NC State Fair food event draws a crowd. But officials say don’t skimp on COVID-19 rules.
If you fry it, people will come.
That appears to be the takeaway from the first few days of the North Carolina State Fair’s food event.
Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional state fair was canceled this year. In its place is a bit of a food truck rodeo, with 22 North Carolina-based food vendors serving up deep fried favorites from morning to night from Oct. 15-25.
The fairgrounds saw a busy first weekend, as hundreds shrugged off COVID-19 concerns to stand in line for corn dogs, turkey legs and funnel cakes.
“It has been a great turnout, we’re thrilled with the response,” said fair spokesperson Sarah Ray. “A lot of people wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather over the weekend. It would have been great fair weather.”
Ray said that because the event isn’t ticketed, organizers are unable to know how many people walked through the gates for fair food.
“We know people love fair food and I think people are looking for some normalcy with everything going on in the world,” Ray said. “We’re excited to be able to provide that.”
Hundreds turned out over the weekend to get their deep fried fix, posting numerous pictures on social media showing some social distancing, some long lines and crowds. For the most part, people were shown wearing masks, which was a requirement to attend and the current state law. But not everyone was.
Food vendors were spaced out, multiple hand washing stations were set up and people were reminded to distance themselves from people outside their household, Ray said.
“Everyone wants to keep each other safe,” Ray said. “No one out here isn’t cognizant of what’s going on; everyone wants to do the right thing.”
Some photos were shared widely on Twitter, drawing the reaction of Democratic Commissioner of Agriculture candidate Jenna Wadsworth, who criticized holding the fair food event.
Ray said that fair organizers were aware of the photo, but said it only showed a limited view of the event.
“It’s a snapshot in time, a screen grab from a video,” Ray said. “Taken five minutes later it might not look that way.”
The fair food event was organized to be to-go, with customers buying their food and leaving the fairgrounds. In practice, people often ate at the fairgrounds, even in line for another vendor.
If North Carolina had done a drive-through event, Ray said there would be fewer vendors and that the delicate nature of fried food would likely be compromised.
“You can’t hold deep fried food under a heat lamp,” Ray said. “We looked into the drive-in parade and didn’t believe that was going to be a positive experience.”
Other state fairs
The pandemic has changed the plans of many state fairs around the country, with most keeping some kind of fair food component. North Carolina stands out in the Southeast for canceling the fair, but having in-person food vendors. States like South Carolina, Virginia and Texas only held drive-through fair food events.
And some states, like Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi are allowing in-person fairs with capacity restrictions.
The N.C. State Fairgrounds hosted drive-through food events throughout the summer. Ray said customers were sometimes waiting in their car for four hours.
With the food vendors set up outside and spaced apart, Ray said organizers felt the event could be held in-person.
“I applaud the fairs that chose to do (a drive-in event),” Ray said. “We did not believe that would be the right decision for us.”
Shorter lines on weekdays
Ray encouraged fairgoers to stop by during the week, when she said fewer people are likely to attend, cutting down on crowds and lines.
“We’ve had a pretty good turnout, but the weekdays are slower,” Ray said. “We’re encouraging people to come out during the week, before the weekend.”
The N.C. State Fair’s food events will continue daily from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. until Sunday, Oct. 25. For more information, visit www.ncstatefair.org.
This story was originally published October 20, 2020 at 6:12 PM with the headline "NC State Fair food event draws a crowd. But officials say don’t skimp on COVID-19 rules.."
