State fair opens today, boasts rides, food, concerts

If you find yourself bored or dejected during Duke's football game this weekend in Raleigh, take heart--the North Carolina State Fair is just down the road.

The fair begins today and will continue through Sunday, Oct. 27. The annual event will feature concerts, rides, foods from all over the globe, animal showcases, tractor pulls, demolition derbies and a one-armed juggler, among other highlights.

State Fair Public Information Officer Jen Nixon said college students should go to the fair for food and fun.

"You can get food at the state fair you can't get any other time of the year," Nixon said. "Also, the people-watching is always interesting."

She also said many new rides are being added this year, including the "Tango," which lifts fairgoers 125 feet in the air and spins them in all directions. There is also a new drop tower, which drops riders from a high elevation.

Elvis impersonator Keith Henderson and the tribute band Sound Express will play at Dolton Arena opening night to commemorate the arena's 50th anniversary. The fair will also feature country singer Pam Tillis Oct. 21, rock band SR-71 Oct. 25 and country stars Lorrie Morgan and Sammy Kershaw to close festivities Oct. 27.

For the second year in a row, the fair will include BioFrontiers, an exhibit that offers hands-on displays and demonstrations from many of North Carolina's biotechnology companies and agencies, showcasing one of the fastest-growing job markets in the state��the biotechnology sector.

The North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Bayer CropScience and the North Carolina Bureau of Investigation will be among the organizations represented.