can do this job.’”
In 2023, she became the first woman, the first person of color and the youngest general manager in the fair’s history. “I’m very proud of those accomplishments,” she says. “But just seeing things get done makes me a little bit more proud.”
Safety and success
Wilkerson knew the fair needed more than operations; it needed renewed trust. “When you talk about the fairgrounds and where we’re located, it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, I’m not going over there,’” she says.
Her answer: a youth curfew requiring anyone under 18 to be accompanied by an adult after
6 p.m. “That youth curfew has really helped us,” she says. “Families shouldn’t feel limited to not come here just because it’s dark out.”
She also strengthened security. “During the fair, it’s the safest place to be in the city,” she says. “On our heavy days, we have over 100 Little Rock police officers, plus state police and our own armed guards. We’ve increased to the same type of (security) detectors that NFL games have.”
The results are clear. Attendance has grown, families are returning, and finances are stronger. “We’re really in the best financial state that we’ve been for in years,” she says. “We’ve made investments you don’t always see, but they’re cost-effective and help us sustain.”
Music, munchies, momentum
Entertainment has always been a centerpiece, and Wilkerson broadened the scope. “It used to be pure country,” she says. “But, the fair is very diverse. So, you have to have a little something for everybody.”
One of her biggest changes has been bringing concerts back to Barton Coliseum, beginning last year. “We hope to grow that, and over the next couple years, you’ll see some bigger shows,” she says. The move indoors also means no more weather worries: “When it was outside, if it rained or lightning hit, the show couldn’t go on, but we still had to pay. In the coliseum, the show goes on.”
This year’s lineup reflects her push for variety: Trey Songz on Oct. 10, Lonestar and David Lee Murphy on Oct. 11, and 38 Special on Oct. 12. New attractions include GASCAR animal races, the Sea Lion Splash, a new petting zoo and acrobatic archer Sara Twister.
Food is still the heart of the fair. While Wilkerson is down for trying novelties, like the fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich she discovered two years ago, she is quick to share her own traditional favorites.
“The regulars — the corn dogs, funnel cake. I have to get a corn dog on the first day,” she says. Her go-to drink is the fruit punch: “I get that probably every day. That’s probably what gets me going; it’s like coffee because there’s sugar in that punch.”
That’s when she remembers to eat during those hectic 10 days. She says with a laugh, “I feel like I lose weight during the fair because I’m moving so much!”
Her fair days start before sunrise with media interviews and stretch late into the night. “I usually leave about 11,” she says. “Long days, but we’ve got it like a little machine now.” While the Arkansas State Fair is her “Super Bowl,” Wilkerson also manages the grounds year-round. As a rental facility, the fairgrounds host a steady calendar of events, from the Arkansas State Championship Horse Show to the Arkansas Craft Guild Christmas Showcase to the Arkansas Big Buck Classic. “The Hall of Industry is rented pretty much every weekend,” she says. “There’s always something going on.”
Community and commitment
The fair’s strength comes from solid leadership as well as strong partnerships. The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas have been steadfast sponsors, backing the event for decades.
Fair board member Rob Roedel, senior director of corporate communications for the cooperatives, says, “Tiffany brings the same excitement and family focus to the Arkansas State Fair that generations of Arkansans remember and still crave today. Her leadership has strengthened this tradition and ensured it continues to grow. The fair has always been about more than rides and food; it’s about families and community.
“That’s why the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas are longtime, proud supporters of this event that reflects the same spirit of community that guides us.”
For Wilkerson, this year’s 85th anniversary celebration is more than a milestone. It’s a continuation of a family tradition she’s lived from both sides of the midway. “I like to see families coming in,” she says. “That excitement — kids running through —that’s my favorite part.”
“I like to see families coming in,” she says. “That excitement — kids running through — that’s my favorite part.”