Press Releases

The 2023 N.C. State Fair will continue to offer several special days that fairgoers have come to love each year. Unique access and discounts on gate admission tickets are part of the fun for the fair that runs Oct. 12-22 at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services was awarded $6.3 million by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service to place conservation easements on farms in the Upper Neuse River Basin. This project was funded through USDA’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Standards Division has collected fines from eight stores in eight counties because of excessive price-scanner errors.
The N.C. State Fair is honoring farm families again this year through its Farm Family of the Dayprogram, sponsored by Tractor Supply Company. The program is returning for its third year to recognize and celebrate more of the state’s rich agricultural heritage and the farm families behind the $103.2 billion agriculture and agribusiness industry.
WHO/WHAT:The N.C. Plant Conservation Scientific Committee will discuss conservation program updates and the opportunity to incorporate plant species into the State Wildlife Action Plan.    WHEN:Thursday, Sept. 21, 1 to 4 p.m. 
Skip the line and save money by grabbing your 2023 North Carolina State Fairtickets in advance at a discounted price. The Fair runs Oct. 12-22 and fairgoers can buyadmission tickets, ride tickets and unlimited ride wristbands for a discounted price at threelocations around Raleigh.• Gate 9 at the N.C. State Fairgrounds (off Trinity Road) from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.• State Farmers Market ticket booth (between the Farmers Building and MarketShoppes) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.• N.C. Museum of History lobby (on weekdays only) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Following is a list of winners in the N.C. Mountain State Fair livestock shows held Sept. 12-17:Llama Performance Champions Show – Sept. 12Sub-Junior PerformanceChampion – Kimber Abendroth, Henderson CountyJunior Performance Champion – Emmalyn Munsey, Henderson CountyIntermediate Performance Champion – Aniyah Bechdel, Henderson CountySenior Performance Champion – Randi Mae Eatmon, Transylvania CountyYouth Poultry Show – Sept. 14
N.C. State Fair visitors should bring an appetite for fun with four new amusement rides,two new grounds entertainers and over 30 new food items being part of the stellar lineup planned Oct. 12-22 in Raleigh.RidesNew rides range from the elegantly beautiful two-tiered Venetian Carousel to the high voltage thrills of Tesla AC, which is capped offed with six brightly lit lightning bolts hovering above two-person cars that attach to spinning and dipping arms.
As North Carolina transitions to the fall, the N.C. Forest Service is reminding the public to be careful, ready and responsible when burning outdoors. Typically, wildfires occur more frequently from October through early December. Outdoor fires left unattended can get out of hand quickly, becoming wildfires that threaten lives and property. In 2022, there were nearly 6,400 wildfires that burned more than 24,000 acres in North Carolina, 99% of which were human caused.
Sharon Gates of Leicester continued to impress judges during the final week of the Mountain State Fair, winning the N.C. Blueberry Council’s From Scratch Contest and $200 for her blueberry mousse recipe. This victory was in addition to Gates’ wins in the Tomato Growers Association’s Fresh Tomatoes Contest and the N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council Classic Comfort Food Contest earlier in the Mountain State Fair.