The North Carolina State Fair kicked off last Thursday, October 17, 2019. According to the NC State Fair, over the last ten years, the average attendance has been 984,144 people. Here at Panther Creek, there are plenty of students planning to attend the annual event at the State’s Capitol.

The State Fair has lots of fun, exciting rides that draw many people to the Fair. Junior Dylan Drinkwater and Senior Brian Hernandez both said that the “Alien ride” was their favorite ride. According to N.C. State Fair Rides & Games this ride is officially named, “Alien Abduction,” or “Centrifuge” depending on which section of the Fair you are at. Mr. Hernandez said, “…. the Dropzone, and the Fireball: the one that goes all the way around,” were two of his other favorite rides. While the Dropzone may be one of the favorites for Brian Hernandez, Senior Nick Moore has a very different perspective on that same ride. Mr. Moore said, “I don’t do rides at the State Fair. The last time I did a ride at the State Fair was the Drop Zone, and I looked down, and that’s when we dropped,” when asked about his favorite ride. Safe to say Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Moore have two different ways to describe the Dropzone. The classic rides did not get lost on students here at Panther Creek. Senior Miranda Deoliveria said that her favorite ride at the State Fair is, “definitely the Ferris Wheel.”

The State Fair does not just have rides, but all types of different food. The food attracts all of our interviewees. All four of these students said that food was one of the things they were looking forward to this year at the State Fair. Nick Moore’s favorite item at the State Fair is the turkey legs. He said, “I have been getting turkey legs ever since I’ve started going there.” Dylan Drinkwater said, “I like the corn a lot, and the fried Oreos,” when asked about his favorite food at the State Fair. Brian Hernandez agrees with the fried Oreos, and also added that both the funnel cake and fried Oreos, “slap real hard,” which is a high piece of praise coming from today’s youth. Miranda Deoliveria is in agreement with Mr. Drinkwater about corn as she said that she gets, “four every time I go.” The News & Observer ranked the corn the second-best item of food at the State Fair.

While the Fair has gotten lots of praise, it does face scrutiny from those who do not believe it is safe. Between the four interviewees, two believe the fair is safe, and two do not. The two that do are Dylan Drinkwater and Brian Hernandez. Mr. Drinkwater disregarded the fact that people believe that the State Fair is unsafe, and even said, “it’s b.s.” Brian Hernandez said that “I think the State Fair is very safe; they have rules and regulations to live up to, so if they didn’t do that, they wouldn’t be doing their job,” when asked about the safety of the State Fair. The two people who believe that the State Fair is not safe are Nick Moore and Miranda Deoliveria. Nick Moore said, “It’s not safe; I believe them,” in response to the question. Miranda Deoliveria said, “I don’t think it’s safe because you always hear about the Ferris Wheel falling off.” Mr. Moore and Ms. Deoliveria have good reason to worry as there have been many accidents at the Fair. According to ABC News, in 2013, there were five injured when a ride malfunction and released some of its riders mid-ride.

It is clear to see that the State Fair has its pros and cons, and it is up to us to either go or not. The NC State Fair lasts until Sunday, October 26, 2019, at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hopefully, you come out with the feeling that the NC State Fair is advertising, “Nothing Could Be Finer.”