North Carolina Now; North Carolina Now Episode from 10/21/1996

A. Step right up it is Monday October 21st and you won't want to miss this special edition of North Carolina now. We're live at the North Carolina State Fair. Hello everyone I'm reading to try and welcome to the North Carolina State Fair on a clear crisp

October evening the weather is much nicer tonight than it was during our Friday program in fact it was a gorgeous day all day today and there is a nice crowd gathered here at our UN to USC TV broadcast where everyone say you are right there watching us put our program together live this evening and we want to invite you to come down to our U.N. CTV Compaq's which is located at the southwest corner of Rena. We will be here all throughout the duration of the faire So please come down. And join us. We have a great program planned for you this evening we have everything from politicians to petting zoos So sit back and enjoy as we bring the North Carolina state fair to you in your living room. Now the first day of the state fair got off to a slow start because of the torrential rain that we had here on Friday. But the weather cleared and the weekend attendance improved. Last Friday's attendance figures were understandably low because of the weather with just thirty four thousand four hundred and fifty five.

That's compared to more than 42000 for last year's opening day on Saturday. Attendance was way up more than 100 and 10000 people came out to the fair and Sunday there were more than eighty nine thousand visitors bringing this year's fair attendance so far to 234 thousand and three hundred thirty eight. By this time last year there were two hundred thousand nine hundred ninety five people who had visited the North Carolina State Fair so far this year the attendance is a bit ahead of what it was at this time last year. Now among the thousands of fairgoers this weekend there was a plentiful supply of politicians all taking advantage of the huge crowds here at the fair. As Anya Williams tells us the men and women running for office see the fair as a venue which allows them to reach voters from all across the state. Rooms are up and the signs in place the spirit of election 96 is definitely in the air at the state fair. Thank you. Nonpartisan veterans nation. Hundreds of folks drifted by the Republican and Democratic Party booths

picking up pamphlets and brochures on the different candidates trailing in the polls Republican gubernatorial candidate Robin Hayes took advantage of the crowd who didn't read it and seeking votes. We're feeling good about where we are. There's a long way between now and November the 5th. Any time we get to meet people we get but the only thing we need to do is get our name out his opponent Governor Jim Hunt later this week. Even though most of the candidates haven't actually shown up at the state fair yet their positions are still being presented by various volunteers from their respective parties. We're out here at the fair handing out stickers and trying to promote the Republican candidates for a stronger conservative ticket all across North Carolina and across the country. We didn't expect this out of the candidates although I think she just mentioned going to be here shortly. We're just talking to people handing out literature giving them stickers campaign buttons

making them aware of candidates they may not know. Some voters are already certain of who get their votes in November. Well governor we will vote for who we have won. Because basically Democrat and and feel the Democrat the way the Democrat field is it is basically about most issues because in the government there are others who are straddling the fence and using the last minute campaigning to help make their final decision. Actually it's pretty close I mean for smart start for him so he's in my mind has spoke to me today and I read up on him that he wants to get the politics out of Smart Start Smart Start. I want to I mean the issues. But regardless of the likes and dislikes about this year's candidates chief justice Mitchell took the

time not only to solicit votes but to remind the citizens of the state to simply exercise their right. Our purpose here is just to get people activated to get them to go exercise the hard won right to vote. So we ask them to go through these materials and familiarize themselves with the candidates. We hope they'll vote for us but if they don't just be a part of the process for the next four years don't drive. The candidates don't necessarily have a set schedule to appear at the fair but ballot volunteers expect that many of them will stop by throughout the week. Now the State Fair is also home to the largest one day canned food drive in the state. This coming Thursday at the Food Bank of North Carolina Winn-Dixie and the Department of Agriculture joined forces to bring hunger relief to those in need across the Tar Heel State. This year your donations are greatly needed because of the high demand that took place during Hurricane Fran. It had greatly depleted the food supply. Joining me now is Greg

