Are You Smarter than a Livestock Kid?

Hundreds of North Carolina youth gather in Raleigh for three contests. These competitions test their knowledge of all things livestock. They practice. They study. They bring their game face. There’s nothing quite like it, and so many come back year after year to compete. Trust me. I was one of them several years ago. Here is a glimpse into each of these livestock competitions: Skillathon—A contest of knowledge, identification, and evaluation Tables are lined in rows. On each table is spread items waiting to be identified. There are four categories—feed, meat, breeds, and equipment. Youth are assigned groups are directed…

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Twins win for cookie creations

In the midst of the chaos that the fair can bring, I found solace in the most unlikely place: amongst a handful of 7 and 8 year olds on Thursday afternoon at the cookie decorating contest. Ten contestants took eight minutes to decorate their cookies using different colored icing and sprinkles. With a blue ribbon prize at stake, the concentration in the room was palpable and cause for complete silence – and maybe a couple tears. First place was awarded to Kendall Hudson, 8, for her cat-eye design. Her entire cookie cake was created to look like a cat face with…

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Two green thumbs up

Many find the recent rain that has flooded the Triangle to be annoying, but Mike Lowe isn’t bothered. The rain hasn’t affected his prize-winning garden. The longtime gardener has been winning North Carolina State Fair ribbons for his plants for the past six years. Lowe’s love for the garden began as a child when his grandmother gave him a small potted cactus to take care of. Since then, his expertise of plant life has grown and now includes perennials, annuals and foliage shrubs. Though he’s always been a gardener, Lowe’s decision to exhibit his plants at the fair happened only…

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Show us your Bumper Crop of Fun

Around here, we’re pretty big fans of The Peterson Farm Bros YouTube sensation,”I’m Farming and I Grow It.” If you haven’t seen this Internet phenom, check out the video below: The video has more than 6 million views on YouTube and has inspired an array of other farming parody videos, including Lil Fred’s “Farm It Maybe.” With all of the creativity across the country, we knew there had to be just as many creative people right here in North Carolina. That’s why we created the Bumper Crop of Fun Video Contest. Here’s how it works: Create a music video that…

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Got to Be NC Giveaway

The Got to Be NC Festival is coming back to the N.C. State Fairgrounds May 18-20 for a weekend full of events celebrating N.C. food and agricultural heritage. There will be tractor parades, antique farming equipment, the Got to Be NC Food and Wine Expo, Carolina FiberFest and a whole lot of fun for the entire family. N.C. State Fair alumni Third Day also will be performing Friday night in Dorton Arena. Tickets start at $22, but you can get your tickets for free all next week. That’s because they’re giving away prize packs that include 4 tickets to the…

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Special announcement from Easton Corbin

It’s pretty cool when a Dorton Arena performer takes time to give a special shout out to the State Fair. Check out the video below we received from Easton Corbin’s team this week. And, check out Easton in concert Saturday, Oct. 15, at Dorton Arena during the 2011 N.C. State Fair. Tickets are just $10, and are available now at www.ncstatefair.org. CONTEST: Easton’s crew was so nice to share this video with us, so we want to share something with you. In the spirit of deep-fried karma, we’re giving away a State Fair T-shirt to the first three people to…

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The Great Fair-A-Thon Challenge: Clue #5

Whether it was on the contest website, our blog, Facebook page or Twitter feed, we hope by now you’ve heard about Subway’s Great Fair-A-Thon Challenge. If not, here’s a quick rundown on the contest: Start by collecting clues in a virtual scavenger hunt (the fifth and final clue is below). Use the clues to complete an online game card by Thursday, Oct. 7. We’ll select teams from the winning entries to compete in a live scavenger hunt at the N.C. State Fair on Tuesday, Oct. 19, starting at 10 a.m. The top two teams from that scavenger hunt will go head-to-head in…

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Subway Great Fair-A-Thon Challenge Clue #1

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…

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Up in the sky

We know some of the best photographs from the Fair come from you. That’s why we recently announced a new photography feature for all our social media friends on Facebook.  To participate, just upload your past N.C. State Fair photos to our fan page. We’ll pick a few of our favorites leading up to the Fair such as this one from Chari Cutshall. The Vertigo attracted a lot of attention at last year’s Fair from ride enthusiasts looking for the latest thrill and photographers looking for a great shot. It was one of the most-photographed rides, next to the Ferris wheel, at the Fair. We chose Chari’s…

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Add us as a friend, win N.C. State Fair tickets

The countdown is on: 13 days and counting until the gates open to the N.C. State Fair. To kick things off, we’re giving our Facebook and Twitter friends a special perk for keeping up with us online. Each weekday leading up to opening day on Thursday, Oct. 15, we’ll be hosting fun contests on both sites for our followers to win admission tickets. We’ll be giving away two tickets on Twitter and two tickets on Facebook each weekday until then, so double your chances and check us out on both sites. We really enjoy talking with our social media friends…

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