Press release from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Time is running out for craftsmen, artists and food preservers wishing to enter a competition at this year’s N.C. Mountain State Fair. Time is also running out for those wishing to take advantage of the fair’s Pony Express, which provides free delivery of entry items from local Cooperative Extension offices to the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher.
“No matter where you are in Western North Carolina, the Pony Express makes it easy to submit your competition entries and join the fun at this year’s fair,” said fair manager Matt Buchanan. “We encourage fairgoers in all of our outlying counties to take advantage of this free service so the entire region can be represented during our 25th N.C. Mountain State Fair.”
Participants must apply on or before the Aug. 20 deadline to transport their non-perishable items to the fair for judging. Competitors can drop off entries at extension centers in Avery, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Swain, Watauga and Yancey counties, as well as on the Cherokee Reservation.
Non-perishable items must be submitted wrapped and packed securely for transport and labeled with the participant’s name and county of residence. The entry will be returned to the closest extension office after the fair by Sept. 21. Only items picked up by the Pony Express will be retuned on the Pony Express after the fair.
Participants can learn more about this year’s competitions, view the catalog and submit their payments online at http://www.wncagcenter.org/p/mountainstatefair/244. Any additional questions can be answered by contacting Tamara Crain, entry department coordinator, at 828-687-1414, ext. 210, or tamara.crain@ncagr.gov.
The 25th N.C. Mountain State Fair runs Sept. 7-16 at the WNC Agricultural Center in Fletcher. The fair’s silver anniversary will celebrate the people, agriculture, art and traditions of Western North Carolina. Advance tickets to this year’s fair are now available at participating Ingles stores, the WNC Ag Center and the WNC Farmers Market. More information is available at www.mountainfair.org.
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