FLETCHER, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The N.C. Mountain State Fair is down to its final four days, and if you’re planning to make a trip to the fairgrounds this weekend, you might want to check the sky along with the schedule.
The fair runs through Sunday at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher, with rides, livestock shows, agricultural exhibits, food vendors and entertainment continuing through the final weekend.
And while summerlike temperatures are expected, so are afternoon showers and thunderstorms.
Friday looks like the driest of the three days, with mostly sunny skies and a high near 88 degrees. The National Weather Service gives Asheville a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m.
The chances increase Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s forecast calls for a high near 85 and a 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Sunday should reach about 87 degrees, with another 60 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, particularly during the afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service says the region will remain in a summerlike pattern through Monday, with afternoon showers and thunderstorms possible. Forecasters also say slow-moving storms could produce locally heavy rainfall through the weekend.
So, no, the forecast doesn’t necessarily mean you should cancel your fair plans. It does mean an umbrella — and perhaps some flexibility — could be useful.
What’s happening this weekend
Friday is Senior Day, with free admission for people 65 and older. Seniors receive discounted admission on the other days of the fair.
The fair’s regular entertainment lineup continues through Sunday, including the Zerbini Circus, Extreme Illusions & Escapes, Red Trouser Show, Agricadabra Magic Show, Mooternity Ward and other performers.
Among this year’s new attractions is the Butterfly Experience, where visitors can walk through an enclosure and feed three varieties of butterflies.
This year also adds four new midway rides: The Dairy, a spinning ride featuring flying cow cars; The Horror Hotel, a walk-through spookhouse; Crazy Cars for younger riders; and the Aeromax, which lifts riders about 40 feet in the air.
For those more interested in what’s happening in the livestock barns than on the midway, the fair recently honored two people whose work has helped keep those shows running.
Mark Mills, of Peachland, and Cameron Greene, of Fletcher, were inducted Sept. 14 into the N.C. Mountain State Fair Livestock Hall of Fame.
Mills has worked with the fair’s livestock shows since 1999. Greene retired in February after 30 years as assistant manager of the WNC Ag Center.
The fair also remains a showcase for young livestock exhibitors, local agriculture, arts and crafts and other competitions that can get overshadowed by the rides and food.
And there’s agriculture beyond the fairgrounds
The ASAP Farm Tour is also taking place Saturday and Sunday at farms around Western North Carolina.
The farm tour is a separate event from the Mountain State Fair, but the timing gives people another opportunity to get a look at the region’s agricultural economy — this time on working farms rather than inside the fairgrounds.
Back at the fair, Sunday is the final day.
The fair opens at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday and closes at midnight. Sunday hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the midway opening at 10 a.m.
For anyone heading out this weekend, the forecast may be worth checking before leaving home. The fair will still be there if the sun is shining — and if a summer thunderstorm rolls through, there are plenty of reasons to wait it out and try again.