For the first time since World War II , and only the third time ever, the NC State Fair — originally planned for October 15-25 at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh — will not be held, due to coronavirus-related concerns . We’re going to miss those corn fritters and fried oreos as much as you, so today we’re looking back at how this yearly event came to be.
Caption: October 1954 | Photo courtesy of NC State Archives
The fair was first held by the State Agricultural Society in 1853, lasted four days, had 4,000+ visitors, and awarded $524 in cash prizes ($17,000 in today’s dollars). It was moved to its current site in west Raleigh (1025 Blue Ridge Road ) in 1928, where it’s been held ever since. With 344 acres of total space — about half the size of all of downtown Raleigh — the fair plays host to a wide variety of events, including home styling exhibits, livestock shows, grandstand performances, vendor stalls, rides and games + drives serious revenue each year for local businesses, restaurants, and hotels, which typically see sales peaking in October.
Did you know?
- 1884 — electricity was first used at the fair
- 1894 — photography is the most popular exhibition
- 1900 — the first food booths were introduced to raise funds for churches and civic groups
- 1905 — President Theodore Roosevelt attends
- 1910 — first airplane exhibition
- 1920 — The Agricultural Society elects is first female president, Edith Vanderbilt
- 1946 — one million free tickets issued to school children
- 1948 — President Harry Truman attends
- 1952 — livestock pavilion completed + it boasted the world’s first column-free roof
- 1954 — WUNC-TV airs its first telecast at the fair’s opening day
- 1965 — integrated 4H groups compete for the first time
- 1973 — J.S. Dorton Arena registered as National Historic Place
- 1976 — President Gerald Ford attends
- 2003 — The fair celebrates 150 years
- Click here to view the complete historical timeline
By the numbers:
- 2019 — 938,000+ visitors over 11 days
- 2010 — 131,699 visitors set the record for all-time single-day attendance
- 2010 — Nearly 1.1 million visitors set the record for all-time total attendance
- On average, the fair sees approximately 75,000 visitors per day
- For complete attendance charts since 1990, click here
- To view more photos from the NC state archives, click here
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