competition

Laura Jessup shows everything from goats to turkeys. No matter the animal, memories are made at the North Carolina State Fair.

Karsyn Westerbeek September 28 September 28

Finding a passion does not have an age limit. No matter if you’re ten or one hundred, it is always a good time to start doing something you love. Youth livestock shows at the North Carolina State Fair allow students to get passionate about something and learn in the process. A junior at Uwharrie Charter Academy , Laura Jessup became interested in showing at the young age of five and has continued ever since. One great thing about North Carolina is the community that agriculture has formed. “I joined 4-H when I was five,” Laura said. “Some of the other kids…

Giant pumpkin and watermelon set new State Fair records

Candy Apple October 13 October 13

A 1,551.5-pound pumpkin grown by Chris Rodebaugh of Lewisburg, W. Va. and a watermelon weighing 327.5 pounds grown by Christopher Kent of Sevierville, Tenn. took the top prizes in the N.C. State Fair’s Great Pumpkin and Watermelon Weigh-Off. Both entries shattered previous N. C State Fair records. Rodebaugh is a first-time grower, and gathered the information needed to grow his super-sized pumpkin from the internet. “I saw some entries into my local State Fair in West Virginia and thought, ‘that’s pretty neat.’ I thought I’d try to grow one myself,” he said. When asked if he’d return in 2019, he…

Archetype Brewing wins State Fair beer competition

Funhouse October 4 October 4

Cheers to this! Archetype Brewing has won Best in Show in the N.C. State Fair Beer Competition with their Belgian Strong Ale. The brewery bested 32 other gold medal-winning beers to secure the N.C. Brewers Cup trophy. With North Carolina being the home to more than 260 breweries and brewpubs, the 2018 NC Brewers Cup featured the stiffest competition yet in the event’s seven-year history, with 76 North Carolina breweries competing for medals over two days of judging. Twenty certified beer judges from across the Southeast traveled to the competition to select the finest examples of each beer style from…

The road to the N.C. State Fair

Marisa Linton See September 25 February 2

Following is a guest post from Marisa Linton. Marisa grew up showing and raising livestock, and currently lives on her family’s small farm in Mount Olive. She has shown animals at the N.C. State Fair for the past 14 years and is a past youth livestock scholarship recipient. She is an N.C. State University graduate, agricultural photographer and blogger. The countdown to the N.C. State Fair is dwindling. All of a sudden, we are in double digits, and September is almost gone. While many of us are anxiously awaiting the time when we can sink our teeth into all manner…

Market Display Competition allows families and commercial farms to get creative with their fruits and veggies

Funhouse October 19 October 19

Produce and creativity collide in the Market Display Competition in the Expo Center. Families and commercial farms compete in decorating small market stands that include a minimum of 12 different produce items. More than bragging rights are at stake; the winning entry claims $200 in prize money. This year’s winner was Lee’s Produce from Meadow. Ellen and Marshall Lee and their daughter, Shelly Johnson, included fresh fruits and veggies and a working hydroponic pump. The display includes a variety of “living” lettuce. The Lees have sold their produce at the State Farmers Market since 1991. The farm enters several horticulture…

Subway Great Fair-A-Thon Challenge Clue #1

Blue Ribbon September 7 September 7

In 2008, the N.C. State Fair helped celebrate the 10th anniversary of Jared the Subway guy’s tremendous weight loss, and his former size 60 pants, with the Pants Dance Revolution. This year, Jared is taking his message of health and fitness all the way to New York to compete in the NYC Marathon, and he wants you to come cheer him on. All you have to do is help us “Celebrate What’s Great” about the State Fair by competing in the Great Fair-A-Thon Challenge, and you may be on your way to the Big Apple! Great Fair-A-Thon Challenge participants will first compete…

Tag: competition