Image via Tulare County Fair Facebook page

After leading the work to get the Tulare County Fair back on its financial footing over the past several years, CEO Pamela Fyock has decided to move on.

She submitted her letter of resignation last week, and work will begin soon on finding her replacement.

“It was a great experience,” Fyock said in a phone interview Thursday, her last day on the job.

As for Fyock’s time running the Tulare County Fair, “The fair was not in good financial health when Pam came on board,” said Gary Castro, president of the fair’s board of directors, in a press release.

Fyock was more direct in her assessment, saying, “The fair was broke — $420,000 in the red,” and the fairgrounds in Tulare were rundown.

Castro goes on to say about Fyock that “under her guidance, the fair became fiscally sound, she brought large-scale events to the fairgrounds and she has overseen significant improvements to the grounds.

“Today, not only is the organization out of the red, she helped to put us back in black. We are grateful for the outstanding support from the Tulare County Fair Foundation board members, who generated funds needed to make the grounds improvements possible. We also appreciate the support of local government, law enforcement, community partners, county leaders, sponsors and vendors,” he added.

The Tulare County Fair board is working closely with the California Division of Fairs & Expositions in launching the search for a new CEO next month, the board press release states.

“Given the number of fairs across the western U.S., we are confident that we will find the right fit, and we will continue to deliver a great family-focused fair that honors our agricultural heritage,” Castro said in the press release.

As for her immediate plans, Fyock will not actually be gone, as she said she’ll continue working with the Tulare County Fair Foundation, the nonprofit that supports the fair.

While running the Tulare County Fair, Fyock has simultaneously managed the Sacramento County Fair, a job she said she will continue to hold.