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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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