N.C. State Fair tops one million for second year

Thanks to great weather and a strong closing weekend, the N.C. State Fair reached 1 million in attendance for the second straight year.

"It was another wonderful fair," said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. "Attendance was 1,009,173, our second-highest total ever. For the most part we had fantastic weather, and the final weekend was absolutely beautiful. Having good weather led to above-average attendance on all but one day of the fair."

Food Lion Hunger Relief Day on Thursday, Oct. 20, was successful, as fair patrons brought in more than 237,000 pounds of canned food to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

The competitive entries remained a strong component of the State Fair, with a large number of competitors in the livestock, flower and garden and horticulture categories.

The fair played host to a variety of musical acts, including country music legend George Jones, Christian rockers Skillet, R&B icon Dionne Warwick and North Carolina's own Kellie Pickler.

The Village of Yesteryear, which features crafters and artisans from across the state, marked its 60th anniversary at the State Fair. Many retired and former crafters returned to visit during the fair.

"I cannot thank fairgoers enough for their continued support," Troxler said. "I hope they're already marking their calendars for Oct. 11-21, 2012. I know we're eager to start planning for it."