Lawn-mower racing   Donald Brown and his grandson, Christian Gonzalez (10), both of Statesville, enjoy the Paratrooper Ride   Edward Summers prepares BBQ at the fair. bottom right: Nighttime gives a new vitality to the midway.

For six days in early September, the Iredell County Fairgrounds in Troutman is transformed into a glittering carnival midway. The air vibrates with the shrieks of teenagers as they fly through the air on thrill rides, and the squeals of joyful children radiate from mini race cars. Along the midway, carnival workers beckon passersby to “step right up” and try to win one of the giant stuffed animals dangling from the booth.

It’s County Fair Week in Iredell, a seasonal tradition that draws about 50,000 people each year. The crowds come to sample a grab bag of amusements ranging from rides and games to livestock shows, educational exhibits and novelty acts.

“We don’t have live music because it just doesn’t go well here,” explains Jim Head, fair manager for the past 12 years. “We go in for novelties like demolition derbies, lawn mower racing, bull riding and pig races – something people don’t see everywhere else.”

Although North Carolina has lost many acres of farmland to subdivisions, agricultural fairs are thriving. Iredell’s is one of 47 county and regional fairs that take place from August to October. Together they host about 3 million visitors annually. The North Carolina State Fair in October is the biggest and best-known fair, but even medium-size fairs like Iredell’s are popular with local residents as well as folks from surrounding counties.

“For some people, going to the fair is a family tradition,” says Head. “Fairs can’t compete with amusement parks like Carowinds. The exhibits are the biggest attraction of county fairs – grandmas and grandpas want to see their grandkids involved in 4-H.”

Each year about 250 individuals and clubs compete for ribbons and cash prizes in a variety of categories, including gardening, cooking and baking, quilting, sewing, canning, arts and crafts, 4-H & youth, cattle, swine and poultry. Organizing and judging all the exhibits is a daunting job, one that keeps Ken Vaughn and his staff at the Cooperative Extension Service extra busy around fair time.

“Judges do a very conscientious job,” he says. “It’s not easy because entries may be very close in quality.”

Entries are displayed in large, enclosed exhibit halls. Here visitors can learn about the crops and livestock of Iredell County, read about the life of a dairy cow or see samples of products made from corn. Weather conditions during the growing season can affect the number of entries in a particular category. For example, last summer’s severe drought reduced the number of horticulture exhibits.

Vaughn has been involved with the Iredell County Fair for more than 30 years, but he hasn’t lost his enthusiasm for the fair or the exhibits.

“People enjoy the competitive spirit—are my green beans better than hers? We have a lot of men who enter the cooking categories.”

Prize winners are displayed with the coveted blue, red and yellow ribbons, and winners also receive small cash awards, generally in the $3 to $5 range.

“When I hand out the checks, I tell them not to blow it all at one time,” Vaughn jokes.

Children from towns and cities often get their first close-up glimpse of farm animals at the county fair. That’s part of the charm of the fair’s most popular event: pig racing. Spectators gather around Hogway Speedway to watch the friendly competition as announcer Brent Cook, from Circle C Farm in Newton, calls out the pigs’ NASCAR-style names: Hoggy Jarrett, Piggy Gordon, Squilling Tony Stewart and Hammy Hamlin. One child is chosen to cheer for each pig, and the race starts with a rousing chorus of “Sooey!” from the crowd.

The pigs run down a ramp and around a circular track to a plate of cheese doodles at the finish line. Afterward, they get a chance to rest while billy goats and ducks take their turns at racing – or waddling – around the track.

Some people come to the fair not to watch pigs race but to “pig out,” feasting on funnel cakes, fresh pork skins, corn dogs, cotton candy and caramel apples for sale at the concession stands along the midway. Many of these are run by civic groups like the Lions Club and Civitans. The Kiwanis Club of Statesville owns and operates the county fair, raising as much as $40,000 a year for community charities, according to Jim Head.

As soon as this year’s fair is over, he’ll begin working on next year’s, lining up bookings for novelty acts and getting contracts signed. But the fair is well worth all the work, planning and preparation that goes into it.

“I love seeing kids enjoy themselves,” Head says.

Want to go?
The Iredell County Agricultural Fair runs Sept. 1-6 at the Iredell County Fairgrounds, 630 N. Main St. in Troutman. General admission is $5; kids under 6 get in free. The fair has discount nights for senior citizens and students. For more information, go to www.iredellcountyfairgrounds.com.