Got to Be NC Festival this weekend

The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) is hosting its Got to Be NC festival this weekend at the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, May 16-18. 

The Got to Be NC festival showcases North Carolina’s No. 1 industry — agriculture — which grosses $111.1 billion annually. The festival includes a colorful lineup of tractors, North Carolina food and beverage products, and plenty of family-friendly activities. 

“Many people like to call the Got to Be NC Festival a ‘mini-fair,’ and it does share many similarities when it comes to agriculture,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler told the Carolina Journal. “Festival goers will find plenty of North Carolina agriculture on display from animal exhibits, tractors, herding dogs, and forestry displays to all the delicious foods and beverages in the Got to Be NC Pavilion, plus free grounds entertainment, music, and interactive games and activities. We hope you will come check out the fun!”

NCDA&CS advertises this event as a free, family-friendly entertainment, activities, and delicious local fare. Announced activities include classic carnival rides and games, a butterfly barn, kids’ activities, dairy milking demonstrations, a pig-birthing exhibit, displays of antique farm equipment, and tractor parades each day at 1 pm.

The NC Craft Beer Garden and Craft Cocktail Garden are also featured along with the antique tractor pull and plenty of fair food and live music.

A significant event highlight is the Got to Be NC Pavilion, which hosts nearly 100 local food and beverage vendors offering some of North Carolina’s most delicious products. Guests are invited to sample and shop for their favorites, and pavilion admission is just $3.

The pavilion will include unique NC vendors such as Kindled Provisions, which was launched in 2016 as East Coast Firewood. While the company has been a vendor at the festival in years past, this will be its first time in attendance since its rebranding to Kindled Provisions.  

“Our whole vision is the fireside provision,” said Jason Hyle, VP of Kindled Provisions. “So we hope to make the fireside experience more enjoyable. We’re excited to be at the Got to Be NC Festival to introduce folks to our products and hope they have a use for our products.”

Another noteworthy vendor featured in this year’s pavilion is Old Rudera Farm, owned by Larry and Marina Strickland. The Stricklands have spent the past three decades building a small-scale operation of Piedmontese cattle, a rare Italian breed known for its tender, lean, and purportedly healthier beef.

“I’m going to bring a small freezer in, and I’ll have meat available. And I’ll have the breed information there that tells you all about the breed,” said Marina. “And then I have the meat analysis there — what you are getting when you are eating that meat.”

Visitors can buy on the spot or at the Nash County Farmers’ Market in Rock Mount every Saturday (except this Saturday). Marina has also joined the Knightdale Farmers’ Market, open one Sunday a month. She made her debut on Mother’s Day. 

The grounds are also filled with daily entertainment, including the King BMX Stunt Show, the Kenya Safari Acrobats, a puppet show, Quack Pack USA, demonstrations with K9 officers from Wake County Sheriff’s Office, and Boomer’s Farm Truck, a fun photo spot. 

The Got to Be NC music stage will feature diverse music genres, including country, rock, R&B, jazz, folk, Latin, and Americana. The complete concert schedule is available on the Got to Be NC website.

On Saturday, May 17, the festival also hosts the popular Carolina Pig Jig, where more than 20 Masonic chapters compete in a barbecue showdown to support the Masonic Homes for Children at Oxford and the Central Children’s Home. After the judging, attendees can indulge in an all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet starting at 11 am. Ticket prices are $20 for adults and youth ages 11 and up, $10 for children aged 5 to 10, and free for kids under 5.

Other events on Saturday include the popular antique tractor pull, held from 2-8 pm at the NC Education Lottery Grandstand. On Sunday, guests can attend a Heritage Church Service at 10:30 am, featuring a gospel performance by the Master’s Men a-cappella group.

Festival gates open Friday from noon to 10 pm, Saturday from 10 am to 10 pm, and Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm. Building and exhibit hours run from noon to 8 pm on Friday, 10 am to 8 pm on Saturday, and 10 am to 6 pm on Sunday. Carnival rides operate during the same hours as the gates, possibly extending by one hour depending on attendance.

The post Got to Be NC Festival this weekend first appeared on Carolina Journal.