Kirkpatrick he is the executive director of the Food Bank of North Carolina. Thank you for coming out here today. Thanks for having me. Let's talk a little bit about Winn-Dixie days which is coming up this Thursday What's that all about. Well as you said it's the single biggest one day food drive in the state in North Carolina and possibly beyond. North Carolina I don't know but what what happens is folks bring five cans of Winn-Dixie brand food hopefully meat but fruits vegetables whatever they want to bring and they get it free to the fair and it's a heck of a deal for for those people and it's a it's a good deal for the food bank because it allows us to get the food out to food pantries and eat it now in order to get free to the fair it has to be five of the 50 made brand which is purchased at Winn-Dixie but you'll certainly accept any food from anywhere correct. Yeah but Winn-Dixie would really appreciate me satisfied. On our show you will see because it is a wonderful thing that they're doing and it gets folks in free to the fair so everybody wins. Let's talk about what happened during Hurricane Fran I know that a lot of your food supply was depleted because of the wonderful efforts that the food bank did to help people who were without

food for long periods of time. How low did it actually get. The best way to tell that story is I was I was in my office about the fifth day after the hurricane and I got a call from Johnston County Emergency Management and they told me they needed two truckloads of food every day for the next five days because they were feeding 10000 people. And I looked in the warehouse and that's about what we had we had about 10 tractor trailers left. And frankly that's when I wrote my letter to the governor and fortunately we got food from the North County Board of Agriculture and Department of Corrections and then the floodgates just opened and this whole community came together and brought us just tons and tons of food and has a start coming in. There are so many stories of people coming through during the hurricane. Let's talk about what else the food bank does throughout the year I mean that was such a high profile case of you know coming to the aid of people victims of Hurricane Frances. But you also do other things throughout the entire year ongoing efforts that maybe people don't hear about so this is your opportunity. Tell us the good deeds that the food bank does.

Well I actually did what we did in the wake of Hurricane Frances just a magnification of what we do on a on a regular basis I mean honest to goodness we were distributing food to the same food pantries and shelters that we normally serve Salvation Army you name it. I mean the difference was we were also shipping food emergency management centers that we don't normally ship food to county emergency management. So I mean that's really the only distinction. We just shipped about six times the amount of food we would normally ship in a two week period after friends. But it is just a compression a magnification of what we normally do. And of course you're gearing up for the holidays so you know certain been certainly been eating food for that. The holidays are a busy time of the year so this this particular Winn-Dixie day comes at a great time. This food will last us through Christmas and it means a better Christmas for a lot of families across eastern North Carolina. Very quickly Greg we're running out of time but in case someone can't come out here to the fair but they still want to donate what can they do. Anytime they want they can come by the food bank drop their food off right now I know Kroger and Hannaford stores and some of the stores are running drs floors so they can buy it there and drop it in vans that are available at those stores. Some of those you viewers might want to know it's real quick that the

welfare reform law that just passed Congress means there's a 20 percent reduction in the average food stamp benefits and that's really going to hit us hard so it's really a time when people can come together and bring food to the food bank. All right thank you very much Greg Kirkpatrick of the food bank in North Carolina. There is more to come of our special edition of North Carolina now live from the state fair. But first. Join Michel Louis in our Research Triangle Park studios where he has the latest from today's news from around the state. Good evening match. Thanks Marina. Good evening everyone. Topping our news Governor Jim Hunt continues to hold a commanding lead in the polls heading into November the latest Mason-Dixon political media research survey shows Democratic governor Jim Hunt a leading Republican challenger Robin Hayes 58 percent to 32 percent for the month of October and September Hunt was favored by the same percentage of voters. But Hayes has fallen off by 2 percentage points since that time. According to the October poll eight percent of North Carolina voters are still undecided about their choice for governor. Polls

indicate it is the undecided vote that will determine the next North Carolina Secretary of State. The latest Mason-Dixon statewide survey gives Democrat Elaine Marshall a 42 to 36 percent lead over Republican nominee Richard Petty. Twenty two percent of those polled were undecided. Just one month ago a single percentage point separated the two candidates the October numbers do show Elaine Marshall extending her lead over Patty the Mason-Dixon poll has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points. Not all state spending in North Carolina goes for projects within the state. A 1995 report by the state auditor shows some private organizations given money by state agencies were outside the state line and some were outside the country reportedly more than 200 million dollars went to roughly 20 100 private organizations. A small number of those funds were directed to Georgia and New York as well as France Thailand and Australia. The head of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Department of Social Services is making a direct appeal to

