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Sunday’s attendance totaled 101,775, breaking the mark of 98,433 on the last day of the 2007 fair. This year’s total attendance of 765,067 was down about 11 percent below last year’s record of 858,611.

N.C. Department of Agriculture spokesman Brian Long said officials took note of the fact that advance sales for the fair
were down. Long also said a combination of cool temperatures, a threat of rain and a struggling economy combined to keep attendance down.

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Organizers expect the 2008 State Fair to end on a high note.
 
Mules and donkeys compete in the State Fair Horse Show beginning at 8 a.m. Contact James LaHood, (919) 839-4700.
 
Top prizes in the 60th State Fair Folk Festival will be awarded after Sunday’s competitions. They take place at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Folk Festival tent behind the Scott Building. Contact Annette Pulley, (919) 839-4826.
 
The first-ever women’s champion will be crowned in the 2008 Demolition Derby. Women can compete in any level of derby competition, but this year both a woman and a man will be named champions in the eight-cylinder class. The finals are at 2:30 p.m. in the Sam G. Rand Grandstand. Admission is $7. Contact Frank Roberts, (888) 361-5767.

Thousands have flocked to the State Fair, but they’re not dishing out as much cash as they did last year.

On Friday, attendance was up from last year, but vendors still said that they’re not raking in as much money.

“It’s really down this year, everybody can tell the difference, I think,” said 37-year veteran vendor Willard Andrews, Choplin’s Owner.

And fairgoers are keeping a tight grip on their cash.

“Eating as little as possible, notice no drink,” said Fairgoer Patty Varga.

“Just not spending as much, eating a hotdog verses a steak sandwich stuff like that, eliminating a lot of games, we are doing that,” said Fairgoer, Tim Glenn.

For vendors, raising money to help others has been a little disappointing.

“So far it hasn’t been that good, I guess because of the economy and a little bit of the weather,” said Marco Espindola, he was volunteering to raise money for the Healing Place of Wake County.

And for those trying to make a living, it’s also been a tough year at the fair.

“It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of hours, it effects your pocket book,” said Andrews.

But even if people skip a hotdog or only eat one meal at the fair this year - they’re still showing up and spending what they have.

“Honestly the economy’s not that bad, we’re still able to go out and eat and have fun and I think prices are up just a little bit but if things are so horrible and we’re so destitute, why are we here? Because this is an important part of our lives and we’ll do what ever it takes, we are Americans, we keep going,” said fairgoer Eric Lundberg.

Vendors said they can usually make up for a rainy day, but with only one day left of the fair - they’re not sure that will happen this year.

But with sunshine in the forecast, most vendors are staying optimistic until the fair closes tomorrow.

Are you going to the North Carolina State Fair today and looking for events to attend?  Take a look at Saturday’s tip sheet for the state fair.
Political ads typically fudge facts. But at the State Fair, a little fudge is a good – and tasty – thing. There are several booths selling fudge at the Fair. You’ll find them in the Hobbies and Handicrafts Building, Commercial and Education buildings, and among the food booths that populate the fairgrounds. The variety of flavors is interesting, too. Among the flavors spotted (if not sampled) were rocky road, peanut butter, maple pecan and vanilla walnut.
 
The Village of Yesteryear will select its crafter of the year Saturday morning. Results should be available by mid-morning. 
 
Gentlemen (and ladies), start your thumbs. The TXT-O-LYMPIX will take place Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in the Folk Festival tent near Gate 10. First prize is $300. Participants will be judged on accuracy and speed. Messages will be displayed on a screen, and contestants will be expected to type phrases exactly as they appear. All contestants will use the same model of phone. “Texters” must be at least 13 years old and must register for the competition in the entry office located at the back entrance of the State Fair administration building near Gate 11. Registration is open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact Nikki Berryman, (919) 839-4513.
     

Read on for details:   

• “Javier at the Fair,” Fuquay-Varina High School’s decorated giant chicken, won the People’s Choice Award in the 2008 Farm Animal Frenzy contest at the State Fair. The chicken, with painted-on overalls, garnered 858 online votes to win the popularity contest over 18 other high schools from Wake and Durham counties. The art classes at Fuquay-Varina will receive a gift certificate and supplies from Jerry’s Artarama. The Farm Animal Frenzy is an art competition between area high school art classes and clubs that decorated life-size or larger horses, cows and chickens with the Fair’s theme, “Take Time for a Great Time.” The animals are on display across the fairgrounds during the Fair. “Javier” is outside the Exposition Center.  

• Tobacco has been curing in the old log barn during the State Fair. Now it’s time to auction the cured leaf. A mock auction will take place at 2 p.m. in Heritage Circle. Retired auctioneers, warehousemen, buyers and ticket markers will demonstrate the way tobacco was sold in North Carolina for 150 years, before contracts became the chief way for farmers to market their crop. Contact Dale Coats, (919) 477-5498, or Pat Short, (336) 706-9796.    
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• Francine Francis of Raleigh has created a head-turning, stop-in-your tracks dress. The “Gone With the Wind” inspired period costume is a replica of the green dress worn by Scarlett O’Hara in the Christmas scene of the 1939 movie. The dress and its first-place blue ribbon are on display in the Education Building. The dress is impressive and heavy. It weighs about 30 pounds, which is easy to understand when you hear about all the materials that went into it. Francis used 33 yards of green fabric, 7 yards of black satin, 15 yards of lining, 9 yards of cotton and 30 yards of steel boning for the hoop. Interestingly, even though Francis worked on the dress off and on for several months, the dress isn’t actually hers. Francis made the dress for a friend of hers in Texas. Francis can be reached at (919) 783-5959.  
•   
• Dairy cattle compete in the Jim Graham Building. Ayrshires compete at 2 p.m., followed by Brown Swiss and Guernsey at 5 p.m. Contact the Livestock Office, (919) 839-4679.  
• On the horizon:   The TXT-O-LYMPIX will take place Saturday, Oct. 25, at 6:30 p.m. in the Folk Festival tent near Gate 10. All “texters” must register for the competition in the entry office located at the back entrance of the State Fair administration building near Gate 11. Registration is open Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Contact Nikki Berryman, (919) 839-4513.  

