N.C. Fair History Agricultural Fairs and Their Importance in the Past, Present and Future By Louis G. May Pitt County Agricultural Fair 1997 NCAOAF President Article taken from Seeds of Success: Agricultural Fairs in North Carolina Written in 1997 Agricultural Fairs are a large industry in North Carolina. The states agricultural fairs host 3 million visitors annually from late August until late October, and this consists of roughly one half of the state’s population. Of course, there are many out of state visitors each year but it is estimated that at least 90% of the fair population are North Carolinians. Of this total attendance, over 700,000 people usually visit the North Carolina State Fair alone, leaving about 2.3 million visitors attending the 48 plus or minus regional and county fairs scattered throughout North Carolina from the coast to the mountains. These fairs range in size from a few thousand people to almost 200,000 people at the largest county fair. There is one fair that is owned by the city in which it is located that has an attendance of more than 300,000. Most fairs operate for one week to 10 days and begin operations slightly before Labor Day each year and the North Carolina State Fair usually winds up the fair season about 8-weeks later near the end of October. During this 8-week period each autumn North Carolina's fairs provide a great deal of education, competition, insight and entertainment for the people of the state. Ownership While the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh and the North Carolina Mountain State Fair in Fletcher are owned by the State of North Carolina and administered through the Department of Agriculture, most county and regional fairs are owned by nonprofit civic, or nonprofit fair associations and organizations. Nonprofit fair associations may be owned by the civic organizations that sponsor the fair, or they may be owned by stockholders that formed the association originally that have passed their shares down through the generations. There are a few fairs that are owned by individuals, one city owns a fair, and one carnival company actually owns the fair that plays each year in a piedmont county, but most fairs are owned by nonprofit organizations. Whatever the ownership, fairs are operated very much the same way. Most fairs in North Carolina own their own building and grounds. Some fairs are held in the facilities of a separately owned building or grounds and a very few fairs are held on rented grounds with tents for buildings. This in no way diminishes a fair. One of North Carolinas leading county fairs operates this way. Operations The operation of a typical fair begins almost as soon as that fair closes for one year and management starts thinking about the next. Things such as entertainment shows and carnival midways must be booked around 10 months in advance as the fair season begins for the nation in June. It is not unusual for a carnival midway or entertainment attraction to have traveled over many states and Canada before appearing at a North Carolina fair in the fall. Therefore early arrangements and contracts must be made and coordinated. Some of these contracts are made at the annual meeting of the International Association of Fairs and Exhibitions early each December in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bulk of these negotiations are more than likely done at the North Carolina Association of Agricultural Fairs that is held in some central location in the state for 3 days in January of each year. As the year progresses, the more local aspects of the upcoming fair are concentrated upon. Meetings of the local 4-H leaders, agricultural clubs, perhaps the extension services, civic clubs, educational organizations, safety and protective organizations must be held. Arrangements for judges, permits, licenses and all personnel in the operation of the fair must be arranged for. Facilities must be repaired and perhaps at times expanded. Accounting for the previous fair and the projected financial needs for the new fair must be done. In addition, advertising through radio, TV, billboards, posters, newspapers and other means must be arranged. Much of this (buying billboard space for example) must be done many months before the fair opens. Themes and designs for this year's fair must be thought of. Budgets must be approved. Usually, the fair manager and his associates on the fairs' board of directors see to all of this. What Makes a Fair? A fair usually consists of three basic departments. Exhibits Entertainment, and Midway. These three departments may be broken down further by dividing the exhibits, for example, into youth and adult categories, horticulture and livestock, home making, history, science, industry, technology, environment, nostalgia, futuristic and many types of exhibits on education. Within the livestock exhibits, usually in separate buildings or locations, are dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep, lambs, chickens, rabbits, goats, turkeys, swine, horses, and even ostrich farming and aquaculture. In times gone by the idea of exhibits was to see who had the best of everything and this is still very true today. However, it is also true today that many times, a young person will see their very first cow, bull, sheep or lamb at a fair in North Carolina. These exhibits have thus taken on a new purpose. Within the educational exhibits the fair may offer contest that lead to competition in decorating, essays and other things that challenge children and adults alike to use their minds and talents. The entertainment department may make use of local talent by giving them a free place to perform. Other common forms of entertainment found at North Carolina fairs is by both free and paid admission. Shows such as demolition derbies, automobile thrill shows, live bands and musical shows of all types, rodeos, complete circus shows, daredevil acts, tractor pulls, cheerleading competition, and beauty pageants are among the more popular types of paid and free entertainment seen each year. Last but certainly not least, there is the beckoning carnival midway. Interestingly, not all fairs in North Carolina have carnival midways, but they are found at 99% of the fairs in the state and are the chief revenue producing department of any fair. This arsenal of flash, glitter, ballyhoo, and bombast, with rides that promise to bring a gentle smile to a child's face, other rides that promise to bring frantic screams to teenagers and adults alike, and rides that promise everything else in between to everyone else, line the midway. These rides with the carousel organ, roaring generators, blaring rock music from the spectacular thrill rides, concessionaires urging fair patrons to play this game, try that food and pitch a quarter here and there until they win, always provide a unique background of sounds that can be heard only at the grand old American midway. This is the fair's main carnival midway to which we are referring. Some fairs operate independent midways in addition to the carnival midway. These midways almost never contain rides, but do have concessions and free or paid entertainment. The carnival company has nothing to do with this midway. Not all fairs have these independent midways, but most of the larger fairs in the state have them. Often, the farm machinery exhibits are found at this location. North Carolina has been home to many fairs over the decades. The first North Carolina State Fair operated in 1853! The fair business has changed over the years to a degree, but only to get better and better. With attendance at an all time high, this industry is quite alive and well and its future is assured as we begin the 21st century. As long as there is pride in agriculture, animals, talent, competition, industry, technology, education, environment and lots of wonderful things that make North Carolina a great and wonderful state, there will always be fairs. As long as there is pride in our youth, heritage, history and future, there will always be fairs. As long as there is pride in North Carolina, there will always be fairs in North Carolina!