Press Releases
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.
To celebrate the fall harvest and the bounty of crops available in North Carolina, the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market will host its first Harvest Festival Oct. 1 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The N.C. State Fair is just around the corner, and it will surely be your “Best.Day.EVER!”To prepare for the Fair, this weekend will be the last weekend for the flea market before the fairgrounds closes to the public. The Raleigh Market will close at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 24, and will re-open at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 4.
The N.C. Specialty Foods Association recently announced winners of its 2023 Best in Taste product competition during the final virtual Summer of Learning event. The Durham Toffee Company earned grand champion honors for its Espresso Crunch, beating out a total of 163 entries across 12 categories in this year’s competition.
The N.C. Mountain State Fair wrapped up a successful run with a total attendance of 147,278.“We measure success in many different ways and by every measure it was a great fair,” said fair general manager Sean McKeon. “We saw a lot of smiles and happy faces, we saw strong numbers in our youth participating in general competitions and livestock shows, we helped give back to the community through our community days and special competitions and the fair helped families create lifelong memories.
Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler inducted two couples into the N.C. Mountain State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame during the fair’s opening weekend. Troxler recognized Buddy and Janice Cochran of Waynesville and Tim and Sonia Worley of Leicester for their longtime support to the fair and the livestock industry in Western North Carolina.
WHAT:Bring five cans or dried goods to the N.C. Mountain State Fair tomorrow and gain free entry to the fair. All donations are collected and distributed by Manna FoodBank.WHEN:Wednesday, Sept. 13, 3 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.WHERE:WNC Agricultural Center 1301 Fanning Bridge Road, FletcherMORE INFO:
Sharon Gates of Leicester took home two top prizes and a total of $300 in prize money in the N.C. Tomato Growers Association’s Fresh Tomatoes Contest and the N.C. Cattlemen’s Beef Council Classic Comfort Food Contest. Her winning recipes were Is That Really A Tomato Cake? and Buncombe’s Best Beefed Up Chili. Jennifer Currie of Clyde earned first-place honors and $200 for her Trout Chowder recipe in the N.C. Mountain Trout Cook-Off. Both contests were held during the opening weekend of the Mountain State Fair.
The N.C. Structural Pest Control Committee recently approved settlement agreements for cases in Edgecombe, Gaston, Guilford, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Polk and Richmond counties at its meeting in Raleigh. Following are the agreements:
The N.C. Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry program has announced that 73 communities, 14 campuses and four utilities have been awarded Tree City USA, Tree Campus Higher Education and Tree Line USA designations for 2022.