Sept. 12, 2008 | The Clarion
— Arts & Life
Mountain State Fair's final weekend begins
Page 9
by Esther Padgett
Contributor
Just three more days to attend
this year’s fair
You only have three more
days to attend this year’s N.C.
Mountain State Fair, located at
the WNC Agricultural Center
i n
Fletcher
across
from
Asheville
Regional
Airport.
As a
way of
saying
goodbye
t 0
summer
and
hello to
autumn,
the fair
hosts daily activities as well as
more than 30
points of
interest on the
fairground.
Though some
say going to
the fair is not
their thing, last
year nearly
190,000 people
attended.
Gate
admission
costs $5, and
tickets for rides,
some
attractions and
headliner
entertainment
events must be
purchased
separately.
However, starting at 9 p.m.
tonight, one can get in the gate
and ride unlimited rides for $ 15
until 1 a.m. Parking is free.
For one low admission price,
fair-goers can see and do a lot.
You can:
•Check out live animals, such
as llamas, goats and cows
•Watch a hog race and a live
bear show
•Stop by Rusty’s Trailblazing
Chuckwagon for cowboy
yarns, and if you’re lucky, a
taste of cowboy chow
•Walk through a fully
furnished house carved out of
a single redwood tree trunk.
And for just a few dollars
more, you can also:
•Purchase all-natural cotton
candy made from Vermont
maple syrup
•Ride a camel
•See “freak show” animals,
such as a gigantic steer, a “fish
girl,” a “wolf
boy,” and
others.
Buildings
showcasing
various vendor
displays, arts,
crafts,
agricultural
products and
floral
arrangements
are open until
10 p.m. If you’re
hungry, you
have lots of food options,
including the standard fare—
com dogs, funnel cakes, and
the like—as well as more
substantial (and costlier)
options, such as gyros, teriyaki
chicken, barbecue, ribs and
fried turkey legs.
And, of course, on the
midway there are rides and
games of
chance. With
names like
“Cliffhanger
“ and “Freak
Out” and
“Fire Ball,”
the midway
offers you a
chance to get
your thrills.
Or for tamer
souls, there
are classic
carnival rides
such as an
0 1 d -
fashioned carrousel and ferris
wheel.
Ride tickets are $1.00 each,
but most rides require more
than one—up to five tickets for
the most heart-stopping thrill
rides. So tonight’s “Friday
uwrLiHi
Night Stampede,” $15 for gate
admission and an armband for
unlimited rides, is a great way
to save money and get your
thrills.
If you want to
eat (or drink),
bring plenty of
cash as well.
Most vendors
sell canned soft
drinks for $2,
regular-sized
hand-dipped
corn dogs for
$3, and fried
turkey legs for
$7. A Polish or
Italian sausage
dog with grilled
peppers and onions will cost
$6.50.
Sweets will cost you as well.
A small homemade cup of ice
cream in a range of flavors from
vanilla to black raspberry is $3.
An apple dumpling—to eat
there or to wrap in foil for
later—will cost at least $3.50
without ice cream. And a funnel
cake or elephant ear will run as
much as $5.
The fair
closes Sunday
night with a
headliner
concert by
country/
bluegrass
singer Rhonda
Vincent at 7:30
p.m. (Ticket for
this event will
cost $5 in
addition to
regular fair
admission.)
For more information about
the final weekend of the N.C.
Mountain State Fair, visit the
fair’s Web site at
www.mountainfairorg.
Photos Courtesy Esther Padgett