Day One of the North Carolina State Fair. Most would call Friday the first day of the State Fair, but to many folks in Raleigh, Thursday is the official grounds opening, at least for lunch. A couple of years ago, the grounds of the state fair were mostly empty at lunch on Thursday, but it has become a ritual it seems to travel to the west end of Hillsbrough Street at lunch on the Thursday for a quick bite before the fair kicks off. It was a ritual in my office before I arrived three years ago, I’m sure others have been going for years before that.
Of all the food vendors that litter the fairgrounds, about half, if not less, gear up Thursday morning for an extra day of business. From Gyros to Ham Biscuits to “We Pickle Anything”, you are able to find something to fit your appetite, but not necessarily diet, at the fair. Food on a stick is the most prevalent although some think North Carolina deserves more options. The new deal it seems is Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches, Fried and on a stick which I was told was just past the Taffy truck at the same stand as the Deep Fried Cheeseburgers. Hmmm. Nevertheless, the food drag was packed this afternoon with anxious visitors and money burning holes in their pockets. If you travel out for lunch, expect to spend at least $10, at the least, and be mostly full, unless you eat five $2 ham biscuits, which are filling and tasty, although a tad bit salty. The staples are back like every year. Local churches selling biscuits, pizza stands, candy apples, fried snickers, funnel cakes, bbq, turkey legs, corn on the cob, foot long hotdogs, and the list goes on and on. Nothing really jumped out as “new” other than the PB&J.
The North Carolina State Fair, like most across the nation were originally created on the part of state agricultural resources and shows, but various events have popped out on the historical time line over the years as turning points and notes of interest, including multiple US Presidents speaking on the grounds. Nowhere on that time line do I see “Thursday Lunch Craze Starts”. I wonder when it really was?
With the State Fair facing drought and prices being raised, some may stay away from the fairgrounds, but I’m sure that it will be packed most nights. It looks like the Carolina Hurricanes have scheduled away games during the next week and NC State has a by-week this weekend and away next week, so at least there will be less traffic conflicts than previous years. So get on your walking shoes, get out your wallets, and call upon your higher powers for those much needed game winning skills and head to the fairgrounds to win your loved one a stuffed animal that you then give away as a Holiday gift to your niece!
And if the State Fair is not for you, do at least visit the Fairgrounds on a weekend for the DIY Flea Market, a Roller Derby bout at Dorton Area, or any of the other events on the Fairgrounds events calendar.
Below are some photos from the 2007 NC State Fair Thursday Lunch Craze.
N.C. STATE FAIR
• When: Oct. 12-21.
• Hours: 8 a.m. to midnight (Rides 10 a.m. to midnight).
• Where: State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.
• Admission: Adults: $7; children 6 to 12: $2; children 5 and under and adults over 65: free.
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