Mountain State Fair Cultivating Family Fun

If you are, then you’re in luck because the North Carolina Mountain State Fair has arrived. The fair opens at the WNC Ag Center in Fletcher on Friday, September 10, with opening day admission free to students in grades K-12 until 6pm. The first day gets underway at 9am with an opening ceremony planned for noon.

The 17th Mountain State Fair runs daily through September 19. Tickets are $7 for adults and $3 for children 6-12 and seniors 65 and up.

Casey Allen, a media marketing specialist with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, promised that people who come to the fair will have a good time.

“As always, we’re going to have a great carnival offering from Drew Expositions,” said Allen. “I’m sure folks have noticed if they’ve driven by the fairgrounds that the chairlift is still here. It will be back and operating this year. That’s a great attraction.”

Music lovers won’t be disappointed with this year’s fair, the theme of which is Cultivating Fun. Headliners playing McGough Arena are country singer Chuck Wicks on September 15 and the Oxendines and This Hope on September 16. The John Cowan Band is scheduled to play on the last day of the fair on the Bojangles Stage.

Allen said the Bojangles Stage is a new music venue at this year’s fair.

“That stage will host live music each night of the fair with local and regional bands,” he said. “It’s the first time we’re doing this, and it’s going to be exciting. We’re giving a lot of artists who are from the area and up and coming a great chance to come out here and play at a great venue with a lot of folks coming through. It’s also great for fairgoers because it’s free with a paid admission.”

Bands scheduled to play on the stage include such local favorites as Grey Wolf, the Buddy-K-Big Band, Tuxedo Junction and the Caribbean Cowboys. Allen said fairgoers will get to do and see a lot with their paid admission.

“We feel like we’ve got a pretty good entertainment value going on here,” he said. “Pretty much anything you’re looking for, you can find it here at the fair. If you like arts and crafts, we’ve got plenty of arts and crafts. If you like animals, we’ve got livestock shows every day, display livestock and a petting zoo. If you like food, you’re in the right place.”

The fair wouldn’t be a fair without the many educational exhibits on display. Folks could spend an entire day looking at the award-winning fruits, vegetables, artwork, crafts, baked and preserved foods. On Thursday, close to a dozen judges were busy sampling the many baked goods that people have submitted in the fair’s many contests.

Allen said the number of entries this year has increased. “In certain categories, we’re up as much as 30 percent,” he said. “They’ve been rolling in since Tuesday of this week. It’s all from people who live here in the community who are out here contributing to the fair, and it’s what really makes this fair special.”

For the latest information on the fair, visit www.mountainfair.org.

 

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