2011 Mountain State Fair features plenty of exciting new entertainment

Fairgoers will find plenty of new things in store for them at the 2011 Mountain State Fair, which runs Sept. 9-18 at the Western N.C. Ag Center in Fletcher.

Visitors will find exciting new grounds entertainment to go with plenty of their fair favorites. The Zerbini Family Circus offers up family-friendly fun under the big top with an array of acrobats, trapeze artists, daredevils, circus clowns, dancers, jugglers and animals.

The Kenya Safari Acrobats will amaze with their high-energy show. End-over-end flips, spectacular displays of balance and strength, and choreographed jump roping are all signatures of this troupe, whose members serve as artistic ambassadors for Kenya. Fairgoers will want to catch this daily show near the newly renovated Davis Event Center.

Sept. 9-13, Josh Knotts & Lea will perform extreme illusions and escapes on the Got to Be NC Stage. The magic show features a mix of illusions, theater and comedy that will have fairgoers asking, “How’d they do that?”

Sept. 14-18, Mike Bishop, a comedy hypnotist, will entertain fairgoers on the Got to Be NC Stage. Bishop encourages audience participation and through the power of hypnotic suggestions he will have people impersonating Elvis and doing other entertaining skits.

Drew Exposition returns to provide the thrilling midway rides and games for visitors to enjoy. The Bojangles Music Stage will host local and regional bands and performers for daily shows. In addition, the Mountain Music Competition that runs Sept. 8-17 offers more great entertainment.

Adult admission is $7 at the gate. Child and senior admission is $3 at the gate. Fairgoer may also want to take advantage of a new special discount offer, the Family Fun Pack, for $30. The pack includes five admission tickets, four coupons good for one ride each and 10 vendor coupons good for discounts on fair foods and at the Airport Road McDonalds. 

In addition to advance-sale deals, there are also a number of special offers for different days of the fair. Following is a schedule of the special promotion days:

• Friday, Sept. 9: Student Free Admission Day until 6 p.m. for grades K-12.
• Monday, Sept. 12: Wristband Day – Ride all day for $18 plus admission.
• Wednesday, Sept. 14: Ingles Day – Free gate admission with five cans of Laura Lynn brand food from Ingles Supermarket.
• Thursday Sept. 15: Wristband Day – Ride all day for $18 plus admission.
• Friday Sept. 16: Senior Citizen Day – Free gate admission for seniors 65 and older, and the Friday Night Stampede from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. Offers admission and ride wristband for $18.