Today’s Topic: 2013 N.C. State Fair

by | Oct 15, 2013

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.”

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The 2013 N.C. State Fair starts Thursday. This year, there are new entertainers, new rides and new foods, but still plenty of the traditions people have come to expect.

The theme this year is “North Carolina’s Homecoming,” and that’s what the fair is for many people. It’s a homecoming, or a reunion, a place people visit every year to make new memories.

There are things at the fair that people look forward to every year. Things like turkey legs, funnel cakes, the Village of Yesteryear, livestock shows, giant pumpkins, Ferris wheels and the racing pigs.

There are quite a few new attractions, too. There’s the Gantry Bike, a pedal-powered stage featuring aerialists doing tricks. Another new entertainer is the Wacky Wheeler, a giant open wheel driven by Melvin, who dresses like an elf. On the midway, a new spectacular ride called the Rampage will join the lineup of more than 100 rides.

And no State Fair would be complete without new food, such as a pork barbecue and slaw egg roll, Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joes and deep-fried Sugar Daddies.

Agriculture continues to be the major focus of the fair. There is a new exhibit called Agriculture Today, which is sponsored by the state’s soybean farmers and their check-off program. The exhibit will help educate visitors about the technology and equipment that help make North Carolina farmers so productive in the 21st century.

Click on the audio player below to listen to Commissioner Troxler and Rhonda talk about the N.C. State Fair.

[Audio:http://info.ncagr.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/Troxler_10-15.mp3|titles=Today’s Topic for Oct. 15]

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n The 2013 N.C. State Fair starts Thursday. This year, there are new entertainers, new rides and new foods, but still plenty of the traditions that people have come to expect.

n Our theme this year is “North Carolina’s Homecoming,” and that’s what the fair is for many people. It’s a homecoming, or a reunion, a place people visit every year to make new memories.

n There are things at the fair that people look forward to every year. Things like turkey legs, funnel cakes, the Village of Yesteryear, livestock shows, giant pumpkins, Ferris wheels and the racing pigs.

n But we have quite a few new attractions, too. There’s the Gantry Bike, a pedal-powered stage featuring specialists doing aerial tricks. We have the Wacky Wheeler, a giant open wheel driven by Melvin, who dresses like an elf. On the midway, we have a new spectacular ride called the Rampage.

n And no State Fair would be complete without new food. We have a pork barbecue and slaw egg roll, Krispy Kreme Sloppy Joes, deep-fried ice cream and fried frog legs. And those are just a few of the new foods we’ve heard about.

n Agriculture continues to be the major focus of the fair. We have a new exhibit called Agriculture Today, which is sponsored by the state’s soybean farmers. The exhibit will help educate visitors about the technology and equipment that help make North Carolina farmers so productive in the 21st century.

n I’m also excited about a sort of heritage project we’ve undertaken. We asked 4-H and FFA groups to submit quilt squares commemorating their State Fair experiences.

Quilters will be piecing them together in the Village of Yesteryear during the fair. We hope to display the finished quilt before the fair is over.