FLETCHER – Great weather and strong community support delivered strong attendance numbers for the 2024 N.C. Mountain State Fair sponsored by Ingles Markets. Total attendance was 149,334, besting last year’s attendance by 2,056.
“We have a dedicated staff that works hard to bring the community the very best each year. Strong attendance numbers are just one way we measure that success,” said Sean McKeon, N.C. Mountain State Fair manager. “Other ways include giving back to our community through our canned food drive, collecting caps for distribution through Messino Cancer Center or just seeing the smiles on the faces of the families that visit us each year.”
“The Western NC Agriculture Center and the N.C. Mountain State Fair are receipt-based operations; it receives no appropriations from the state. The money earned at the fair and during the year goes back into the operating fund for the Center, including grounds maintenance and improvements.”
New this year was an expanded Got to Be NC Pavilion showcasing some of the best N.C. made food and beverage products, giving visitors an opportunity to sample and buy a variety of specialty products and support N.C. businesses. This year, the Pavilion expanded on its space in the Chevrolet Davis Arena with an additional 22 outdoor vendors outside Davis Arena. Altogether, nearly 40 food and beverage companies had products available in the Pavilion.
The N.C. Mountain State Fair’s partnership with the MANNA Food Bank was also a success. We CAN Fight Hunger Day, presented by Sheetz Convenience stores, brought in 22,144 pounds of food donated by fairgoers in exchange for 4,122 admissions tickets donated by the N.C. Mountain State Fair. Also new this year was a Whole Hog Cook-Off benefitting Manna Foodbank. Seven pitmasters from across the Carolinas showcased their best low-and-slow techniques. After presenting their entries to the judges, teams packaged up the remaining pork so it could be donated to the food bank.
Total entries into this year’s fair competitions was 8,561. This included 4,742 general exhibits, 3,335 in livestock shows, 484 in clogging and gospel singing. The Caps for Cancer competition, sponsored by the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair, brought in more than 1,000 caps that will be distributed by Messino Cancer Centers.
“We can’t thank the community enough for their continuing support of the N.C. Mountain State Fair,” said Kaleb Rathbone, assistant commissioner over Western NC programs. “This year we celebrated our 30th anniversary. I want to thank the fairgoers, exhibitors, vendors that have been coming to fair for all these years. I also want to thank our staff, law enforcement and EMS, who work hard to put on a safe and fun event. We are honored to be a tradition for your families and it’s exciting to see the impact that this event has in our community.”
Go ahead and mark your calendars, the 2025 N.C. Mountain State Fair will run Sept. 5-14.
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