On Friday, the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony kicked off another year of rides, games and food at the North Carolina State Fair. The fair opened to the public Thursday at 3 p.m., and will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight every day except for Sunday, Oct. 23, when it will close at 11 p.m. Last year, the event drew more than 1 million people from every corner of the state, and for NC State students, it’s a mere bus ride away.
Due to the traffic-congested streets and full parking lots, the State Fair bus is often the best way to get to the fair. The bus will follow a route down Hillsborough street and loop around downtown Raleigh before heading to the fairgrounds.
The fair offered student incentives over the weekend such as the Friday Frenzy, where students were able to purchase tickets for five dollars.
“The closer you get to the end of the fair, the higher the attendance gets,” said Heather Overton, a public information officer at the State Fair press office. “So Friday Frenzy would be a great day to come because it’s not going to be as busy as the last weekend of the fair.”
This year’s fair will feature several new rides, events and food stalls, including NC State’s own Howling Cow ice cream stall run by the food science department. NC State’s 4-H club will also be involved in the ribbon-cutting ceremony and will have a display in the education building. The Animal Science Club will be present at the State Fair as well, helping visitors milk cows.
In addition to NC State’s contributions, the fair will feature many more novelties such as the largest pumpkin, watermelon and unusually shaped vegetables in the Exposition Center, a stunt show, a music festival with more than 117 concerts and 98 rides.
“There’s something for everyone,” Overton said.
One of the most prominent additions to this year’s State Fair is the 108-foot Ferris wheel, and the State Fair flyer, which is the State Fairground’s first permanent ride. This ride gives visitors a ski-lift-like leisurely seven-minute ride stretching 1,400 feet across the fairgrounds. This is also the fair’s first year of presenting laser light shows over the fairgrounds’ lake, which will take place nightly from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Coupled with these new attractions, the fair will have its longtime favorites, such as the blue ribbon winners in the Exposition Center and Heritage Circle, which features a working tobacco barn, an old schoolhouse and a John Deere ice cream stand.
“There’s certain areas that when I come here, I just know that I’m not going to have my full fair experience until I do them,” Overton said, describing how she enjoys visiting the blue ribbon winners and Heritage Circle year after year.
The Howling Cow ice cream stall is located in a tent near the Grandstand, and is proudly presenting its new ice cream flavor, Caramel Apple Crisp. This is the first year the stand is under a tent rather a building, but business is still booming at the fundraiser of the year for NC State’s food science program.
The education building houses blue ribbon winners of everything from cookies to quilts, and the 4-H displays. 4-H is an agriculture-focused youth service organization that has a local chapter at NC State. These displays showcase chapters and clubs from all over the state, which regularly participate in community service projects. In addition to the county exhibits, 4-H also has a statewide crafts, photography and entomology competition at the fair.
The Animal Science Club’s cow-milking station at the ark is a tradition that has been going on for longer than the volunteers can remember, and is a surprising source of education for children and parents alike.
“For adults, just helping them understand misconceptions, myths and facts about the agriculture industry and using examples they can relate to help them understand where their food comes from is a great part of this,” said Taylor Knittle, a senior studying animal science.
The milking station may look relatively simple to fairgoers, but there’s a large amount of dedication and teamwork that ensures the exhibit’s smooth operation.
“There’s a committee of close to 10 people who do a lot of work to put it on, and once it starts we have probably 50 people who come from our club and volunteer to help teach kids,” said Olivia Wedegaertner, a senior studying animal science.
“We’re really just proud to be one of the many faces here of NC State and of agriculture,” Knittle said.
The North Carolina State Fair will run for two weeks and will close Oct. 23. Additional information can be found at www.ncstatefair.org.
Alexandria Plisko, a sophomore studying in food science, scoops ice cream at the Howling Cow booth at the North Carolina State Fair on Friday. Alexandria is member of the Food Science Club, which runs the Howling Cow booth at the fair each year. Howling Cow was put in a larger booth this year in order to account for its huge popularity at the fair. The booth will be open until the fair ends on Sunday.
