Wayne County fair readies to open
By Steve Herring
Published in News on August 13, 2018 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/STEVE HERRING
Fair Manager Eddie Pitzer and Sandra Head, exhibit coordinator, gear up for the late September opening of the fair.
DUDLEY -- With muggy temperatures hovering in the 90s, it might be difficult to think that one of the first signs of fall, the Wayne Regional Agricultural Fair, is just nearly month away.
The 70th annual fair will be held Sept. 27 through Oct. 6 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds on U.S. 117 South, and the fair catalog has been printed and is ready for distribution.
All of the favorites will be returning, including free entertainment, livestock shows, exhibits, carnival rides and food, the cheerleading contest and demolition derby.
Powers Great American Midway will have 48 rides that will provide a variety of high-tech, state-of-the-art modern rides and skill games for all ages.
There are six brand new rides this year that range from the spectacular to child-friendly.
Also, an emphasis is being placed on making it easier to register entries, purchase tickets and to get in and out of the fairgrounds.
REGISTRATION
Early-bird registration will be on Saturday, Sept. 22, from 9 a.m. to noon.
"We are changing it a little bit," said Sandra Head, exhibit coordinator. "We have moved it to the morning.
"After going though a couple of years, we realized that afternoon may not be the best for those who enter. So, we are going to switch it to the morning so that it does not split their day. They can come in the morning first thing. Then they have the rest of their day, and it doesn't interfere with their plans quite as much.
"We have listened to our folks that the morning time might be better, but I think it is working out good and just helping us to reach out to an audience who finds it difficult to come in the middle of the week for a variety of reasons. Hearing from them, it seems that Saturday morning would work better."
The regular Wednesday evening pre-registartion will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sept. 26 and continue on Sept. 27 from 8 to 10:30 a.m., as the fair readies to open that evening.
ONLINE
REGISTRATION
New this year is an online pre-registration form.
"They can actually access that on the website and send this in," fair Manager Eddie Pitzer said. "They can email it in. They can mail it in, fax it in. What we are going to do with it, we are going ahead and register them and give them an exhibitor number, and we will send them a confirmation email back.
"Then they will have their registration number so that they don't have to stand in line. If they have a registration number, they come right on in, go to the different departments."
The goal is to make the process easier, quicker, while providing fair staff with an idea of what's coming and how to plan, he said.
The online deadline is Sept. 19.
A lot of fairs have gone to strictly online registration, Pitzer said.
"We just think it is another one of those tools that we can use to try to make it as easy as possible for those people who want to enter some stuff," he said.
The fair is sporting a new website, www.waynefair.com, which is mobile friendly.
The fair catalog and schedule are available on the site along with a new "Don't Miss This List."
The list provides a convenient snapshot of the fair's music and shows, demolition derby, livestock shows, contests, western town gunfights, food, amusements and rides and exhibits and educational buildings.
TICKETS
AND WRISTBANDS
Ticket prices remain unchanged at $7 for adults, $4 for ages 5 to 12 and free for children 4 and younger.
Discounted tickets for gate admission and wristbands will be available through the website.
Beginning Monday, Sept. 10, discounted tickets also will be sold at the fair office from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for two weeks prior to the start of the fair. Credit cards will be accepted.
Once the fair starts, ride wristbands are $25 Monday through Friday, and $30 on Saturday and Sunday. Once a wristband is purchased, the wearer can ride all day long.
Wristbands do not include the price of admission.
Discounted tickets sold online and at the fair office are $20 for wristbands and gate admissions for $5 for adults and $3 for ages 5 to 12.
Also, coupons will be placed in local stores that fairgoers can bring at anytime and get $3 off admission tickets during weekdays and $5 off on the weekend.
New this year is the Southern Bank Carload Special ticket promotion.
"On that opening Thursday night, we will take up to six people per car (who) can get in the fair and get a (ride) wristband for $60," Pitzer said.
Just the cost for wristbands for six people would normally be $150 and that does not include gate admission, Pitzer said.
"So it is a pretty good deal," he said. "We are going to do that on opening night as a special for those people who say they cannot afford to go to the fair.
"When they enter the parking lot, we will be giving them one of the tickets and writing down how many people are in the car."
The special rate cannot be pro-rated for smaller groups.
SCHOOL TICKETS
The fair also is changing how school tickets are handled.
The tickets, for students 18 and under, will be distributed to area schools and are good for free admission to the fair Monday or Tuesday, Oct. 1 and 2.
It also is good for $3 off the cost of a wristband.
In prior years, there was a time limit of 6 p.m. to use the tickets, but this year, they are good for whatever time a student arrives -- from opening to closing, Pitzer said.
"One of the reasons that we changed that time was in trying to understand that it is difficult for folks to get here when we have them coming from other counties," Head said. "It is hard for them to get here by a certain time.
"We didn't want that to be an unfair situation for them."
Pitzer said people had told them how difficult it was to get to the fair by 6 p.m
"So we decided to make it Monday and Tuesday all day long," he said.
The tickets are being sponsored by Southern Bank and Wayne UNC Health Care.
Wayne UNC Health Care is also sponsoring Senior Day Tuesday, Oct. 2, with free admission for anyone age 60 or older.
IN AND OUT
Pitzer has been working with the Wayne County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina Highway Patrol, the state Department of Transportation and emergency services to make it easier for people to get in and out of the fairgrounds.
In prior years, southbound traffic has bottlenecked as it funnels into the one left turn lane at Genoa Road. The backup has extended as far back as the Neuse River bridge.
The goal is to establish a new traffic pattern to help relieve the congestion.
"What we would like to do is, divert that traffic to a rear entrance and have them come down the Old Mount Olive Highway and then turn onto Genoa Road," Pitzer said. "We are going to have two entrances to the (rear) parking lot.
"So you can enter it westbound on Genoa Road or you can turn at (U.S.) 117 and come in on Genoa Road."
Traffic would leave the parking lot along a new exit that was added last year to take traffic to U.S. 117.
That way it will be one way in and one way out, Pitzer said.
Messenger boards will be erected just north of the southbound lanes over the Neuse River alerting motorists to turn left onto Old Mount Olive Highway.
"Hopefully, some people will decide to take advantage of it," Pitzer said. "We are going to send some stuff out, social media and those things to try and advertise it as much as possible."
Owned and operated by the Wayne County Livestock Development Association, the fair will be held at the fairgrounds on U.S. 117 South.