Got to Be NC Festival

Day one in photos

Bearded Lady May 20 May 20

The first day of the 2011 Got to Be NC Festival has been a lot of fun. Here are some photos from today’s activities. There is still plenty to eat, see and do tonight at the festival, and gates will be open until midnight. Gate admission, parking and grandstand events are free, so don’t forget to come out Saturday and Sunday for even more fun. You can download a complete schedule of activities at www.ncagfest.com, and keep up with festival updates on Facebook, Twitter or the Got to Be NC Festival blog.

Sun shines on Got to Be NC Festival

Bearded Lady May 20 May 20

Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler kicked off the 2011 Got to Be NC Festival by leading the first of three antique tractor parades this morning at the Fairgrounds. A few morning showers have turned into a warm and sunny afternoon. In addition to the large selection of antique farm equipment on display, festival-goers have enjoyed the Carolina FiberFest, Food and Wine Expo and the Raleigh Flea Market. The Sam Rand Grandstand will be full of free activities tonight beginning with the children’s stick horse races at 5 p.m., followed by a performance by Rocky the Trick Mule, plow-horse demonstrations, draft horse…

Got to Be NC Festival and much more

Blue Ribbon May 18 May 17

We’re getting ready for a jam-packed weekend full of family fun, and wanted to fill you in on all the activities available at the State Fairgrounds beginning Thursday. The Got to Be NC Festival will take over most of the Fairgrounds with carnival rides and antique tractors on display in the Midway area, vendors and a community stage in the Jim Graham Building and the Food & Wine Expo in the Expo Center. Between the Graham and Expo buildings you’ll find the new Agri-Plaza featuring a Kidz Corral play area and animals on display. In Dorton Triangle, you’ll find dozens of food vendors and the…

Curtis Mabe’s big tractor wins Best of Show award at festival

Flying Bob May 22 May 22

Congratulations to Curtis Mabe of Parkton, whose 1964 Allis-Chalmers D21 won Best of Show in the tractor competition at the Got to Be NC Festival. The team of judges liked Mabe’s use of chrome and the many little details he used in restoring the tractor, says Pat Short, the festival’s motor sports coordinator. “It’s a very rare tractor,” Short says. “It’s also huge.” The following tractors and owners also won awards in the competition: Best of Show, Prior to 1930 — Ken and Patti Eder of Carthage, 1914 Sawyer Massey Best of Show, 1930-49 — Jim Karriker of Mooresville, 1949…

Too much pork for just one fork…

Bearded Lady May 22 August 5

The ever-popular Masonic Carolina Pig Jig was back again at the Got to Be NC Festival, and this year’s competition was even larger than last year. An estimated 3,000 people came to fill their plates with barbecue pork, chicken and sauces. In addition, some lodges were serving chicken wings, banana pudding, sides and sweet lemonade. The event is an annual fund-raiser to benefit the Masonic Home for Children and the Central Children’s Home, both in Oxford. Here’s a quick look at the event: Not only is the event a fund-raiser, but it also is a competition and opportunity for bragging rights. Here’s a rundown…

Tractors in triple speed

Bearded Lady May 21 May 22

If you’ re at the fairgrounds around 11 a.m. Saturday or Sunday, make sure you don’t miss the antique tractor parade. We don’t want to spoil the full experience for you, so we present this condensed video. Note: If the video doesn’t appear, try refreshing your browser. UPDATE: Saturday’s tractor parade will start at 10:45 a.m. to accomodate the Harley-Davidson ride-in.

Check in on TriOut for a badge

Firecracker May 21 May 21

Smart-phone users, be sure to check in on TriOut when you get to the Got to Be NC Festival at the N.C. State Fairgrounds this weekend. Checking in will earn TriOut users a festival badge and 10 points toward the weekly leaderboard competition. TriOut is a hyper-local location-based service that helps users explore the Triangle and greater North Carolina. The application was founded by Triangle residents Lawrence Ingraham and Wayne Sutton. In beta testing last year, 17 users checked in at the 2009 N.C. State Fair. Let’s see how many users we can get to the Got to Be NC…

Carolina Fiberfest offers visitors plenty of warm and fuzzies; doubles in size

Merrie Go Round May 19 May 19

Anyone with an interest in fiber crafts will want to visit the expanded Carolina Fiberfest taking place May 21-23 in the Holshouser Building as part of the Got to Be NC Festival. Interest in fiber crafts has been gaining momentum for the past seven years, with more and more people learning to knit, crochet, weave, spin or construct other fiber craft items. The Fiberfest will feature 18 vendors with a variety of products from naturally dyed wools to unfinished fibers. The focus will be on showcasing North Carolina fiber products that people might not see in more traditional stores. The event will be a nice blend of…

I spy….a double Ferris wheel!

Firecracker May 19 May 19

We get tons of questions every year before the State Fair from people wanting to know if their favorite food or attraction will be returning. Inevitably, each year, we get asked, “Will the double Ferris wheel be back this year?” The past few years, the answer has been “no.” Powers Great American Midways, the carnival company at the State Fair, does not own a double Ferris wheel, and while there have been four Ferris wheels on the grounds, none has been a double wheel. If you want your fix of a double Ferris wheel, be sure to bring yourself on…

Got to Be NC Festival headlines a jam-packed weekend at the Fairgrounds

Firecracker May 18 May 19

Fairgrounds visitors will have plenty of activities to choose from as the third-annual Got to Be NC Festival kicks off a full weeekend of events. The festival runs Friday, May 21, to Sunday, May 23, and will include hundreds of food and commercial vendors, agricultural exhibits, carnival rides and much more. Following is the jam-packed schedule of activities at the Got to Be NC Festival: Amran Shriners N.C. Seafood Fish Fry, Friday, beside the Expo Center The Shriners will serve N.C. mountain trout, catfish and shrimp from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Cost is $10 per plate. The event is…

Category: Got to Be NC Festival