It does not seem like it, but it is time again for the county fair. I have always enjoyed county fairs, all the way back to when I was a kid growing up in Wayne County. When I was growing up the county fair was kinda like Christmas, it seemed like forever before it was time for the fair. At my age now, it still seems like Christmas, just as soon as it is over it is time for it to begin again.

The fair will start on Thursday, September 27, and go through Saturday, October 6. This is the largest single entertainment event in the county, and on six different occasions this fair has been selected as the best county agricultural fair in the entire state.

This should be all you need to know in order to decide now that you want to go to the fair. But it is surprising how many people that live right here in the county have either never been to the county fair, or it has been ten years or more since they attended.

If the above sentence describes you I would like to extend a special invitation to you to attend your county fair this year. Go early in the week when everything is clean and fresh. Leave home early so you do not have to be bothered with the traffic and so you can park near the front gates. Check the schedules because there will be a lot of great entertainment on the fairgrounds during the week. You should plan to attend when your favorite kind of entertainment is offered. In fact, there is such a variety of entertainment you might not be able to see it all in one night. You may have to go back for the second night to see the rest of it - and to eat some more carnival food.

Plan to eat dinner at the fair because you will be able to select some very special foods that are available only one time each year - during the county fair. You will be able enjoy a good old hot dog with all the trimmings, or a Polish sausage with onions or peppers. You can enjoy an elephant ear pastry, or a collard sandwich. You can experience traditional pizza, or fried banana pudding.

I would like to caution you now, before you arrive at the fair, that certain foods at the fair could be expensive. If you like traditional foods like hot dogs, French fries, and Pepsi's, you will not spend any more for a meal than if you went to one of the fast food places in town. However, if you are adventuresome and want to sample the exotic foods of the midway such as fried banana pudding, curly fries, rib eye steak sandwiches, and giant lemonades with squiggly straws, you had better understand that you will pay extra for a meal like this.

All vendors that have been permitted to operate on the fairgrounds are required to post their prices where they can easily be seen. You are encouraged to determine what your meal will cost before ordering. If you do not understand the menu or the pricing, please ask the attendant what it will cost before ordering.

People always enjoy the fair most when they are a part of what is going on rather than just a spectator. And what the heck, the county fair is the place to have fun, no matter who is looking. You never know, you might want to enter the pretty legs contest that is being sponsored by Kyser Roth for the first time this year.

One of the best ways to participate in the fair is to enter some of your prized items in the exhibits. This may be anything from a quilt to a handmade apron; from a jar of pickles to a delicious carrot cake; from cross-stitch artwork to an oil painting; from a beautiful potted houseplant to a red ripe tomato. It does not matter what your item, if there is not a class for it one will be created. In addition to the possibility of wining a first place blue ribbon, you may also win more than enough money to pay for that fried banana pudding or collard sandwich.

Exhibits can be taken to the fairgrounds on Sunday, September 23, from 1 - 6 p.m.; on Monday, September 24, from 4 - 9 p.m.; and on Tuesday, September 25, from 4 - 9 p.m. Volunteers will be on hand to assist you in properly entering your items, and will prepare them for judging which takes place early Thursday morning.

If you would like to volunteer to help with the county fair this is an area you might be interested in. Al Parnell is the Fair Board member responsible for this part of the fair. Please call him at 739-9568 if you would like to help. He can really use people that enjoy working in special areas skills such as flowers, sewing, cooking, crafts, or canning.

The final note is admission prices. Gate admission at the county fair remains at $5, the same price it has been for almost 15 years. Where else can you get 6 hours of continuous entertainment, fun, and excitement for only $5?

For those that like to ride the carnival rides, or have young children that do, a special advance ticket package is being offered again this year that makes the county fair one of the most affordable major entertainment events in the state. These tickets are available at many locations across the county for only $18 each. These tickets include gate admission, unlimited carnival rides, and several coupons for food items such as Pepsi's and candy apples.

Are you excited yet? I'll see you at the fair.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 09/12/07