civic and religious leaders to get people off welfare. Jake Jacobson recently hired a pastor to coordinate a hiring effort among the city's churches. A December meeting is scheduled to bring together 600 Charlotte churches for a summit on the issue. In July Jacobson made a similar appeal to the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce. Looking ahead to tomorrow's weather unseasonably high temperatures move in Tuesday you can expect the mid to high 70s to warm most places statewide partly to mostly sunny skies a forecast with most of the sunshine expected in the eastern half of the state. And in business news the latest issue of Fortune magazine has gone beyond its typical business criteria to name the Raleigh-Durham area among the top five best places in the country. Fortune magazine took the balance of work and family to come up with its selections. Also making the list were top ranked Seattle Denver Philadelphia and Minneapolis. Quality of life issues like crime rates and schools were part of the evaluations. And now for a look at what happened on Wall

Street today. Within. That's all from here let's send it back to the North Carolina State Fair and Merida much re Merida What did you have on the menu today I know you're a connoisseur there.

What didn't I have today I'm surprised I'm not sick by now but you know with all the food the rides the games and the animals here at the North Carolina State Fair it's an outing of guaranteed fun for kids of all ages. But tonight Garner takes a look at what you can do here that may be particularly enjoyable for your little one whether your child's face is painted by someone skillful hand or kissed by the warm autumn sunshine is he or she is practically unfettered about Wes Riley. What is there at the North Carolina State Fair that isn't for kids. Down on the farm produced by the Agriculture Department's marketing division is a must if you really want to teach your kids about the importance of agriculture to North Carolina. It's a 20 minute show that won first place honors at a national agro marketing meeting. Their performances every two hours from noon to 8:00 p.m. of course the one other place where kids come face to face with agriculture is the children's barnyard operated by the Future Farmers of America. While the feathered creatures are protected from everything but

exploring fingers there are plenty of opportunities for real touching in hugging your child's face may get licked clean at the Children's barnyard you'll probably have to do the cleaning up yourself anywhere else around the fairgrounds and you'll have to do a lot of it. There will be many chances to get a great photo of your child riding. One of a wide variety of animals whether it's the brightly colored mechanized variety or the real hey burning time. But while these rides don't pose much danger to kids equilibrium they do eat lots and lots of tickets. So make sure you're prepared to slow down the pace just a bit. You'll want to be sure to stop by the U.N. CTV exhibit where most everything is just for kids. You can pick up a banner or coloring materials. And meet Rita Roux the mascot of Reading Rainbow. If your child gets last year at the state fair they'll be brought here to the Red Cross lounge located adjacent to the gym Grampa billion. They're so nice people will sit down and talk to them try to get parents names or whatever and they'll make an announcement over the public address system. Perhaps

they'll simply provide a description of the lost child. That's a good idea for you to stop by and pick up an NC State Fair identification tag. Fill out your child's name your name and so forth and tie it on to the child. That way if they are lost it will make it a whole lot easier to get in touch with you. Getting lost at the fair can sure turn a child's world upside down and of course it isn't the only thing. One thing that always stays on a level playing is the male interesting games and winning. And there really won't be much change in that from now until long after these guys are grown or think they're grown. But while the boys try ever so hard you'll notice it's the girls who do a lot of the winning. This is just a sampling but suffice it to say that if you can't get your child to sleep soundly after a day at the State Fair You just haven't been trying. Children like many of us bigger faults love to be world and Turold about on the colorful rides on the midway and keeping everyone safe on those rides is a task their officials take very seriously. Before the fair even open labor

commissioner Harry Payne made his annual inspection of the midway rides an arc that Harrison tagged along. Labor Commissioner Harry Payne and his partner in Ryde Agriculture Commissioner Jim Graham could return home the bump on how it may look as if the big kids just wanted a good time. There is a point involved. The Labor Department does an inspection of the rise at the State Fair and other amusement events. And just to prove that his heart and his stomach are in the right place. Payne took a shot at the High Roller they turned down this one does him backwards and all kinds of ways and they get your heartbeat going pretty good but they're absolutely very comfortable to ride on feel very secure. What sort of inspection system is involved in fire safety and with amusement ride in this state. Unlike some others we inspect every single ride before any child gets on it.

