The North Carolina State Fair is one of the largest in the country, drawing nearly 1 million visitors annually over its 10-day run. While the fair may be best known nowadays for its experimental food, carnival games, or midway rides, there is so much more to uncover within the roots of its founding.
Started in 1852 by a group of North Carolina agricultural scientists, the fair was initially a place to convene on farming practices and integrate the fields of agriculture and science. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that the rides, games, and food became equally as important to the fair festivities as agricultural advocacy was. Today, the fair’s mission statement still echoes that of the past, “to showcase and promote the state’s agriculture, agribusiness, arts, crafts and culture,” and to serve as “an opportunity for the state’s ever-increasing urban population to learn about agriculture through educational and competitive exhibits.”
Of the nearly 1 million people that visit the fair each year, a small subsection are Enloe Eagles that participate in and organize these less-recognized competitions and events. Let’s take a closer look at Enloe’s involvement from last school year and how you can get involved this year!
Art
From art and photography to textiles and pottery, to graphic design and essay writing, the State Fair has competitions for almost any creative field you can think of. Last year, Enloe really shined in the visual arts.
Led by Enloe art teacher, Ms. Mann, six student works were submitted to the fair’s art competition on behalf of the school and displayed among countless other works for the public to view. This past year, Enloe won first place out of every high school in the state! This was a huge deal, as Ms. Mann said, “We haven’t placed first as a school in years!” Winning the blue ribbon was an incredible testament to the hard work and talent of our arts department.
2024-2025 Enloe National Art Honor Society President, student Rosalind “Ros” Eccles, also submitted work to the fair. Like many of the Enloe student submissions last year, this was also Ros’ first time entering. Instead of entering her work on behalf of Enloe, Ros submitted two of her pieces to the Independent Youth category. She was awarded the coveted Jerry’s Art-A-Rama Special Recognition Award, earning her art a prime spot at the front of the Scott Building exhibit center. Ros said, “I’m really proud of our art program and how well we do in competitions.” She continued, “It was great we were able to both have individual artists and enter as a group!”
Whether you’re a budding artist or have been making art for years, there are ways for you to get involved! There is even a coloring sheet competition that anyone can enter for free! The registration deadline for general competition events in the 2025 State Fair is on September 15th, so if you are interested, you can find more information at https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/nc-state-fair/competitions/general-comps.
Agriculture
While art is a very well-known program at Enloe, you might be less familiar with the ways Enloe students take part in the other half of the fair’s mission, agriculture. One of the major ways Enloe gets involved is through our Future Farmers of America club, or FFA. FFA is open for anyone to join and focuses on agricultural education, animal science, and volunteering, with members helping throughout the school and attending competitions year-round. I talked with 2024-2025 FFA President Tash Greer and FFA Reporter Bronson Cram to learn about the specifics of Enloe FFA’s involvement at the fair.
At the fair, FFA’s work is centered around the Children’s Barnyard, a collection of animals that local high school FFA chapters bring from their schools. This past year, Enloe FFA members helped take care of the animals, feed them, and greet guests. The Barnyard is specifically aimed towards children because it deals with smaller animals, but unlike a petting zoo, the animals are not there to be touched. Fairgoers can walk around, ask questions about the animals, and even follow a scavenger hunt. Additionally, it’s a way to promote local FFA chapters to both kids and adults in the area.
When asked about the fair outside of their work in the Children’s Barnyard, Bronson said, “just seeing what other schools are doing is also really cool! Seeing how the State Fair helps agribusiness through the judging that they do and through supporting businesses is really cool.” Tash agreed, adding “I also really liked the art exhibit. Enloe won first place, which is really exciting!”
Another way Enloe students get involved in the fair’s agricultural work is through the livestock judging competitions. Enloe senior, Claire Skinner, has participated the past few years with her sheep, Nutmeg.
Claire participates in two competitions at the fair each year. The first is Showmanship, which Claire described as “the showman being judged on how well they worked with their lamb.” Similar to a horse or a dog show, the sheep is trained to be up and facing the judge. Starting in late July, Claire works with Nutmeg over the span of around a month and a half in posture, foot placement, and much more to prepare for her event. It paid off as she won 4th in Showmanship at the 2024 fair!
Claire’s other event is the fiber show. This event is more hands-off for Claire as it can be done with untrained sheep as long as they can walk on a leash. In fiber, it is only the sheep’s wool quality that’s being judged. Last year, Claire got 2nd place in the fiber show!
Claire reflected on her favorite parts of the fair, ending our conversation on a nice note, “I think it’s pretty cool how many places from around the state come, like we get people who have driven five hours. We get everything from homeschoolers who work with their lambs every day to people like me who live kind of around the city and who work with sheep outside of school … It’s just a really diverse group of people and it’s not all just country kids—a lot of it is, just not everybody. The community is really cool.”
Getting Involved
Initially drawn into writing this article to showcase the arts achievements of Enloe at the fair, I was soon captivated by just how active the Enloe community is in such an important annual celebration. It is clear that beyond the draw of the fun rides and food at the fair lies a rich history that persists in the youth of today. The togetherness and community really carves out an even more special place in my heart for the event.
I hope this article not only fills you with Eagle pride, but also encourages you to take a more active role in the 2025 State Fair. From submitting a coloring sheet to helping out with FFA, there is something for everyone! For many of the students featured in this article, it was their first or second year participating, so don’t let your experience level hold you back from the amazing opportunities the fair has to offer. So much work goes into preparing and making these 10 days each year as exceptional as they are, and I am proud to say that Enloe plays a big role!
