Got to Be NC Festival

Friday, May 17, 2024 at 12:00pm

North Carolina State Fairgrounds
4285 Trinity Rd
919-821-7400

Schedule:

12:00pm - 8pm
Agri-Plaza
The Agri-Plaza is your one-stop destination for animals of all sizes inside the Jim Graham Building. Alpacas, Butterfly Barn, Carolina Cooker Skillet Skee-Ball, Chick Hatchery, Chocolate and Chip the Pardoned Thanksgiving Turkeys, Corn Table, Dairy Goats, Dairy Milking Classroom, Feeder Pigs, Free Kids’ Activities, Germ City, John Deere Pedal Tractor Obstacle Course, Llamas, Longhorn Steer, N.C. Forest Service, N.C. State Highway Patrol, Pig Patch Birthing Center, Sheep and additional commercial vendors and exhibitors await!

1:30pm, 4pm and 5:30pm
Agri-Puppets Agritainment Show
Head over to the breezeway outside the Agri Supply Exposition Center to find the Agri-Puppets and learn all about agriculture and animals. Boomer and Oscar teach the importance of farming, where your food comes from and what farmers really do all day to provide the food we all enjoy. The show includes bubble popping, dancing, interactive question/answers and more! Bring the kids over to learn about agriculture in a massively fun way!

12:30pm and 2:30pm
Boomer's Farm Truck
Be on the look-out for Boomer driving his farm truck around the festival grounds and come on over for a photo-op with our agri-celebrity!

12:00pm - 8pm
Butterfly Barn
Come learn all about butterfly life cycles and migration patterns of native butterflies in the AgriPlaza inside the Jim Graham Building!

12:00pm - 8pm
Chick Hatchery
The smallest of our babies will be born in our incubator inside the Graham Building AgriPlaza! Come watch how baby chicks pip through their membranes and shells to join the brood!

12:00pm - 8pm
Chocolate and Chip the 2022 Pardoned Thanksgiving Turkeys
But wait, there's more! The NC State Prestage Department of Poultry Science will be on-hand with the most famous turkeys of Thanksgiving 2022! They began their lives at the Circle S Ranch in Union County, but Chooclate and Chip earned their feathers at the White House when President Biden pardoned them in November 2022. They now live at NC State's Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory, and will join us to teach you all about North Carolina's modern poultry industry.

12:00pm - 8pm
Egg to Chick Egg Candling
Have you ever wondered how to tell if an egg is fertilized? Come out and join the Veterinary Division of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as they give you the hands-on experience observing the growth and development of an embryo inside an egg.

12:00pm - 8pm
Feeder Pigs
Located right beside the Pig Patch Birthing Center, you'll find our fiesty feeder pigs. Currently weighing in around 30 pounds, their antics are sure to make you smile. Members from the North Carolina Pork Council will be on hand to answer your questions about pork production in North Carolina.

1:30pm, 2:30pm and 4:30pm
Kenya Safari Acrobats
Always a crowd favorite, the Kenya Safari Acrobats are BACK at the Got to Be NC Festival. From Greensboro, they'll wow you with their feats of athleticism mixed with spell-binding stories of African culture. You'll find them between the Agri Supply Exposition Center and the Grandstand.

12:00pm - 8pm
Kidz Corral
Stop by the Kidz Corral in the Graham Building to take a break and play in the corn table, check out our on-the-spot competitions and crafts, milk Maggie the Cow and more!

1pm, 2:30pm and 4:30pm
King BMX Stunt Show
Let's have some high-flying fun! Located between Dorton Arena and the Graham Building, the atheletes from the King BMX Stunt Show will thrill the audiences with their adrenaline-filled tricks that defy gravity..

12:00pm - 8pm
Lil Ducky Water Racing
You better get that pitcher pump going if you're going to win the race! Tucked inside the Kidz Corral in the Graham Building, the rubber ducky race is on! Grab your friends and see who will take home bragging rights!

12:00pm - 8pm
N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services'
Germ City with the Division of Food and Drug Protection
How clean are your hands? Even if you think you have a good hand-washing technique, you may be surprised with the germs you leave behind. That’s the focus of Germ City! While you're in the Graham Building, make sure you take a time out to learn proper hand washing techniques after you visit the animals!

12:30pm, 2pm, 3:30pm, 5pm
NCDAandCS Spotted Lanternfly Detection Demonstrations featuring K-9 Goose
Did you know the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumuer Services is home to two spotted lanternfly detection dogs? K-9 Goose and K-9 Kita work with their handlers Plant Protection Specialists Chad Taylor and Jackie Fredieu to sniff out the destructive pest that causes severe damage to trees, plants and vineyards.

Head over between the Agri Supply Expo Center and Grandstand to see Chad and K-9 Goose for a demonstration on how K-9 Goose's amazing nose is able to sniff out the spotted lanternfly and protect our state from this invasive pest.

12:00pm - 8pm
North Carolina Forest Service
Visit the North Carolina Forest Service inside the Graham Building to learn about our state’s rich history in forestry and how our forestland is a significant influence in the state, providing economic value and adding immeasurably to the quality of life for residents. Learn about the many programs and services the N.C. Forest Service provides for the citizens of North Carolina – and beyond!

12:00pm - 8pm
Pig Patch Birthing Center
Our sows will be welcoming their newest litters of piglets in The Pig Patch Birthing Center located in the Jim Graham Building. We'll be wishing a 'Happy Birthday' to new piglets each day of the Festival.

12:00pm, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm
The Quack Pack USA
Team work makes the dream work! Nothing is more true as Chad and Candy Collins' amazing border collies treat audiences to what they do best...herding their ducks! Distractions? No such thing. These dogs will have your jaws dropping at their ability to keep their feathered friends exactly where they want them to be...all while delighting the crowds with obstacle adventures.

12:00pm, 3pm and 6pm
SouthLand Dairy Farmers Mobile Dairy Classroom
Want to know how the milk in your grocery store gets there? At the Southland Dairy Classroom, we'll demonstrate how to milk a cow, describe how milk goes from the farm to the consumer, and then answer questions from the audience. We're bringing the dairy experience directly to you by sharing the a process that includes math, science, health (nutrition), and agriculture!

Building and Exhibit Hours
12:00pm - 8pm

Carnival Hours
12:00pm – 10pm

Carnival Wristbands
Purchase from 12:00pm to 9pm,
Good all day for unlimited rides


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