The North Carolina State Fair is celebrating its 150th year in Raleigh with traditional rides, food and events to go along with new additions, with attendance numbers exceeding 340,000 between Thursday and Sunday.
Kicking off the festivities last Thursday, the North Carolina State Fairgrounds welcomed a record opening attendance of just over 57,000 people. In promotion of the 150th year of the fair, admission was $1.50 versus the regular price of $10. Participating food vendors had special prices with $1.50 portions of classic fair foods.
NC State students enjoyed the return of Friday Frenzy where all students can receive half-off admission tickets into the fair with a student ID. Ride tickets are also available as wristbands for unlimited rides or $1 per ticket. New rides for this year include a 118-foot spinning tower ride and family-friendly bumper cars.
“Something else that is new this year is unlimited ride wristbands that are available every day,” said Heather Overton, a public information officer at the State Fair press office. “It is $35 and a heck of a deal when you think of the fact that there over 100 rides out here.”
Inside the State Fair, traditional favorites such as nightly fireworks, music at J.S. Dorton Arena and the blue ribbon-winning at the Exposition Center and Heritage Circle remain prominent features. Newer additions such as the laser light show and the Pirates of the Colombian Caribbean and Team Rock: The Ninja Experience shows add variety to the classic circus and animal showings of the fair.
“The fair was huge with a lot of people there,” said Anthony Szafranski, a first-year studying industrial engineering, on his first visit to the NC State Fair on Saturday. “It was a good time. I have never seen so many different rides and foods in one place. There seemed to be miles of them.”
Hundreds of food vendors are always a part of the fair experiences and there are several new additions to add to the traditional deep fried sweets and turkey legs.
“Deep-fried key lime pie and arepas … Colombian sandwiches are definitely favorites,” Overton said. “We have new Hawaiian and Cheerwine funnel cakes and flaming hot Cheetos corn on the cob.”
With all the fun and excitement, there were still some safety concerns in the first couple of days of the fair. On Friday, a two-year boy was injured after he fell off a moving ride and was dragged on the ground as his foot was caught on a safety belt, according to WTVD. It was reported that the incident was due to a user error according to the North Carolina Department of Labor. The child is doing fine, but has cuts and bruises from the ride according to the family lawyer.
Traffic has also been a concern for those traveling to the fair. Western Boulevard, Hillsborough Street and Wade Avenue have all experienced heavy traffic. Backups on fairground exits from I-440 have led to long waits for fairgoers and caused delays for regular traffic.
“It was a little insane how long we had to wait on the roads to even get to the parking lots,” Szafranski said. “Once we got parked and were in the fair, it didn’t seem that bad.”
Although there are new parking lots that surround the area, the preferred method of transportation that could save time and hassle is going through the convenient Triangle-area Park and Ride options.
“The best way to get to the fair is Park and Ride,” Overton said. “We have two lots at the Triangle Town Center and Cary Town Center, and for $5 roundtrip, you can be dropped off at Gate 1.”
Despite the concerns, the NC State Fair is more popular than ever with NC State students and the greater Raleigh community.
“We had a strong opening weekend,” Overton said. “It is right around the same as last year. It’s supposed to be beautiful weather the rest of the week so if you love to ride the rides and eat food, it’s a good day to be out here.”
Kevin Sadrak performs a contortionist act in the International All-Star Circus at the NC State Fair Friday. The International All-Star Circus also consisted of a quick-change act, a unicyclist act, a trampolinist act and a motorcyclist act. The circus was among the many attractions at the 150th Annual State Fair this year.
