Tractor Pull 
For 50 years, Patsy Rowland has helped welcome fairgoers to the N.C. State Fair. In all that time, she’s seen the fair evolve and learned a thing or two about what it takes to keep the gates moving. Rowland started working at the fair in 1976 as a ticket taker at Gate 11. She was … Read more
For generations, the N.C. State Fair’s Folk Festival has celebrated North Carolina’s musical and dance traditions. This year, the festival is making room for even more talent, expanding its official name to the N.C. State Fair Folk Festival & Performing Arts and adding new opportunities for performers to take the stage. “We want to be … Read more
Since 1993, the N.C. State Fair has hosted Hunger Relief Day, and over the years, fairgoers have donated more than six million pounds of food to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and its partners. It has become the largest one-day food drive in the state. It’s also become a tradition for North Carolinians … Read more
Fairgoers will want to make plans to catch the Morgan Hudson & Company band on Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day at the N.C. State Fair. The Greenville-based group will take the stage on Thursday, Oct. 23, with performances at 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. They’ll be on the Live and Local Curtis Media … Read more
New foods at the N.C. State Fair always get lots of attention and for good reason. New foods are fun and exciting, and many become instant hits. To add to the attention new foods get, the “Media’s Choice Best New Fair Food” is awarded days before the fair begins, and the “People’s Choice” is awarded … Read more
Dana Minette Pierce has been turning colorful pieces of glass into art for nearly three decades, creating small, vibrant stained-glass pieces that are both beautiful and accessible. “I’ve always liked stained glass, but I could never afford it. You know, you’d see the big panels, and they were so expensive, and when I started doing … Read more
At the Oxford Tobacco Research Station, there’s a little more than an acre of tobacco planted each year with one very special purpose. Instead of being destined for market or research trials, the plot is reserved for the N.C. State Fair, where it’s used in the annual tobacco stringing competition and then hung in the … Read more
Nestled in the southern end of Nash County, the Strickland family farm has seen generations of change. Once a tobacco farm, the land is now home to Old Rudera Farm and a herd of Piedmontese cattle, a rare Italian breed known for its lean, tender, and exceptionally healthy beef. Larry and Marina Strickland have spent … Read more
“20,000 pounds for Bryan to come down!” That was a mantra heard across the radio airwaves of central North Carolina this week. It was the go-to saying adopted by the MIX 101.5 (WRAL-FM) morning crew for Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day at the N.C. State Fair on Thursday, Oct. 24. But what did it mean? … Read more
A fun new musical entertainment act called The Strolling Piano is making its debut at the 2024 N.C. State Fair. Fairgoers will find someone seated on the mobile piano while playing it and singing songs. Meanwhile, the piano will take the singing pianist for a ride – moving around in the vicinity or even going … Read more