By Alyssa Poteat and Khalia Lewter
With the State Fair closed on Oct. 27, the Peace Times Staff tried various foods and rides, and were providing their honest reviews on what was worth the money and the wait, and what was not.
Our Social Media Manager, Alyssa Poteat took charge and tried a variety of foods to let our readers know, what is worth your money and what you should skip. Her first stop was a little past gate eight at the Gyro Food Stall.
At this stall, she tried the lime fizz, an alternative to the classic lemonade you find at the State Fair.
It was still served in the same souvenir cup, the lime fizz was quite disappointing, with Poteat generously ranking it a 1/10.
“It was like drinking a deconstructed sprite. There was no sweetness, just lime and sparkling water. This cost eight dollars, and I would much rather pay the price for the lemonade,” Poteat said.
The next stop was right across the Gyro stall, serving up all kinds of french fries along with chicken on a stick.
Poteat opted for the cheese fries, as they are one of her favorite foods.
“The fries were cooked perfectly, very crispy seasoned with the right amount of salt. The only thing I particularly did not like was the plastic taste of the cheese,” Poteat said. Poteat ranked this find a 7/10, but would recommend simply just getting the fries instead.
The next stop was to try one of the newer fair items, the pumpkin spice sweet tea.
The stand was very quick, lines moved fast, and the prices were reasonable. They had assorted flavors such as chocolate covered strawberry, peach, and a classic southern style sweet tea.
“The pumpkin spice sweet tea was by far one of my favorite items at the state fair. The pumpkin flavor was not too overwhelming, and was perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the tea,” Poteat said. She ranked this a 10/10, one of the first foods she tried to be ranked this high.
Right by the sweet tea stand, was one of Poteat’s favorite stalls, Charlie Barefoot. This stand was celebrating its 75th anniversary, and for a good reason.
Poteat got a plain Polish sausage, with ketchup.
“This was the best hotdog I had ever tasted. The bun was so fluffy, and the Polish sausage was so flavorful,” Poteat said. Poteat ranked this another 10/10, highly recommending anyone who loved hotdogs to stop by this stand.
The next stand Poteat stopped at was the Arepa Loca stand. Serving up authentic Mexican cuisine. Poteat opted for a stuffed Arepa with beef.
“This was another one of my favorite foods. The beef was cooked perfectly, the arepa itself was crispy, and the filling and sauce added just the right amount of flavor,” Poteat said. She ranked this a 10/10, highly recommending people to stop by and try an arepa.
The next stall Poteat stopped at was the Moose Joose Slush stall, a self-service slush stall. However, Poteat came for the brand new Summer-ween slush, not sure of the contents that would be in the slush.
“This was the most disappointing $17 I have ever spent in my life,” Poteat said. The slush came with a souvenir cup and lid, whipped cream, an entire orange creamsicle popsicle, and orange slush.
“Don’t let the visual appearance fool you, this is the most basic orange slush I have ever had,” Poteat said. Poteat ranked this a 3/10, the only saving grace being the free Halloween-themed duck that came along with the drink.
The next stall Poteat visited was the famous Country Ham Biscuit stall, where they made their biscuits from scratch.
The biscuit itself is a staple Poteat always gets at the State Fair every time she goes there.
“The biscuit was so fluffy, just a warning though that the ham is a bit on the saltier side,” Poteat said. Poteat ranked this food a 8/10, as the ham was just a bit too salty for her liking.
The next food item Poteat found was a newer one, candied grapes. Falsely advertised as frozen grapes, upon getting the cup, Poteat was confused.
However, the grapes did not disappoint. 
“It was like eating a mini candy apple, but it’s instead a grape,” Poteat said. Poteat ranked this an 9/10, subtracting a point from the dish as the candy got stuck in your teeth and therefore was hard to chew.
The last stop on Poteat’s food tour was a brand new dirty soda stand. A trend that is slowly starting to become more mainstream. Dirty soda is adding flavors and cream to a soda to create brand new flavors.
While food and treats were the main highlights at the state fair, rides and entertainment also caught some attention for the fair-goers. Multimedia Assistant, Khalia Lewter, one of the four Peace Time staff members attended the State Fair to capture some of the visuals, fun, and the popularity behind them.
We have the first ride that sits conveniently at Gate 1, the zipliner. This ride is smooth, it’s easy going, and allows fair-goers to have an overall view of the entire fair. You’re able to spot your favorite food stands and food trucks from previous years, and new ones as well; riders are able to spot some of the fun games, attractions, and rides throughout the fair also. “It was honestly my favorite one, 5 stars just because of the scenery and views of the fair”, said Lewter.
Another popular ride at the fair is the Alien Abduction, one of the dizziest rides that there is. If you, your friends, or family are looking for a ride that will have your eyes spinning, and leaving with a-dizzy sensation, then this is the ride for you.
Next up we have one of the 3 carousels that were placed at the fair, at all 3, lines stretched far and long. Carousels are classical and smooth amusement rides, perfect for easy going views and also great for those who are not into the violently swirly rides.
If you’re looking for a simple adrenaline rush, stomach drops, and possible nausea or headaches, let us welcome you to the Zipper. This ride moves in a continuous oval-like motion while jerking and flipping back riders, it leaves you with a feeling of “hanging off the edge, due the rides swinging motions. A minor disclaimer: Don’t attempt to ride with a full stomach. “I highly advise not to ride the Zinger if you ate or drank something beforehand, someone definitely got sick all over the seats.” Lewter said. “The ride was for sure chaotic but it was fun, minus the headache.. ,” she continued. Overall, Lewter rated the experience a 6/10.
Fair-goers who might want to take an intermission from all the crowd, commotion and amusement rides, should find their way to the Flower and Garden. It’s an unusual, but peaceful activity, visitors can expect flowers, plants from small to large, a butterfly farm, and also plant/art installations such as the ones below. “I just happened to stumble upon it, I didn’t know anything about a state fair Plant Show until I went, but since I happen to already like nature and plants, it definitely piqued my interest,” said Lewter. In the gardens there are benches, so if you also want to give your back or feet a break, this is the place to go.
The most popular attraction at the Plant Show was the Butterfly Barn.
The butterflies seen here are Monarch butterflies and in this captured moment are in a hibernate/sleeping mode.
At the plant, there was a garden that gave representation for the Latin/Hispanic holiday ‘Dia de los muertos’ which is translated as ‘Day of the Dead’.
Last but not least, some of the other forms of entertainment and attraction at the state fair, especially towards the later evening were the games. Many people were lined up to play against each other, such as this game called Water Race Fun, to win a prize. 
There was way more rides, foods, games and attractions to go and see at the NC State Fair, if you missed it this year we highly recommend going and experiencing all of this tasty fun.
All photos courtesy of Khalia Lewter and Alyssa Poteat