2018 N.C. State Fair

Lumberjack Competition showcases talent, promotes environmental stewardship

Candy Apple October 3 October 3

The Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show returns to the State Fair this year with displays that will leave you buzzing from excitement. A 6-man team of professional lumberjacks will chop, saw and roll their way through this highly competitive performance. This year, the show is bringing a new canine competitor to North Carolina: Gracie, the log rolling dog. Gracie is about a year old, and she’s the only silver Labrador log-rolling dog currently performing in lumberjack competitions. She’ll try to stay afloat as the logs do their best to spin her into the water. The Lumberjack Show features events like springboard…

“Touch and See” offers interactive display for Fairgoers with visual impairments

Candy Apple October 2 October 2

The Handicrafts and Hobbies competition showcases the work of some of our state’s most talented painters, wood carvers, quilters, glassblowers and potters. In the Commercial Building, you’ll find handmade items created by young and old alike. However, the displays come with a warning: please don’t touch the crafts. Judith Uhrick, superintendent of Handicrafts and Hobbies, hopes to change that with a new exhibit. She and others developed an idea for “Touch and See” – an interactive, tactile display that makes Handicrafts and Hobbies more welcoming to those with visual impairments. At Touch and See, participants can hold and manipulate different…

Take the Selfie Challenge!

Candy Apple October 1 October 1

Pics or it didn’t happen! The Selfie Challenge is part scavenger hunt and part photo contest. Can you find all 14 items? Participation is easy: Visit the N.C. State Fair Snap a selfie with each listed item Upload your selfies to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and include #ncstatefair in the caption Some items will be harder than others. You’ll have to check the daily schedule for Casey’s appearances at Casey’s Clubhouse. The stilt walkers are a roving act, so keep an eye out around the Flower and Garden Show. Be prepared to stay up late to snap the last item, as fireworks…

60 tons of shavings: The N.C. State Fair by the numbers

Funhouse September 30 September 30

The annual N.C. State Fair is less than 2 weeks away. The fairgrounds crew is busily preparing the grounds for the nearly 1 million fairgoers that will visit during the annual 11-day event. Check out these fun numerical facts about the 151st N.C. State Fair, which runs Oct. 11 through the 21st. 2,855: Number of windows on the exterior of Dorton Arena 1,674: Number of mums ordered for the Flower and Garden Show. Several of these will be used to build the giant mum-tree, one of the fair’s most popular photo spots. 60 tons: And what do you get? All…

RaeLynn & Bucky Covington bring a night of country to Dorton Arena

Fried Oreo September 29 September 28

Country singers RaeLynn and Bucky Covington will be making ties back to their Carolina roots as they perform at the N.C. State Fair in the Homegrown Music Fest on Monday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at Dorton Arena. Here’s a little refresher on the artists: RaeLynn RaeLynn auditioned for the second season of The Voice, where she was given her platform and began her career as a country singer. Since her time on the Emmy-winning show, she has released numerous singles including “God Made Girls,” which was the highest debut single by a solo female upon its release in 2014,…

The art of the N.C. State Fair fireworks

Teacup September 29 September 28

David Davis may not consider himself an artist, but he spends his work days matching up colors and using the sky as a muse. Davis is the facility manager at Zambelli Fireworks, a company the State Fair uses each year to put on the nightly firework displays we all know and love. Designers and technicians carefully plan each show to include an artistic use of colors and sound, and the N.C. State Fair is one of their special events. “The fair is different because we do a fake finale where we shoot multiple shells at a rapid pace, let it…

Comedic duo Rhett & Link bring their N.C. history to the fairgrounds Oct. 12

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Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal may shoot their million-hit YouTube videos in Burbank, California, but the comedians got their humble beginnings just an hour’s drive from the N.C. State Fairgrounds. The pair host a whimsical daily morning talk show on YouTube called Good Mythical Morning, or GMM, which has over 14 million subscribers. Their four channels have a whopping 7 billion subscribers total. GMM has featured notable actors such as Daniel Radcliffe and Amy Schumer, other YouTube stars like Colleen Ballinger of the web series Miranda Sings and even popular young adult novelist John Green. Their one-night-only live fair performance,…

Be a State Fair Adventurer: Earn a ribbon by completing the scavenger hunt

Funhouse September 28 September 28

The Fair makes it easy to have fun and learn something – and anyone can be a State Fair adventurer. Each year the Fair offers two scavenger hunts. One scavenger hunt features questions that relate to exhibits and locations on the fairgrounds. The other is STEM-based and requires some math skills. Print out a copy from our website or stop by the Expo Center to pick one up, and then set off on your quest for answers. Both scavenger hunts take you through many of the educational exhibits on the grounds, where you will learn more about our soil, our forests, plants,…

Between The Buried and Me return home to Raleigh Oct. 19

Candy Apple September 27 September 27

Progressive metal. Metalcore. Avante-garde metal. Mathcore. Thrash metal. While many musical terms can describe the work of Between The Buried And Me, there’s not one that encompasses all they bring to their audience. Internationally-renowned Between The Buried and Me will return to their hometown to grace the stage of Dorton Arena during this year’s State Fair. The quintet – Tommy Giles Rogers, Jr., Paul Waggoner, Dustie Waring, Blake Richardson and Dan Briggs – is set to deliver an ever-evolving performance to the Oak City crowd before embarking on an extensive European tour this fall and winter. BTBAM is not your…

Five things to know about N.C. apples

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Thinking about caramel apples already? If you’re wondering about the popularity of the juicy fruit and how North Carolina ranks seventh nationally in apple production, look to Henderson County extension director Terry Kelley for five facts at the core of the craze. There’s competition in the apple world among varieties. The Red Delicious – one of the most popular and easily recognizable apples in the country – is going out of style, according to Kelley. The Gala variety is surpassing it in common use, but at least the Red Delicious still has its pride. The apple industry in North Carolina…

Category: 2018 N.C. State Fair