Heather Leah has always had a passion for history and North Carolina. This passion was fostered by her family, which has roots dating back seven generations in the state. “When I was younger, I would ride around Raleigh with my grandmother and she would point out the things that had changed in her lifetime,” said Leah. “From her I learned things like the Harris Teeter sits on a rock quarry and that rock was used to build Broughton High School, or other stories about how the city we both loved has changed in her lifetime.”
Leah realized that although she and her grandmother grew up in the same city, there were many things that had changed. “Even as a child I was fascinated by the little stories, the ones that didn’t make the history books,” said Leah. “Younger generations have no idea what Raleigh used to be like because at the time when the change occurred it didn’t really seem historic. People didn’t realize they were making history or that it should be documented.”
Leah began blogging about local history in 2012. One of her early popular posts was about the Village Subway, an abandoned underground mall beneath the Village District that was central to Raleigh’s punk music scene in the 1970s and ’80s.
Leah then worked for a few area news stations who hired her to produce hidden history segments, then the Great Raleigh Trolley asked her to be a tour guide. This year, Leah published her first book, “Lost Towns of North Carolina.”
On Friday, Oct. 16, Leah will bring her flair for storytelling and love of local history to the Dorton Arena stage. She will share some local history about the State Fair — North Carolina’s largest and longest annual tradition.
“As an institution, the N.C. State Fair has watched the city grow around it,” said Leah. “I am hoping to explore what is different about the fair, how did it define play and how has it evolved with each generation.”
Since 1853, the fair has been held in three different locations in Raleigh. The fairgrounds were also used in wartime as training grounds. The current location has been in use since 1928 and has two buildings on the National Registry of Historic Places, The Commercial and Education Buildings and Dorton Arena.
“In addition to the role the fair played in history and the changes in location and buildings, I hope to explore personal memories and favorite traditions of fairgoers over the years. How the Fair serves as a touchstone, or a place and a thing throughout history.”
Leah will be available for questions after the presentation, and she will bring copies of her new book for purchase.
Hidden History of the North Carolina State Fair is the first of a series of presentations being held in Dorton Arena. Ethan Clark of N.C. Weather Authority will present on Monday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Will Brinkley of Double S Farms, also known as @tarheelfarmer on TikTok, will be on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. The Chubby Beard Bandit will have a meet and greet with fans on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.