Just as quickly as it began, heralding the arrival of summer, the San Diego County Fair has ended, moving north along the coast to Orange County.

San Diegans bid a fond farewell to fair institutions, from the bacon-wrapped fried everything to the rides and games. This year, the Student Showcase says a more heartfelt goodbye to its coordinator, Neil Bruington.

Bruington, a Cardiff resident and longtime North County educator, has been working behind the scenes for the fair’s Student Showcase since 1973. Of course at that time, Bruington said, it wasn’t called the Student Showcase; it was called Technology Education. Shortly after he joined the team as assistant to then-coordinator Jerry Bailey, the exhibit was split into two separate exhibits: Technology Education and Visual Communications, which would include photography and graphics, among other visual arts elements.

It would be this exhibit, overseen by Bruington and run by his staff, that would evolve into the present-day Student Showcase. This year, Bruington and his team categorized, catalogued and displayed 8,600 student projects for 286 judges to inspect over the course of four days.

While the showcase itself only lasts the duration of the fair in Del Mar, Bruington’s work begins long before opening day. His position, he explained, involves a lot of outreach not only to schools but other fairs and conventions showcasing types of new and emerging arts. The fair may open its gates in June, but Bruington’s work for the showcase begins long before then. In October, to be specific.

“You need to change the show as the educational system changes,” he said. “There are things that are not being emphasized anymore or things that are not being taught anymore; we have to be able to eliminate the categories we may have had that no longer have high levels of participation. Then again, when we have emerging programs, then we need to be aware of those.”

Bruington’s love for his job is evident even as he sat in the Student Showcase office, pausing to field questions and arrange for shuttle pickups for arriving staff with a smile on his face.

“This whole thing is fun,” he said. “It’s entertainment. It’s really the reason why I work here. It’s a much different culture … It’s a show culture.”

And while he may not have one specific season or memory that stands out as his favorite, he added with a chuckle, “Theres’a always characters; there’s always stories.”

“It’s been a wonderful time,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed all of it.”

Bruington was quick to add that though he is officially retiring from the position of showcase coordinator, he will most likely return to help out with future showcases in some capacity.

His summer calendar may suddenly find itself much more open, but that doesn’t mean Bruington will be slowing down at all, between traveling with his wife and playing tennis, golfing and cycling.

Retiring with him is Sue Moffett, Bruington’s “sidekick and cohort” at the showcase.

Moffett has worked alongside Bruington at the Student Showcase for the last eight years, although she had been involved as a judge prior to that. A former special-education teacher at Wangenheim Middle School in San Diego, Moffett assumed the position of assistant coordinator for Bruington after his assistant stepped down.

“It’s just been so much fun. There’s so many little things to do (and) it’s kind of like a little family,” she said.

Moffett said her favorite memories mainly focus on the students whose art is featured at the showcase. “(We get) grandparents or relatives or neighbors looking for … paintings or photos.”

In conclusion, Moffett said, “It’s really all about Neil. He has just done such a fabulous job creating the showcase over the years. He’s got his thumb on the pulse of the new things that are happening … So it’s going to be hard for someone to fill his shoes.”

Michele Leivas is a San Diego freelance writer