Returning Line-up

One of the more difficult jobs at the Fair is trying to determine the right balance for the grounds entertainment. We want to keep things fresh and bring in new acts, but also keep in mind that fairgoers create traditions of going to see certain acts year after year.

This balancing act falls in the lap of our Assistant Fair Manager, Mike Pleasant. Mike has to decide when an act has run its course or when to bring it back. Sometimes that means not booking a favorite act for a year or two. Or in the case of an act like the racing pigs, bringing them back year after year after year. (I remember my second year in the press office, then-assistant manager Wesley Wyatt didn’t book the racing pigs and put marionette puppets in their place. Talk about instant feedback! The message was clear — don’t mess with the racing pigs!)

Here are some of the acts that are returning to the State Fair this year:

The King Action Sports Bicycle Stunt show

The King Action Sports Bicycle Stunt Show

Circle C Racing Pigs (and racing geese and pygmy goats, too)

Circle C Racing Pigs (and racing geese and pygmy goats, too)

Michelle's Magical Poodles

Michelle's Magical Poodles

Rock-It the robot

Rock-It the robot

Hubba Bubba the Clown

Hubba Bubba the Clown

We’ll be announcing more grounds acts soon. Some are returning after a hiatus and some are gonna be brand new.  So, what do you think? What’s your favorite act at the Fair?

About Firecracker

Firecracker (aka Jen Kendrick) Appears as a guest blogger with a special 22-year history with the State Fair. She now works with the N.C. Pork Council, but she still lends a hand in the press office when she can. Thanks, Firecracker!

21 Comments

  1. Sara Duprey

    Favorite act? It’s got to be the racing pigs, hands down! The whole family, even grumpy Dad, loves them (the proximity to the giant eclairs doesn’t hurt either!) Also, one year you had racing ducks separately. What happened to them? The highlight of my daughter’s day that year was to be able to hold a squirming duck before letting it go to “race.” We looked for them the next year (and all subsequent years), but they weren’t there. We like all the animal acts, like the painting pig and the performing poodles, and never fail to visit the NCSU chicks and ducklings, petting zoo and Bunny Barn. Animals and the State Fair just go together.

  2. The show at the NC State Fair is always one of my favorite performances of the year …always fun to be at home performing . I look forward to getting Hubba Bubba back out to our show to Participate again …..we may need to incorporate more of the ground acts in the show this year .

    Check out the recent article in a Greenville, NC Paper :

    http://www.reflector.com/mixer/greenville-pros-perform-at-king-bmx-stunt-shows-579027.html

    see ya at the fair ! Keith

  3. my favorite show is deffinately King BMX! (:
    I have been going to their show at the fair for years!
    you cant have the NC Fair without it!

  4. The KING stunt show is just that: KING. I mean, its the best time on two wheels. Kids love it. Adults love it. Heck, even the racing pigs love it.

    Every year, this is the first show and the last show I attend at the fair. Nothing like chewing on a caramel apple while watching a guy defy gravity and other known laws of physics with both his body and his bike.

    Glad to hear its back. I hope it never leaves.

  5. Favorite is definitely the King BMX show!

    I’m glad to hear that it’s back and I always lamented the one year they were replaced by the Clay Aiken fad. Now who do people remember more? Definitely keep the King show on the NC State Fair schedule forever!

    It’s great entertainment for the whole family and the guys put on a fantastic show. I’m looking forward to the festivities.

  6. King BMX! Always good crowds and one of the most enjoyable shows to perform at! With out the King BMX Stunt Show at the NC State Fair it just wouldn’t be the same.

  7. Keep bringing back KING BMX Stunt Show!! My entire family loves to watch their exciting show, and the riders are always willing to take the time to chat with the kids afterwards.

    If Hubba Bubba can’t make it, maybe Rock-It the Robot can participate in the show??

    Rock On !!!

  8. My kids and I are very glad to see Hubba Bubba and Rock-It Robot returning to the fair! Hubba Bubba has a way with kids (and grown-ups) that just rocks. Definitely my favorite clown. And it’s just plain fun to watch Rock-It interact with kids and adults. Ya just gotta stop and get off your feet now and then and these two shows are clearly my favorite sit-down-and-laugh spots! Thanks for bringing them back again!!

  9. I enjoyed seeing Hubba Bubba almost as much as my kids. Hubba’s show will be one of the first stops for us this year.

  10. YES!!! I would like to see the BMX show back again. It is now a staple at the NC state fair. I would like to see it in another area on both weekends. I remember back in 1998 it was on the other side on the Arena. It should be a show case even. Maybe in the Arena. The BMX show has always packed the stands. They leave you wanting more too. Great for all ages. It is both improv and very professional. A must see for anyone who had not seen it yet. Great group of guys great with the kids, signing everything in sight.

  11. Mike Mancuso

    The King BMX show is the best show at the NC state fair! I always leave with tons of great pictures and video to share with everybody.

  12. Keith King Stunt Show… first!
    The racing pigs, next.

    I am not a fan of Rock It the Robot 🙁

  13. thom giordano

    Definitely Rockit !!!

  14. Can I just vote for them all? 🙂 I love the diversity in the acts. Each one appeals to so many. It’s truly hard for me to decide. But, if I have to take my pick, it would be…..the racing pigs. Then, Hubba Bubba the Clown. Those are my two choices.

    Can’t wait to hear about the musical acts too!

  15. Circle C Racing Pigs all they way!

  16. I wish you would bring back the lumberjacks!! My sons love BMX riders though!!

  17. Beth Elmore

    We love the racing pigs! They are from Catawba County!

  18. the bmx bike show is the boom next to the demo. debry

  19. WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME GOOD MUSIC ACTS LIKE BAD COMPANY, QUEEN, PETER FRAMPTON, BONNIE RAITT, OR JACKSON BROWNE TO NAME A FEW….

  20. Enjoyed Hubba Bubba alot! I took my nieces and they loved his magic tricks and show. They got a clown nose, too! He was very nice and let us have a picture taken with him. Loved it!
    I am so glad he is coming back!
    Can you bring back the people with the Moravian Cookies.

  21. Pingback: In the Field » Standards Lab does the robot

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