The number of days left before the opening of the 2024 N.C. State Fair are in the single digits and this year is sure to offer traditional favorites blended with several new attractions. Whether you’re a foodie planning to stuff your face with enough “home grown happiness” to go around, a thrill seeker on the lookout for your next adrenaline rush via fair rides, checking in on multiple agriculture demonstrations offered daily or looking to stay in the know through numerous educational exhibits, this year’s fair offers entertainment options for everyone.
For more than 40 years, N.C. Forest Service (NCFS) rangers, pilots, mechanics, equipment operators and wildland firefighters have entertained and interacted with fairgoers. Located up the hill from Heritage Circle between Gates 6 and 7 and along the edge of the pond, visitors will be greeted by wildfire prevention icon Smokey Bear as he continues his efforts to educate folks on the importance of protecting North Carolina’s forests and natural resources.
New this year will be a wildland firefighting station where festival goers can suit up in official personal protective equipment (PPE) while learning from the professionals who wear the gear every day. An NCFS helmet, fire tools and a fire pack will all be on hand. While deploying a fire shelter in a real-life scenario is never ideal, sometimes it’s necessary. Visitors to the Firewise building will have the opportunity to test their competitive skills by deploying a fire shelter during a mock scenario, needing to complete the task within a certain timeframe. While in the Firewise building, visitors will learn about the history of wildland firefighting, current techniques and strategies applied to fighting wildfires and how to minimize the risk of wildfire impacts at home.
Speaking of previously mentioned educational exhibits, the NCFS will also introduce new programs to attendees for the third consecutive year. In celebration of his 80th birthday to commemorate a lifetime dedicated to wildfire prevention, Smokey Bear and NCFS rangers will host a campfire safety program in the amphitheater on the pond’s edge near the fire tower each Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. Program participants will learn how to safely and properly build, enjoy and extinguish a campfire to ensure its remnants don’t escape and become a catastrophic wildfire.
NCFS forest health staff will also introduce new programs relative to the impacts and spread of native and nonnative invasive insects and plants, and the future of our state’s hemlock trees to coincide with the division’s 2024 annual theme “Keeping North Carolina’s Forest’s Healthy”. Also featured will be a line-up of additional programs such as “The Story of Smokey Bear,” “Living with Fire,” “History of the Longleaf Pine” and “New Forests for Wildlife” led by NCFS rangers and offered daily beginning Thursday, Oct. 17. For a complete schedule of educational programs and daily events, visit https://www.ncagr.gov/nc-state-fair-2024-daily-schedule/download?attachment.
Inside the James Robert “Bob” Stanfield Natural Resources Center, the forest service will highlight the many careers offered with the NCFS where visitors get a glimpse of what it’s like to work with the agency. After speaking with a NCFS nursery and tree improvement professional, listeners will have access to a free loblolly or longleaf pine tree seedling for planting of their own.
Traditional attractions such as NCFS aircraft, heavy equipment touch-a-truck and Big Smokey Bear are staples in the exhibit. Visitors will be able to learn more about the NCFS Aviation Program and its role in fighting wildfires and assisting with forest management while flying interactive Helicopter 5. The heavy equipment touch-a-truck experience allows fairgoers to touch, take pictures with and climb in the driver seat of select equipment pieces to learn from the professionals who operate them daily.
Whether you plan to enjoy one of the new ranger-led educational programs, step into the shoes of a wildland firefighter through the shelter deployment exercise or get reacquainted with your favorite wildfire prevention bear, the NCFS is certain to have something for every age group. Come spend time interacting with your forest service personnel who take pleasure in serving the people of North Carolina.
The 2024 N.C. State Fair runs from Oct. 17 through Oct. 27. Other than Smokey Bear’s new campfire safety program, outside exhibits and the Firewise building in the NCFS exhibit area are open daily from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Inside exhibits are open daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Note that exhibits don’t open until noon on Thursday, Oct. 17.
To learn more about this year’s N.C. State Fair and to plan your visit, go to www.ncstatefair.org.
Editorial note: Some of the programming features and exhibits mentioned in this article may be subject to change as many N.C. Forest Service personnel are currently deployed to support the ongoing Hurricane Helene response and recovery operations in the mountain region.