Tight-knit crew strives to keep Oklahoma State Fair sparkling clean

“It really matters to me, people walking away saying ‘This is the cleanest fair I've ever seen,'” Davis said.

Tiffany Sams is new to the cleaning crew.

“I'm liking it,” she said. “I wish I could enjoy it (the fair) but I'd rather have the money.”

Sunday, she was tasked with cleaning the area around the petting zoo and mobile home displays. She said she's paid about $7.25 an hour.

“I listen to music and I interact with people — that's what really gets me through the day,” Sams said.

Tony Alexander has come back for a fifth time this year. The work is straightforward, the lifelong Oklahoma City resident said, driving a golf cart behind animal barns and the occasional steer or sheep. Alexander stops to deliver supplies and keys to other workers in the area. Then he checks the bathroom in Barn 4.

The people he works with make the job worthwhile.

“For 11 days we're like a family,” Davis said.