Tag: free entertainment

Casey’s top 5 fun things to do for free at the Fair

There’s a new bird in town – Fair mascot Casey the Cardinal. And he’s got lots of tips for fairgoers.  This week we are looking at a few of Casey’s favorite things to do for free. Discover new North Carolina music. We’ve got the Homegrown North Carolina Concert Series. More than 80 bands are playing at this year’s fair on three separate stages. Casey can’t wait to find a new favorite group to practice his swanky dance moves. Pick a racer on the Hogway Speedway The Circle “C” racing pigs and the Hogway Speedway have moved to a new location…

Continue Reading

Deep Fried Countdown: 10 days

We’re just 10 days out from the start of the 2012 N.C. State Fair. That’s right, just 10 days until the jaw-dropping rides, deep-fried delicacies and amazing agricultural exhibits. If you’re starting to plan your trip, we’ve got the following 10 tips to get you ready for the fair. Buy tickets in advance Buying tickets in advance not only saves you money, but also saves time standing in line when you get to the fair. You can purchase your tickets online at www.ncstatefair.org or at nine area retail locations. If you like rides, make sure to buy your ride sheets…

Continue Reading

FREE: Grounds entertainment

On any given day at the N.C. State Fair, you can catch more than 20 free performances from our lineup of talented grounds entertainment. You can see BMX stunt bikers flying through the air, witness the side-splitting powers of a comedy superhero and even see the super-fast speed of racing swine. They’re just a few of the free entertainment options, which also includes eight roaming acts and at least six daily concerts on the Waterfall and Bluegrass stages. The following is a rundown of this year’s grounds acts. What are your favorite acts at the State Fair? Circle “C” Racing…

Continue Reading

Sounds from the Waterfall and Bluegrass Stages

Dorton Arena isn’t the only place to find amazing performances during the Fair. Music lovers will want to make sure they check out the free concerts at the Waterfall Stage and Bluegrass Stage during the Fair. Just outside Dorton Arena on the northwest lawn, Raleigh native Jeanne Jolly will play a mix of country, folk and Americana songs. The singer/songwriter, who has been compared to Alison Krauss, spent a lot of her youth in the Blue Ridge Moutains listening to its influential bluegrass sound. After moving to Los Angeles and traveling across North America in a jazz group, Jeanne is back in North…

Continue Reading

Free grounds entertainment abounds (Part 1)

HoopDrum returns to the 2010 N.C. State Fair It’s an interesting balancing act that State Fair Assistant Manager Mike Pleasant plays each year when booking grounds entertainment. While he strives to bring new and interesting acts to the Fair, whenever something disappears, he hears from scores of disappointed people who were hoping to see just the act that he didn’t renew.  So to keep things fresh, he rotates acts around, bringing in new acts every few years and giving some acts a year or two breathing room before bringing them back. This year’s grounds entertainment is mostly entertainers that fairgoers…

Continue Reading

Roaming acts are up, down and all around

You never know where you will find one of the many free roaming acts at the Fair. These world-class entertainers can be found high among the trees, scooting along the grounds and everywhere in between. For starters, look up to the sky. You might see our resident stilt walker, Carrie McQueen, juggling through the crowd on her extended legs. She’s back this year with all of her eccentric costumes. Rock-It the Robot, towering at 9 feet tall, won’t be hard to find either. If you have trouble, listen for the music  and the crowd dancing to the beat around him. There are plenty…

Continue Reading