As Ward Calhoun drives around the Neshoba County Fairgrounds in a golf cart, he waves at passerby and hollers to many familiar faces.

Thousands flock to the Neshoba County Fairgrounds year after year, turning the fair into a small town of its own.

However, every town, big or small, needs rules and law enforcement, and the fair is no exception.

“It’s almost like a small town that comes up out of nothing,” he said. “Within a few days, you have thousands of people and campers and cabins, and we have to keep them safe.”

Calhoun is Lauderdale County’s chief deputy sheriff, but during fair week, he is the Neshoba County Fair security supervisor, in charge of making sure the security side of the fairgrounds runs smoothly all week, and he’s been doing this for a while – 21 years to be exact.

“Watch him… he cheats!” Calhoun yells to a group playing corn hole. They laugh and shake their heads.

These interactions are what Calhoun loves most about the fair and keeps him coming back year after year.

“I look forward each year to Christmas and the fair. It’s just the kind of place where you see children running around having a good time,” he said. “I look forward to seeing people who I’ve gotten to know. There are a lot I don’t see except for the fair, and it’s always fun to catch up.”

On a daily basis during fair week, Calhoun gets up at about 5:30 a.m. to start his day. For about 25,000 fairgoers, there are only 70 security employees, and Calhoun stresses the team effort that goes into making sure the fair runs smoothly.

“For me as a supervisor over security, my focus is on our employees and making sure they have tools and resources to do their job,” he said. “The employees are the ones who do the real work around here – I just make sure they have what they need to get their job done. It’s a big team effort.”

Neshoba County native Jason Gully is working security at the fair for the first time this year, and he can already testify to their teamwork. Calhoun said that it’s helpful that Gully and some other security officers are from this area.

“We go from one end to the other taking care of everybody,” he said. “Diffusing a problem is a lot easier with someone you’ve known your whole life. It helps them calm down a little faster.”

Calhoun said it is also helpful that many of the security officers are former law enforcement officers.

“People like Jason help because he knows a lot of people in the community,” he said. “Having people who are off-duty or retired law enforcement officers also helps because they have training and knowledge of how to deal with people and solve problems. That’s what we do all day long.”

However, Calhoun explained that working security at the fair is a mostly pain-free job because of the fairgoers.

“What makes the fair easy is almost all of the people are here to have a good experience, so they’re very cooperative. The few we have problems with, we deal with it and move on,” he said. “There is so much hospitality here. If you’re thirsty here, it just means you didn’t accept someone’s offer for sweet tea.

He encouraged everyone who comes to the fair to enjoy the experience.

“Our goal is to provide a safe, family-friendly atmosphere,” he said. “Come and enjoy that experience, making lasting memories, and go home and think about coming back next year.”