The 2024 North Carolina State Fair has kept the Raleigh-Cary metro area bustling with activity and backing up traffic, even gridlocking roads during opening weekend. Nonetheless, fairgoers remain cheerful and happy despite the tedious journey to get there.
One fairgoer told the Carolina Journal that crowds were such that it took her an hour and a half to park when she attended the state fair on Saturday. This year’s fair boasts all the traditional sights, sounds, and smells of a state fair, from the enticing smell of kettle corn being made to the familiar smells of the livestock barns.
“The weather has been perfect; I don’t think we have seen a cloud in the sky the entire time,” Peter Horton, an exhibit worker at the Tobacco Barn, told the Carolina Journal. “Attendance has been up, and this has been one of the best years I can remember over the last 20 years that I have been here, so we are really, really pleased and very happy with that.”
At this year’s state fair, both the Tobacco Barn and the Field of Dreams are celebrating their 20th anniversary.
“When we originally started, our purpose was to educate children about where their food came from and how hard the farmer had to work to sell his produce,” Carl Tart with the Field of Dreams exhibit told the Carolina Journal. “We have just maintained that concept, and it has not lost its popularity.”
While the exhibit was initially geared toward children, it also educates many adults who don’t know what crops look like, where their food comes from, etc., according to Tart. “So, we feel it’s been successful,” he said.
The exhibit boasts about 180,000 visitors at each fair.
“We have staff from NCDA and other state agencies, as well as an FFA chapter each day to relate and answer questions that visitors who come through have about this,” said Tart. “We try to plan about 40 different crops/vegetables that are the most popular in North Carolina.”
The crops are related to everyday food items such as pizza or subs to show the children what they eat and where they come from. Often, visitors come through that say, “I hate such and such things,” according to Tart.
For example, kids finding tomatoes less than appetizing, only to learn that they are eating tomatoes on their pizza. “It changes their whole outlook,” said Tart. “We are just trying to educate, and we are glad to be here and glad we have had this opportunity.”
“It’s so important; agriculture is the No. 1 industry in North Carolina, as Commissioner Troxler makes people aware of all the time, and he should, because it is so important not only to you and I but to the total state, because of the economy,” said Tart. “So, with that in mind, the Commissioner has been more than helpful in encouraging us to put this project on to show the people what we are doing in North Carolina regarding agriculture.”
During a press conference before the state fair, Commissioner Troxler said: “I want people to know where their food comes from and that agriculture and agribusiness make up the state’s leading industry.”
Another exhibit celebrating its 20th anniversary this year is the Tobacco Barn, which is close to the heart of Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. While the tobacco barn predates Troxler’s reign as agriculture commissioner, it was never utilized before Troxler headed up the department.
“It’s wonderful to see the heritage,” Horton told the Carolina Journal. Every year, there is a stringing and looping contest; this year’s winner was the Maple Hill Loopers from Hendersonville. “You see people coming from all across the state to compete. But it’s not so much the competition, but it’s just to share in the heritage.”
Horton spoke about how the tobacco barn calls fairgoers back to a different time.
“In both cases, what typically happens is that you see people walk in here, look at it, sigh, and go back to a different time,” said Horton. “Then, they start talking about how hard it was and how much work was involved.” Horton asks such visitors if they miss it, and their response is: “Yep, it was a great way to grow up.”
The Tobacco Barn evokes the heritage of many North Carolinians and is a significant aspect of North Carolina agriculture.
“It’s clearly part of their heritage,” said Horton. “Especially in this part of North Carolina, it’s clearly part of the way people grew up, and it brings them back, and it provides an important demonstration to those who are newer to North Carolina to see the curing process in action is very educational and most people very much appreciate it.”
Tobacco leaves start out green, but the color is set to a bright yellow, and that color is part of what makes North Carolina tobacco so famous, according to Horton. Once the stems are killed out, the barn will be opened for visitors to come in. The unique part is the process of killing out the stems, which turns the stems yellow as well, “you get that old smell,” said Horton. “When you come by you can get that old-time smell of what tobacco used to smell like in North Carolina as it was being cured.”
In addition to these special exhibits, the North Carolina State Fair 2024 includes 4-H kids showing their livestock and children enjoying themselves on the rides, including two new rides this year: a 210-foot slide and a Candyland Adventure Funhouse.
As fairgoers meander the dusty roads of the state fair, checking out agricultural displays, watching livestock shows, and much more, they can satisfy their cravings for something sweet or savory at one of the many food vendors, whether it be an old favorite fairgoers look forward to every year, or one of more than 70 new foods at this year’s state fair. The state fair runs through Oct 27.