I married into a State Fair Family, and by the time I figured that out, it was too late.
We’d lived in Raleigh less than a year when my husband suggested an outing to the fair. He fondly recalled the family trips from Norfolk, Va., to the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville — and the giddy hours filled with rides, games and sticky treats.
I had never been to a fair, but at eight months pregnant, I was up for anything that would entertain our three-year-old for an afternoon. I could not have guessed how much there would be to see, to do and to eat. By the end of our day at the fair, I was grumpy and my feet ached, but I was hooked.
We returned to the fair the following year, and we have gone nearly every year since. At some point, I became a Fair Person too.
It could have been when I was riding the teeny roller coaster with my toddlers, cheering when my child popped the balloons to earn a stuffed prize, or seeing my daughters’ elementary-school artwork displayed in the Kerr Scott Building.
Now, we each have our favorites: the apple dumplings, the giant swings, the decorated cakes, and the Village of Yesteryear. I’m oddly fascinated by the giant pumpkins, and there are few things more delicious than an ear of corn, fire-roasted and dipped in butter.
But no matter what else we decide to do, near the end of every day at the fair, footsore and slightly queasy, we head to the Ferris wheel. We sink gratefully into the swinging gondola and marvel at the view as we ride to the top. Gracefully rising above the clamor of the midway, we pick out distant landmarks and snap a few photos.
In October, we here at Cary Magazine were able to take a few photos of our own — highlighting the 2020 Maggy Award Winners. These outstanding individuals were good sports about the venue, and it’s clear they were having as much fun as we were.
I hope our “Blue-Ribbon Winners” bring a smile to your face — whether you’re a Fair Person or not.
- 2020 Maggy Awards: Restaurants
- 2020 Maggy Awards: Services
- 2020 Maggy Awards: Shopping
- Off the Bench and in the Game
- Strength in Numbers
- Nonprofit Spotlight: Triangle Literacy Council
- Blue-Ribbon Winners!
- Small Business Spotlight: The Closet Factory
- kō•än Public Table
- Liquid Assets: Moonlight Excursion Baltic Porter from Mason Jar Lager Company
- Liquid Assets: Fisher’s Rye Whiskey by Fainting Goat Spirits
- Garden Adventurer: The Dogwoods of Winter
- 2020 Maggy Awards: Lifestyle
- From the Editor: Maggy Winners and the State Fair
