The Mycenaean

With October comes much excitement for North Carolina — colorful leaves, crisp air, haunted houses and of course, the State Fair. The North Carolina State Fair, held every year on the state fair grounds in Raleigh, will come to town on October 13 and end October 23. The theme of this year’s fair is “Love a Fair.”  

Every year, North Carolinians come from cities all over the state to gorge themselves on buttery treats, spin around on rickety rides, see numerous musical attractions and sometimes even look at the plant or animal exhibits.

Many people do choose to attend the fair due to its impressive musical talent, and this year is no exception. This year’s concert line-up includes Craig Campbell, Skillet, Easton Corbin, Tift Merritt, Steel Magnolia, George Jones, David Nail, Dionne Warwick, Newsboys, Kansas and North Carolina native Kellie Pickler.

These concerts will all take place in the Fair Ground’s Dorton Arena and the price for tickets ranges from 5 to 15 dollars, depending on the popularity of the artist.

While the concerts provide great entertainment, many fair goers attend the fair for the delicious, fatty foods. Foods offered at the fair range from foot long corn dogs, to fried candy bars, to fresh squeezed lemonade, to home made icecream to chocolate covered bacon.

Last year, the fair’s famous new treat was the Krispy Kreme burger– a burger patty wedged between two Krispy Kreme donuts, with optional cheese sauce. The fair has not yet announced the new treat of 2011, but it is said to be announced soon on the website, http://www.ncstatefair.org/2011/index.htm.

The rides at this year’s fair will be very similar to those from years past. Expect many topsy turvy rides that are sure to make any person’s stomach drop, especially after eating that fried twinkie. New rides, like foods, will also be announced on the website in the upcoming weeks.

There are many famous rides that will make appearances this year. One can expect to see the Zipper, which puts riders into two person cages which are immediately tossed and spun around on a ferris wheel like axle. The daring fair-goer will enjoy rides such as the Ring of Fire, the SideWinder and many other fan favorites.

Riders who do not yield strong stomachs can entertain themselves on the ferris wheel, which provides a beautiful view of the entire fair. Other mild riders can walk through fun houses or houses of mirrors.

Thrill seekers can also walk through exhibits such as the world’s smallest woman or world’s largest horse, which are astounding, but sad for those with big hearts, for it is never easy to see living things confined to small cages.

For those who seek educational benefits from this year’s fair, there will be many exhibits allowing just that. These exhibits include The Village of Yesteryear, Antique Farm Machinery, Heritage Circle and the Flower and Garden show. All of these exhibits will be found near the main entrance to the fair grounds.

Some Leesville teachers will even offer extra credit to students who visit such educational exhibits.

It is obvious that this year’s state fair will live up to every expectation of fun that it has in the past.

There is money to be saved for students who wish to buy tickets ahead of time. Advanced tickets cost merely six dollars for admission while the regular pride is eight.

For students who want to stock up on ride tickets, advanced ride ticket sheets cost only ten dollars for a sheet of 18, opposed to the regular price of 18 dollars for 18 tickets.

Money-conscious students can also choose to attend the Fair on Food Lion Hunger Relief day (Thursday, October 20) where four cans of food warrants a free pass in.

The fair is only a few weeks away–see you’ll there!