News & Features, October 2021, Previous Issues

State Fair is back and our critics say it’s worth going

The North Carolina State Fair is back. An annual event that has been held in Raleigh since 1853 by the State Agricultural Society, the event was cancelled last year due to the pandemic. However it is back with numerous rides, games, vendors and restaurants. The Falcon Forum sent two staffers to the event to check it out. Here are their reports:

It is worth going? Yes! My friends and I tried numerous vendors and many types of food and drinks from freshly squeezed lemonade, fried lobster pops, chicken wings, blooming onions, Italian sausage dogs, chili cheese fries, and strawberry funnel cake. Everything we tasted met our expectations and more.

The fair experience was immaculate and every food item tried was worth the try. The NC State fair is an experience you would not want to miss out on.

— Allysa Berry.

The fair is a good experience to have with family and friends. For the kids, they had a balloon station with different cartoon characters such as Dora, Spiderman, SpongeBob SquarePants etc. Also, the station had big stuffed animals which made the little kids anxious and excited to get one.

The Ferris wheel, food stands, the smell of popcorn, vendors for people to shop and explore souveniers – the fair seems to have something for everyone.

One of the vendors was the State Fair Caps and T-shirts shop. They had a variety of items like sweatshirts, beanies, hoodies, caps and, of course, T-shirts, in sizes from 6 months to 4XL.

If you are a huge fan of soda, then I recommend stopping by Pappy’s Old Fashioned Soda Pop. The flavors are root beer, grape, ginger ale, orange, and Cheerwine. Pappys has an old-fashioned style, so the costumes pour the soda in stainless steel mugs like old times. Each mug is $10 and refills are $3.

— Joi Davidson

The State Fair runs through Oct. 24. For more information, visit https://www.ncstatefair.org/2021/index.htm