Author: Caramel Apple

Hello everyone! My name is Emily, but you all can call me "Caramel Apple." Originally from Sampson County, I am currently a journalism student at UNC-Chapel Hill. I am so excited to be a part of the NC State Fair team this summer!

Giants among us: What it takes to grow giant fruits

The N.C. State Fair showcases a variety of fruits and vegetables from across the state each year. The stars of the show; however, are the giant pumpkins and watermelons.  Brandon Huber, a North Carolina State University doctoral student, has always been fascinated by plants, especially those that can grow really large. The Philadelphia native has grown competition-quality giant pumpkins for ten years now, adding watermelons to his agenda once moving to North Carolina. Over the years, Huber has managed to produce several impressive giants. Huber’s largest pumpkin weighed in at 667 pounds, while his largest watermelon was 170 pounds. Huber’s…

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Fair food for the family

The Beaver family has actively been serving N.C. State Fair goers for about 50 years now. Their business, Old Style Foods, can typically be found at many fairs across the southeastern United States. In the wake of COVID-19, the Salisbury natives wanted to find a way to continue serving their North Carolinian supporters in a safe manner. Troy Beaver, the grandson of Old Style Food’s founder, said his father, Jeff, was eager to implement this project after seeing it done successfully elsewhere. “My dad had a friend who did a similar event in New York at the state fairgrounds there,…

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Cleanup with Casey

Wondering what’s been going on at the fairgrounds? Look no further, Casey Cardinal and his friend, Assistant Fair Manager James Romer, gave us a behind-the-scenes look at the renovations taking place at the fairgrounds. Due to COVID-19, nearly 200 scheduled events at the fairgrounds have been canceled so far this year.  With extra time on his hands, Romer has been busy with N.C. State Fairgrounds staff improving the grounds in preparation for the 2020 N.C. State Fair. The fairgrounds crew have checked many things off their to-do list so far, like spreading mulch, painting, repairing livestock pens, and pruning and…

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Introducing… Caramel Apple

Hello, my fellow fair fans! My name is Emily, but I have chosen Caramel Apple as my fair name. I am so excited to be joining the N.C. State Fair team as an intern this summer! A Tar Heel born and bred, it was only right for me to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; I am a rising senior there, majoring in journalism. I have always wanted to have a blog of my own, so I couldn’t be more excited to share a little bit about myself via the Deep Fried blog. As my home state,…

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