The State Agricultural Society hosts the first North Carolina State Fair, a display of best farming practices, drawing 4,000 fairgoers on its peak day.
The first North Carolina Colored State Fair in Raleigh celebrates the achievements of African Americans post-Emancipation. Every year, this fair features agricultural and industrial displays, parades, and speeches until it closes in 1930.
Electricity debuts at the fair. Soon after, the first Midway ride, the Switchback Railway, is constructed in 1891, followed by the introduction of food booths in 1900.
Cary United Methodist Church serves its first ham biscuit at the fair, introducing a beloved culinary tradition that quickly gains popularity.
Charlie Barefoot & Sons sells foot-long hot dogs. Over time, the menu expands to include Polish and Italian sausages, Philly cheesesteaks, and chili cheese fries.
The “Fair of the Future” model in the main exhibit hall shows plans for a coliseum, which opens in 1952 and is renamed J.S. Dorton Arena in 1961.
A towering 14-foot-tall mailbox is installed on the fairgrounds, allowing postcards to be sent directly from the fair.
Fairgoers set a new collection record on Food Lion Hunger Relief Day by donating about 246,779 pounds of food for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina.
The State Fair SkyGazer Ferris wheel makes its grand debut. The view from its 155-foot peak stretches more than 15 miles, encompassing the fairgrounds, Hillsborough Street, and Dorton Arena.
North Carolina is known for many things, but nothing more important this week than the qualities of endurance, resilience, and hope.
By day, this adventure park in the Triad is a fall festival to die for. By night, the undead come alive for Halloween tricks. Welcome to one man’s vision of year-round merrymaking.
North Carolina’s border dances across the mountains as it traces four different states. Life here can be more remote, but good neighbors are never far away.
The Blue Ridge Parkway stands out among America’s national parks: Unfurling across six Appalachian mountain chains, it connects dozens of rural communities and binds together generations of families through shared memories.