In other words if it's moved from this county fair to that or to stay clear to them before anybody gets on it. Not only does the company itself have a very aggressive inspections for. We follow up and do an independent audit. And right now for this fair we have eight inspectors working full time all the time to make sure that everything is just right and tested. And although the boats are looked at and everything is just right before the first person gets on. And then during the fair we keep two people here at all times in case has a question or problem or anybody has a concern. So if the labor commissioner tests the rises people have inspected and the people who operate the rides are careful about putting them up. What mishaps do befall fairgoers Conny Daniel at the Red Cross says the most common mishaps are scrapes that occur when someone isn't looking where they're going and she has some advice for people coming to the fair. Please use common sense. Don't wear no make

sure that you if you take medications that you know what can they are have someone with them and if that would have that and if you bring children make sure that you have a plane. If they if you get lost where they can find you. Name the Midway at the State Fair is truly magnificent but did you realize that our State Fair is also home to one of the largest all great horse shows in the nation. Even before the official opening of the fair horses with their riders were prancing around at the Hunt horse complex all vying for that coveted blue ribbon. Today the Regal Arabians and half Arabians were in action and the competition was stiff. This is the 14th year that the horse complex offered equestrian events during the State Fair. But as Shannon Vicary reports the horse complex is one

place where the at the State Fair where you won't find folks horsing around. More shows are serious business at the Hutch horse complex for all involved. For the person whose shoes or says to the ones who showed up to kick butt the horse complex manager Glenn petty organizing the large horse shows is just part of the job. I characterize the horse complex as a hotel a convention center for horses and like a convention center. Penny says the horse complex has had a surprising effect on North Carolina's economy. This facility I have seen has been I think good for North Carolina's economy. In a development way. There have been a number of people that have come to North Carolina particularly in Canada and North we'll call it that like coming down here they have decided they like the weather. So not necessarily at Raleigh but in

North Carolina they bought farms and a number of them while they were here. They're there business people and they decide to build a plant here or to invest in some way in North Carolina. Last year alone more than 80000 people visited the horse complex. Many from out of state. The horse complex isn't very old but it does have a rich history. In the early 1980s at the urging of the Tar Heel States horse industry state lawmakers decided to invest two and a half million dollars to begin building the complex. After breaking ground in 1982 the horse complex quickly took shape becoming the first state supported horse complex in the nation. Today the horse complex includes an indoor performance arena a covered arena for outdoor competition wrings and more than 400 permanent stalls to house the horses. This indoor arena is really the crown jewel of the entire horse complex it seats up to 5000 people and you'll find some sort of horse show going on here every

day during the fair. And your competitors like 11 year old Lang Townsend and 13 year old Joanna Marsh on the horse complex is an ideal place for them to compete. This is a very nice most of them have just like nothing just like an open field and that's all. But this is real nice. I think it's wonderful I mean there's a whole lot of shows here. I think it's a great facility for everything and everyone. The horse complex is also used for a variety of shows throughout the year. In fact in 1997 the horse complex is already booked with the show during every week of the year including Christmas and New Year's. There is so much to see and do here at the North Carolina State Fair Here's just a sampling of what the fair has to offer. Take a look as you listen to the music of Mark Chestnut who will be performing at Dorton Arena tomorrow night. My own bed on

fire. That's like being on my own. According to a survey one of the top reasons people venture out to the fair every year is for the food. And with the many types of call America lives you can find here is truly a smorgasbord. Photojournalist Michael with his taste buds in tow headed out to sample the cuisine.

That's all we have time for tonight we've enjoyed being here at the fair. Maria Lundberg will be here tomorrow night. I'll be back in our studios in Research Triangle Park but please come

to the fair. Thanks for joining us. Have a good night everyone.