RALEIGH -- Dustin Burke christened his first trip to the N.C. State Fair last week by downing seven deep-fried Oreos.
"The Oreos," Burke said, then paused. "After the first one, I knew I had to eat them all because they were just so good. It's a taste you just can't describe, really."
Burke and his wife, Samantha, moved to the Triangle four months ago. They are self-described "fair fanatics" but have mostly only visited county fairs in the past. Those fairs, he says, are "just a mini version" of the State Fair.
"I've never been to a fair that had so many different kinds of fried everything," Burke said.
Their first trip on opening night turned into more of a recon mission for their follow up trip this week.
"That first day was just an expedited run-through so next time we go back, we know what we want to do," Burke said. "You need at least two days to really see everything."
They loved the animals and the Flower & Garden exhibits, but mostly couldn't get over the food. Burke said he didn't eat all day in preparation for their first visit.
"Then I ate a corn dog and pizza." And of course, the Oreos. And some gingerbread muffins for the road.
The agenda for their second trip: deep-fried Snickers bars.
Nothing too scary
Brennyn Rouse's first fair experience started with a trip to the 4-H petting zoo, but the 5-year-old from Florence, S.C., had big plans for the rest of her day.
"I like riding rides and stuff," she said. But not the roller coaster.
"I don't like them that much," she said.
"She did 'til she saw them," said her mom, Terra Rouse.
Instead of anything too scary, Brennyn has her eye on "the blue house" (the Funhouse), a hot dog and some cotton candy.
She made the trip to Raleigh with parents Terra and Bo Rouse, 3-year-old brother Johnson and her grandmother, Janie Johnson, from Newton Grove.
A native of Newton Grove, Terra Rouse grew up coming to the N.C. State Fair.
"This is much better than South Carolina's fair," she said. "I told them we weren't going back, we'd come home for the North Carolina fair."
A family tradition
The newcomers may offer a fresh perspective on the fair, but lifelong visitors offer their enthusiasm.
Cindy Melton turned 49 this week and celebrated her birthday at the fair the same way she has every year since she was at least 12.
Melton, a lifelong resident of Aberdeen, was at the fair Tuesday with daughter Ashlyn and son Wesley.
Ashlyn, 25, took a day off from her job as a manager at Champps Restaurant in Durham, and Wesley, a 15-year-old sophomore at Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, played hooky from school.
It was all in the name of fair fun and family tradition.
A seasoned fairgoer, Melton prefers a weekday because it's less crowded, and she especially enjoys being there on Senior Day. She works as a skilled care nurse at St. Joseph of the Pines retirement center in Southern Pines, and ended up assisting a few wheelchair-bound fair visitors on Tuesday as she and her children made their way through the grounds.
They all love the smells and sounds of the fair, and they each have their own personal "must eat" list of foods, which they must get from specific vendors.
But Melton said continuing their tradition and making memories with her children is what means the most.
"After I'm long gone, this is what I'd like them to remember me by," she said. "I want them to come here to the fair on my birthday every year and remember me."
