Vendors make final preparations for State Fair's opening day

Vendors were still setting up inside the Kerr Scott building Wednesday night and the entire State Fair grounds were buzzing with activity ahead of Thursday’s opening day.

With anticipation for the North Carolina State Fair building, vendors spent Wednesday evening cleaning up and putting up marquee signs touting all things dipped and fried.

Lori Jordan received a helping hand from her daughter, Hannah, at the Dog Wagon, which has been a fixture at the State Fair for more than 30 years.

“We have shifts and we take breaks when we can and that’s about it,” said Jordan of preparing for opening day.

The vendors are getting ready for 11 straight days of endless crowds that will be looking for fun and food.

“It’s a good time and we have a lot of fun,” said vendor Chris Wrenn.

Wrenn runs the Ragin' Cajun booth and says that the long hours of preparation are tough, but they’re worth it.

“About Sunday, your feet begin to hurt so bad they go numb and Monday your legs hurt so bad you pretty much go numb from the knee down and then you’re just coasting,” said Wrenn.

As for State Fair Organizers, the word is that the weather could not be finer.

“I can’t recall a forecast that looked this good for so long,” said Brian Long of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

For this year’s theme, Long says that the advertising department went back to its roots because, after all, the fair is a showcase of some of the finest North Carolina has to offer.

On Wednesday afternoon, inspectors made their way around the State Fairgrounds to check the Midway games.

There are usually more than 100 booths with all sorts of opportunities to win prizes. Inspectors made sure that the games are not rigged and that visitors can win.