Mountain State Fair wraps up

The 17th Annual N.C. Mountain State Fair ended its 10-day run with a near-record attendance of 185,323, thanks in part to nine days of nice weather. That number was just shy of the record of 187,819 set in 2007.
Three single-day attend-ance records were set during the Fair, and a new record of 15,000 pounds of food was collected on Ingles Day for the MANNA Food Bank.

"We had a great fair, and tremendous support and participation by western N.C. residents and visitors," said Fair Manager Matt Buchanan. "People seemed to have a good time, and we got a lot of positive feedback from visitors."

Two longtime livestock supporters were the first to be inducted into the N.C. Mountain State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame. Barbara Worley and Robert "Burder" Reeves, both of Leicester, were posthumously honored for their commitment and support of livestock shows at the Fair and in western North Carolina.

In addition, Chris Mackey and Courtney Wade – two junior livestock exhibitors - received the first scholarships created in honor of Scotty Cochran, who died in a farming accident in 2009. The memorial scholarship was created by the Western N.C. Beef Commission.