TYLER - John Sykes, the president and CEO of the parent company which produces the long-running East Texas State Fair and Academic Rodeo in Tyler, is the recipient of the Hall of Fame/Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Association of Fairs and Events.
The honor recognizes Sykes for his “selfless efforts, leadership, monumental contributions and devotion to the fair and events industry.” He was presented the award Jan. 9 at the TAFE’s annual convention in San Antonio. Formed in 1926, the TAFE promotes the value and traditions of Texas fairs and festivals.
“It’s the highest honor I could possibly ever receive in Texas regarding the fair industry, and I’m flattered,” Sykes said.
A Texas A&M University graduate with a career background in cattle ranching and farming in Brazos County, Sykes moved to promoting the U.S. pecan industry in international markets and in this country. He later returned to his alma mater to become legislative liaison for the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service and director of the Texas Agricultural Lifetime Leadership program.
Sykes entered the fair industry in the early 1990s as assistant general manager of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, where he was a member of the team that built NRG Stadium and NRG Center as the event moved from the Astrodome and Astrohall.
Since 2006, Sykes has headed The Park of East Texas, which produces the iconic East Texas State Fair. The Fair celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2015 and was named one of Texas’ Top 10 festivals and fairs by the “Only in Your State” website. More than 260,000 people passed through the fair gates last September.
Sykes said the Fair is the largest event of its kind in the region and has more than doubled its economic impact during his tenure, generating close to $9 million a year for the Tyler community.
A nonprofit organization designed for charitable and educational purposes, the East Texas State Fair has awarded $413,000 in scholarships since 1992.
Sykes said that with community support, The Park of East Texas hopes to one day develop a new year-round entertainment district in Tyler that would become the new home for the Fair.
“The facilities at the current fairgrounds are completely worn out,” Sykes said. “Being such a family event and an economic powerhouse, the Fair needs new facilities.”
Sykes is a former president of the Texas Association of Fairs and Events and a former member of its board of directors. In 2004 he received the group’s Fair Manager of the Year award.
His induction into the state organization’s Hall of Fame comes on the heels of his election in 2015 as chair of the International Association of Fairs and Expositions.
Sykes has a son, Clint, a daughter, Kristi, and three stepdaughters, Calder, Tillye and Blythe. His wife Delane is a former senior policy adviser at the Texas Department of Agriculture and a former official with the Texas Comptroller’s office. They live in Tyler.
