The 2024 N.C. Mountain State Fair, which was supported by Ingles Markets, had a lot of visitors thanks to nice weather and strong community support. There were 149,334 people there, which is 2,056 more than last year’s total.
“Our staff is dedicated and works hard to give the community the best every year.” “A lot of people coming is just one way we know it was a success,” said Sean McKeon, manager of the N.C. Mountain State Fair.
“Other ways are to give back to the community through our canned food drive, collect hats to give to the Messino Cancer Center, or just enjoy the happiness of the families who come to see us every year.”
“The Western NC Agriculture Center and the N.C. Mountain State Fair are run with money they get from events; they don’t get money from the state.” The fair and other events throughout the year bring in money that is used to run the Center and pay for things like repairs and changes to the grounds.
This year, the Got to Be NC Pavilion was made bigger to show off some of the best food and drinks made in North Carolina. This gave visitors a chance to try and buy a wide range of specialty items and support North Carolina companies.
This year, the Pavilion added 22 more vendors outside of Chevrolet Davis Arena, making its room in the arena bigger. In the Pavilion, goods from about 40 food and drink companies could be bought.
Working with the MANNA Food Bank at the N.C. Mountain State Fair was also a good idea. On We CAN Fight Hunger Day, which was put on by Sheetz Convenience Stores, fairgoers gave away 22,144 pounds of food in return for 4,122 free admission tickets from the N.C. Mountain State Fair.
This year there was also a Whole Hog Cook-Off to raise money for Manna Foodbank. Seven pitmasters from all over the Carolinas showed off their best slow-cooked skills. After teams showed the judges their creations, they put the rest of the pork in bags so it could be given to the food bank.
There were 8,561 entries in this year’s fair events. There were 4,742 general displays, 3,335 livestock shows, and 484 clogging and gospel singing events. The Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair put on the Caps for Cancer competition, which got more than 1,000 caps. Messino Cancer Centers will give these caps to people who need them.
Kaleb Rathbone, assistant commissioner for Western NC programs, said, “We can’t thank the community enough for their continued support of the N.C. Mountain State Fair.” “Our 30th wedding anniversary was this year.” I’d like to thank all the people who have come to the fair over the years as well as the exhibitors and sellers.
The people who work hard to make sure the event is safe and fun deserve praise as well. It’s an honor to be a family tradition for you, and it’s exciting to see how this event changes our community.
Remember that the N.C. Mountain State Fair will take place from September 5–14, 2025.