Got to Be NC Festival runs May 20-22
Dinosaurs, pirates and bulldozers will be among the additions to the perennial lineup of North Carolina food, animal and agricultural exhibits at the 2016 Got to Be NC Festival. The event will take place May 20-22 at the N.C. State Fairgrounds.
“The Got to Be NC Festival showcases the finest of North Carolina’s $76 billion agriculture industry while offering a variety of family-friendly attractions for visitors to enjoy,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “This year’s lineup is one of our most diverse yet, so come out and celebrate with us.”
The new attractions include an interactive dinosaur exhibit curated by a former N.C. Zoo employee and paleontology enthusiast, swashbuckling pirate reenactors and educators, and rumbling and roaring antique construction equipment.
Dakota & Friends
Dakota & Friends is an interactive and informational dinosaur exhibit featuring Dakota, a moving, life-size Deinonycus. In the exhibit, visitors will have a chance to interact with Dakota and pet a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex. The attraction also includes other dinosaurs, exploding volcanoes, natural dinosaur habitats and more.
Shadow Players
Shadow Players is a stage combat group that portrays and re-creates scenes from the golden age of piracy. Shadow Players features Steve Whetzel, the pirate mascot of East Carolina University. Through rousing sword fights and comedy, the troupe educates the crowd on real-life pirates such as Blackbeard and others who sailed the seas off North Carolina’s coast.
Bulldozers
The Antique Caterpillar Machinery Owners Club Chapter 12 will bring more than a dozen antique bulldozers and pull-behind scrapers for display and demonstrations. The club, which consists of owners from the Carolinas, Tennessee and Virginia, travels the Southeast educating the public about the historic role of Caterpillar machinery in shaping the world. Members will hold daily demonstrations in the Grandstand.
The Got to Be NC Festival runs May 20-22 at the State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. Admission to the festival is free. The event features a food, wine and beer expo, barnyard animals, a rabbit and cavy show, bluegrass competition, tractor pull, BMX bikes, racing pigs and one of the largest antique tractor displays in the Southeast. The event also includes a family-friendly carnival and fireworks. More information is available at www.gottobencfestival.com.
