by Julie Z. Russo
My favorite time to visit the North Carolina State Fair is in the morning just after the gates of the fairgrounds open off of Trinity Street at 8 a.m. The ticket booth agents wearing fleece pullovers to ward off the October chill are just settling into their seats with warm cups of coffee ahead of the crowds, and the Ford trailer trucks lining the football-sized parking lots are still wet with dew.
There’s a pine tree-lined lake and paved trail offering a silhouette of the theme park against the azure water and in the crisp sunlight it shimmers like a Swiss village. It’s hard to imagine finding serenity at the fair with the cacophony of radio announcements for carousels, food vendors, and animal-filled stadiums. By mid-week, the state fair had already received 522,782 people.
Though by arriving early at the fair, I received the essence of the event. A clergyman stood on the steps of the Methodist Church inviting parishoners to come worship in the spirit of yesteryear. The white-clad prayer hall with stained glass windows was offering respite from the zaniness of the carousel, Midway rides, and games cropping up just behind it, a stark reminder of how far we’ve traveled since fairgoers first voyaged to Raleigh 160 years ago riding in horse and buggy or trailing cattle from hundreds of miles across the state. Prayers were needed for victims, since a day before five people were injured disembarking from an amusement ride, a reminder of the dangers of travel in the modern age.
Still in this quiet first hour of fair going, the spirit of the event graced every nook and cranny. Chrysanthemums and roses brought in by the thousands for a garden and flower show received dappled light below a half-moon. Food smells including spiced cider, smoked turkey, deep-fried donuts and cheesecake, and sloppy Joes wafted from stations in the center of the park. Bright blue flags and tents flapping in the morning breeze promised kids prizes every time. Famous bluegrass musician Larry Cordle was tuning his guitar for an upcoming performance.
High above the fray on the second floor of the administrative building, Robert L. Hosford, an intergovernmental affairs officer with the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, was preparing for a press conference to respond to the accident that occurred on one of the rides the night before. Though a rarity in an event that has received more than a million visitors in a peak year like 2010, an accident at the North Carolina State Fair was making national news.
Mr. Hosford paused to provide some highlights of the fair. “Children bringing in their livestock from all over the state is really the foundation of the fair as it was 130 years ago,” he said. The fair has coliseum-sized buildings filled with livestock ranging from chickens to Brahman cattle as well as a bounty of fresh produce from 100-lb. pumpkins to every root and vine vegetable the southeast earth will bear. New to the fair this year are its wines from the indigenous muscadine grape and the viniferous fruits of the state’s western region that are gradually emerging to compete with California and European vintage wine labels.
Another highlight of the fair is its 130-year old tobacco barn, Mr. Hosford said. "It's a piece of history brought in once a year" where tobacco is cured on a fire hearth producing a wonderful aroma, he said.
Stopping at the Land of Yesteryear, artisans sell hand-made quilts, famous Seagrove and Native American-style pottery, and hand carved pipes. Meanwhile, women in early 20th century petticoats and aprons were offering guests’ cake in celebration of the fair’s anniversary. It’s another reminder of how far I’ve traveled on my own since my forebears sat in rocking chairs contemplating life with tobacco-filled pipes (unaware of its danger) while telling tall tales. The Land of Yesteryear is testimony of the creativity of crafts folk who help give our region its soul.
As I leave the fair, a Presbyterian service is being advertised over a loud speaker along with hot biscuits and jelly rolls, competing with nurses at a nearby clinic wanting to know whether I’ve had a flu shot or used hand sanitizer, and salesmen asking whether I needed car insurance or would like a ride on a Harley Davidson motorbike. Thank goodness for the North Carolina State Fair with all its ironies and icons, risks and rewards to help us escape from our everyday burdens.