A ferris wheel and food vendor are seen in at the fair. LAUREN ROSE/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
The 2021 N.C. State Fair marked a successful return this year with over 821,000 fairgoers in attendance, nearly 314,000 pounds of canned goods donated during Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day and more than a million smiles recorded. Organizers counted a preliminary final Sunday total is 102,135 for a preliminary total of 821,463 pending the outcome of final weekend outlet sales. Other highlights included hosting the first “AccessAbility Day” for people with different abilities, the dedication of the James Robert “Bob” Stanfield Natural Resources Center, receiving bids totaling $183,000 in the Junior Livestock Sale of Champions; having two site records for largest pumpkin and largest watermelon – 1,965.5 pounds for the pumpkin and 341 pounds for the watermelon and receiving over 18,500 general competition entries. “The 2021 State Fair was absolutely wonderful and exceeded expectations. It took a lot of hard work by a lot of people to put this on, but it was absolutely worth it,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Seeing people enjoying themselves and experiencing a bit of normalcy was a great feeling.”
Fairgoers enjoy a ride on the NC State flyer during the second day of the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh, on October 15, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
Daniel Beckstead from Scio, Oregon, front, races Lyle LeCaptain from St. Cloud, Florida in the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack show during the second day of the N.C. State Fair in Raleigh, on October 15th, 2021. PJ WARD-BROWN/NORTH STATE JOURNAL
