The North Carolina State Fair opened last Thursday, and this year some of the biggest changes aren’t on the Midway. After three years and $60 million in renovations, the fairgrounds have a new event center with food vendors and seating, a rebuilt flower show building and major improvements to the Holzhauser building. State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says food was a big priority.
“Number one reason people come to the State Fair is the food, so we needed to be able to showcase that. We’ve got it. I’ve got to say that HH Architecture and Kristen Hess outdid themselves designing that building. I walked in it last week for the first time with the inside finished, and all I could say was wow.”
The improvements also include air conditioning in the Holzhauser building and a new log-style home for the flower show.
Hope you’re hungry. The North Carolina State Fair is bringing back a Southern tradition that’s been missing for nearly three decades. Country ham competitions are returning after 27 years, and Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says it’s about more than just food.
“I don’t want us to lose our Southern food culture. It’s been 27 years since we had a country ham competition. How many millions of people have moved into North Carolina during that period of time? So we want to reintroduce them to what cured country ham is and what it’s meant to our society.”
Judging begins this Thursday in Dorton Arena with commercial and amateur competitions. Bear growers can also watch demonstrations on curing and cooking country ham, including traditional methods in Heritage Circle. And yes, they’ll be country ham biscuits.
The 2026 North Carolina State Fair is officially underway. And whether you’re talking about macaroni and cheese or turkey legs on the Midway, all that food starts somewhere. And North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says that somewhere is a farm.
“Your food supply is dependent on these farmers in North Carolina. And so we want to educate the public as to the importance of our industry. We want them to have an understanding. If it’s mac and cheese that came out of a box on a grocery store, the flour to make the mac came off a farm. The cheese came off of dairy, so no matter what you eat, it originates on that farm.”
That’s a connection the North Carolina State Fair puts on display through livestock, crops and people who produce our food.
The North Carolina State Fair runs through Oct. 25 in Raleigh. For more information, visit ncstatefair.org.