I want your gorge-fest to be as efficient as possible, so as I walk you through the gates of deliciousness, I’ll also post snapshots of the front of each booth so you’ll recognize them as you scavenge around the fairgrounds on your own food journey.  May the force be with you.

Start your night off with corn.  You need to get (albeit starchy) vegetables in your diet everyday, and eating them first is the only way to guarantee there will be room.  Hills has the best corn in the patch.  Don’t skimp on the butter.  Or the lemon butter salt.  And grab some napkins on your way out.  You’ll need them for later…

Get down to business with the main course portion of the evening with a hot fish sandwich at the booth right in front of the Dorton Arena waterfall.  It’s one of the hidden gems at the Fair and, to my knowledge, one of the only spots you can find fish around here.  Gotta get those Omega-3 fatty acids.  But enough of this healthy business… this is the State Fair people!

For fries (the good kind with some of the skin still on there) go to Al’s.  There are several locations but the best is right in front of the Jim Graham building.  Leave Al’s and turn left at the fried Tempura stand to get a baggie of mini-hot donuts.  You won’t be sorry.  And since you’re probably thirsty by now, give your tummy a small break while you head back toward Gate 11 and hit up the fizzy Limeade stand.  Seltzer water makes it fizzy, fresh lime makes it tart, and obscene amounts of sugar make it the equivalent of liquid-crack.  This will not be your only stop at the Limeade stand tonight.

Now that you’re warmed up it’s time to get experimental.  Head back toward the rides until you spot a huge Gatorade bottle on top of a booth.  Let the bottle beckon you closer and closer until you can actually smell the fried biscuits-n-gravy sticks.  Now slowly… gradually… drizzle some syrup on top and actually bite into the fried biscuits-n-gravy sticks.  Exhale.  Smile.  Snap out of your moment-o-glee and have them send you on your way with some buffalo-style meat of some sort (they buffalo anything, so take your pick). 

If you’re feening for some “real food” by now, get a steak sandwich (tenderloin with fried onions, mushrooms, peppers, and cheese) down by the Village of Yesteryear, and then top it off with NC State’s ice cream dream.  You’ll think you’ve died and gone to ice cream heaven.  You have.  But don’t stay… there’s still the grand finale to come!

Fight off the food coma long enough for a fried PB&J on your way back up the Midway and walk toward the light… you’re almost there.  To keep your strength up, grab a jalepeno-n-cheese stuffed corndog and a cheeseburger corndog (one in each hand) at the booth next to Bloomin’ Onions” and gnaw on them as you make your way toward what you’ve been waiting for all night: the fried mac-n-cheese.  This year’s State Fair fried specialty.  Hurt me. 

The best fried mac-n-cheese is at the booth right next to Hill’s corn.  It looks and tastes like they made a mac-n-cheese casserole, cut it into giant squares, and dipped it in just enough batter to fry it so that every outer-edge is crunchy and every inside bite explodes through the crunch with ooey-gooey-cheesy noodles.  And the only thing better than the fried mac-n-cheese just so happens to be at the same booth, so you might as well have it for dessert.  Prepare yourself now for the fried banana pudding.  It will set you free.

 And now, my friend, you have experienced Fair food.  But did you think I’d forgotten about the fried Pecan Pie, Strombolis big-as-your-head, fried candy bars, Elephant Ears, Gyros, cheese fries etc etc?!  Oh no!  Take a day off, go for a nice long walk, and get a good night’s sleep because at tomorrow’s trip to the Fair there’s still more to come!   

Funds become unclaimed because the holder loses track of the owner perhaps due to an incorrect address or misinformation in their claim such as reversing the numbers in their zip code. Fairgoers can check at the booth to see if they have any unclaimed property. The booth is located near the Grandstand. Contact Heather Franco, deputy director of communications, at (919) 807-3071.

Although there are many educational opportunities for families at the State Fair, there is an actual school that runs on the grounds for children of traveling Midway workers. Powers Great American Midways operates Powers Great American Academy for children ages 5 to 10 years old. Similar to home school, instructor J.C. Moritz teaches seven students ages 5 to 10 Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The school runs on a schedule that reflects the Fair season and only has two weeks left before school lets out for a five month break. The school is located on the old Midway behind the Ferris wheel. For more information, contact Tracy Powers Thomas, mother of some of the school children and manager of the school at (585) 303-2618.

The N.C. Department of Labor will present top honors in its Carpentry Apprentice contest at 2:30 p.m. in the apprentice contest tents between Gates 9 and 10. The contest showcases residential and commercial building skills and winners will be rewarded with $325 for first place, $225 for second place and $175 for first place. Contact Dolores Quesenberry, (919) 649-2742 or (919) 733-0348.

On the horizon:

Dairy cattle are “moo-ving” into the Graham Building today in preparation for their Open Ayrshire and Open Brown Swiss shows starting up tomorrow, Oct. 24, at 2 and 5 p.m. Adult and junior showers will be caring for the cows as they prepare for competition.