Nothing Finer Than NC State Fair
When you think of America you think of deep-fried food and there is no better place to find something deep fried than the North Carolina State fair. For the next 10 days you get to pay $10 at the gate and experience a world of rides, agriculture and food that is never seen anywhere but in the States. Last week I managed to go to the fair twice (two different circumstances) and both instances were a whole experience.
Friday, the day the fair opened, I had work but fortunately they offer a lunch pass option. This is where if you enter and leave between 11:30 – 1:30 you get your money back. For this basically free entry you can go buy food from the vendors or see some of the rides and attractions. On this day I walked round for a solid hour. I managed to buy some deep-fried Oreos and some ribbon fries, both of which were surprisingly pleasant even if they did taste very similar. There was just enough time for me to leave the gate; get my money back and head back to work spoils in hand. My first impression of the fair was overwhelming, I managed to get lost at least once. Also, I found the map to be exceptionally unhelpful and there was nowhere near enough staff to attend to the event meaning there was no one to ask for directions. But, if I thought there were a lot of people on Friday there was twice that on Saturday.
Saturday, I attended all day. I went with friends and arrived at 9am; we didn’t leave until 10 PM. After a full day of sightseeing, shopping and photo taking here’s what I came to find out. Go on a budget, understand that any money you spend needs to be in cash and you want to limit your cash, only take as much as you’re willing to spend. I easily spent $60 on food, drink and official merchandise. Oh, by the way, the T shirt and sticker I got were very cute, totally worth it! Not only were there a lot of things to spend money on there were also a lot of free samples and activities. There was a Bluegrass Music Concert; a 40-foot Smokey the Bear and an open log fire. Take full advantage of the photo opportunities. I picked up some free posters, pencils and a number of stickers for the growing collection. I decided early on that instead of buying Knick Knacks I’ll buy stickers to go on my laptop and whatever journals and notebooks I decide to keep. I also had my first Sno Kone, it was surprisingly pleasant. There were also lots of stalls including: The National Forestry; The Historic Agricultural Machinery area; The Heritage Circle and Village of Yesteryear. The exhibition area relayed information on agriculture and looking after the forest, planet and greater area. This was also the place with the greatest number of free things. There was also a large lake that had a laser light show over it in the evening. Although it was weirdly silent, I would’ve expected some weird, hyped techno music. Some of the more exciting things to see included the animals and the fruits, vegetables, and flowers that won ribbons. At the top of this post is a picture of me with the largest pumpkin. I saw melons and fungi too. There were flower arrangements and single stems that all won awards as well as cacti and aloe vera. Additionally, there were animal auctions and shows. I also went to the piglet racing where not only were piglets raced but baby goats, geese and pot belly pigs. I even managed to get an inflatable pig. He needs a bath in bleach (or in the very least hand sanitizer) but I called him Hammy and he is cute. We rounded the night off by watching the fireworks and although fun they were also in a really weird place, kind of over a car park away from the fair and all the rides. This makes sense but also if you are going to advertise fireworks at least tell the crowd where the best place to stand is, we could have watched them from the car on our way out.
My overall, experience was positive, there was plenty of food and exciting events. There were people in costumes and the traditional fairground games. There was also a heavily cultural aspect which was brilliant and what I was truly excited for, with beautiful garden shows and giant produce. Committing to the whole day was an experience, especially when I had to get a coach at 3:45am the next morning but really, I would recommend the fair whole heartedly. Where else are you going to see the largest cross section of people (and prize winning agriculture) in any one state?
