TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa State Fair may be over, but there’s one takeaway from the midway that is keeping the spirit alive for years to come.
It’s an experience like no other: the Tulsa State Fair. From games and rides to the sweet smell of fried food, for 11-year-old Natalie Rice, nothing comes in comparison to the person she met on the midway when she was two years old.
“Why do you love the Tulsa State Fair so much,” 2 News asked.
The reply from Natale was priceless.
“Because I get to go see him,” she said.
Cpl. David Burns with the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office is Natalie’s "fair favorite" for the last nine years.
“The first time I ever saw her, Deputy Cherry and I were walking our assigned areas at the Tulsa State Fair, and I felt this tiny little tug on my pant leg, and it was so slight that I ignored it the first time,” Cpl. Burns said.
Natalie, who was two at the time, was eager to meet an officer of the law. She tugged a little harder the second time.
“I looked down and here was this cute little person about this tall,” Cpl. Burns said. “She wanted to show me the toys she had won at the fair."
The connection was instant.
“She had me wrapped around her finger in a millisecond,” Cpl. Burns said.
Natalie's mom snapped a picture of the two, capturing a moment that would live on for the next nine years. Each year, a new photo with the same old friends.
“It’s the highlight of my year,” Cpl. Burns said. “It is what I look forward to most of all, is getting to see her at the fair."
The feeling is mutual.
“Even though I see him about once or twice a year, it still makes me happy inside that me knowing I can text him every day, saying hi, and knowing I have a best friend that has my back 24/7,” Natalie said.
Cpl. Burns said he’ll always be there for Natalie.
“I’ll be here for her the rest of her life, so whatever she needs from me, if she ever needs me, all she has to do is call,” he said.
To prove that bond is true, Cpl. Burns presented Natalie with a token of his friendship, bringing her to tears.
"I give what is called a Dragon Coin to my shift, and it is for outstanding work by one of my deputies,” Cpl. Burns said. “So once a month I give these out to only law enforcement, and I want you to have one. You will be the only non-law enforcement for the rest of my life that will ever receive this."
Natalie broke out in tears, thanking Cpl. Burns for the honor.
The afternoon was followed by a special behind-the-scenes look at TCSO headquarters.
"I would love to be a police officer,” Natalie said.
This noble career paved no doubt on the midway at the Tulsa State Fair, and it all started with a slight leg tug from a curious 2-year-old.
"He's not just my best friend,” Natalie said. “He's way more than that and nothing can change that."
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