Since its inception in 2002, the State Fair Pottery Expo tent has brought the work of dozens of North Carolina potters to Raleigh for fairgoers to admire and purchase for their own collections. The exhibit has grown every year, according to Don Hudson, a Sanford potter who started the exhibit in 2002. In 2023, the … Read more
Having a gameplan in mind can be an important part of visiting the N.C. State Fair, and planning ahead may be especially helpful when it comes to getting to and from the fairgrounds. It’s no secret the weekends are busier days to attend the fair, and traffic can be heavier as a result. A little … Read more
Maintaining a facility like the N.C. State Fairgrounds is quite the task. With over 300 acres, historic buildings and crowds most weekends attending events or the flea market and the annual N.C. State Fair in October, the fairgrounds is a busy place. A new position at the N.C. State Fair looks to see that jobs … Read more
Opening day of the N.C. State Fair is days away, and artisans participating in this year’s Village of Yesteryear exhibit are preparing to educate fair-goers in the State’s largest hands-on classroom. Primitive Naturalist, Jeffrey Gottlieb, will be making the trip to Raleigh from Whittier, N.C., to teach the public how to make Southeastern style moccasins, … Read more
Artist Ken Sims began collecting coins at an early age. His hobby developed out of his love for traveling. He would return from a trip with currency in his pocket and want to keep the coins, whether shiny or dull, to remember his travels, especially foreign currency. “I was in awe of some of the … Read more
Lee LeCaptain loves bringing the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show to the N.C. State Fair. It’s something he first did in the early 90’s. At that time, the show was based in Heritage Circle, and it made use of the pond there. “To me [this fair] is one of the best in the nation. I enjoy … Read more
The N.C. State Fair is full of surprises and hidden gems. When you work at the fair for the first time, like I did in 2019, those things add up quickly. If you’ve visited before, it’s easy to think you know pretty much everything there is to know. If you’ve visited a lot, you learn … Read more
There’s a new building on the fairgrounds for 2021, and a unique element of its design could have you staring at the walls. The new building will generally be called the Natural Resources Center. It’s tucked away in the wooded area in the northwest corner of the fairgrounds, which is called the N.C. State Fair … Read more
Shoppers rejoice! The flea market at the N.C. State Fairgrounds has reopened, and it’s welcoming the public once again – the socially distanced, clean-handed, nose-and-mouth-covered public, of course. Officially called The Raleigh Market these days, it actually re-opened a few weekends ago for the first time since closing because of COVID-19. It will be open … Read more
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 … Read more