Whether you’re coming for the dozens of rides, carnival games, eye-catching exhibits, often deep-fried food offerings or just looking for something to do after an early football game, the South Carolina State Fair has stood as a beloved fall Columbia staple for generations.
As much as its surroundings have evolved during its 156-year history, USC theater alumna Amy Swick said the fair itself hasn’t changed much.
“It’s still the same. You go and it’s like, you’ve got the ride section, you have the exhibits, you’ve got the animals, honestly, there’s still some of the same vendors that go,” Swick said.
To Ellie Carrigan, an alumna and second-year public administration master’s student, the state fair during her freshman year was extra meaningful, even with COVID-19 restrictions that rendered the fair drive-through only.
“All five of us piled into my friend’s car, and we made the trek from Green Quad to the fairgrounds,” Carrigan said. “Those girls ended up being my roommates for the next three years of college.”
A 9-acre time capsule
Nancy Smith, the fair’s general manager, is in the midst of her 41st year as part of the organization. Having started at the fair working part-time in the home and craft department, Smith climbed the ranks to become manager in 2018.
“When you talk to anyone about the fair, the first word that comes to their mind is tradition,” Smith said. “That aspect of the fair really should never change.”
The fair's guest services superintendent Howard Still has made a tradition of taking two weeks off from his regular job each year to work at the fair. For Still, each time feels like a reunion.
“It’s kind of like a family,” Still said. “You become a tight-knit group, and you look forward to seeing your friends or family once a year. Some years we have a Christmas dinner.”
Running the lost and found for years, Still has seen quite a few misplaced items. Most were expected, such as many shattered cellphones, but others definitely not.
“A lady had called that her husband had lost his false teeth,” Still said. “We had one, so she came out, picked it up and left. About 20 minutes later, she came back and handed it to us and said it didn’t fit.”
Fun and games
With over 60 rides now operating during the state fair, there are many to choose from when thinking of a favorite; despite that, both Swick and second-year exercise science student Kierstyn Long quickly came to the same decision: the Ferris wheel.
Many of the fair’s most popular activities aren’t rides. Other attractions include a petting zoo, racing ducks, racing pigs and carnival games.
Much like her ride choice, Long cited a classic favorite when it came to food and drink: lemonade. She was less fond of the fair’s more creative food choices, such as the donut burger.
“I wouldn’t,” Long said. “But I would recommend, if you love trying crazy foods, to try it.”
Wesley Peel, who graduated from USC in 1990, then came back for law school two years later, split his time at the fair between pure fun and business, working concessions as a student.
“Some of our poor friends from Clemson would come down to enjoy the big city and go to the fair,” Peel said. “We’d work there all night, get paid pretty well for the stretch and get to see all the action.”
Peel recalled a story of those friends having a little too much fun.
“Some of those guys from Clemson came down and went down there late at night and jumped the fence,” Peel said. “They got chased out of the fair. We enjoyed laughing at them. I guess they couldn’t take the big city lights. Get out of Clemson and can’t behave themselves."
Carolina vs Clemson … during the fair?
The annual football rivalry game between USC and its rural, younger sibling was once a central feature of the state fair. As University Archivist Elizabeth West explained, in 1896, the fairgrounds were an ideal location to bring the already intense Columbia-Clemson rivalry to the football field.
“You had the fairgrounds that had stands and a field available for them to play on with a lot of crowd,” West said. “They played that first game at the state fair, and it became a tradition after that. Clemson would always come to Columbia.”
The game became known as "Big Thursday", which West said was practically a state holiday. West said, in general, the fair of that era had much more pageantry around it, with a parade, ball and special train tickets for the game.
The arrangement’s demise came in 1959, forced by two key factors, the first of which was Clemson’s financial interests.
“Clemson was eager to gain the experienced economic benefits of having such a big game played in Clemson,” West said. “So they negotiated the end of Big Thursday.”
As for the second reason, with October game days already causing traffic and parking issues for both fair-goers and football fans, West said the Carolina-Clemson game, which brought almost 80,000 fans to Columbia in 2023, would cause a nightmare-level traffic situation.
Third-year political science student Emmie Coler said that while the idea of Carolina playing Clemson during the fair was exciting on the surface, the traffic problem and the increased value of having both as popular, separate events outweighs any potential benefits.
“It brings two separate groups of tourists to Columbia, so I don’t know that there would be a giant economic benefit of having them both at the same time,” Coler said. “It kind of seems like having them separately is a good way to have two different tourist events going on in Columbia that benefit the city.”
Cultural immersion
Still said agricultural and baking exhibits and competitions are a point of pride for the fair, showcasing a key aspect of South Carolina’s economic history.
“We have the horse show and different horses during the week. Down there, we have beef cattle, dairy cattle, they do cow milking, they do goat milking,” Still said. “You get a broad spectrum of the agricultural base.”
Still also singled out the fair’s several baking competitions, which feature some competitors that have been coming back for 40 years, and said they offer an authentic, quality taste of South Carolinian cuisine for both locals and newcomers.
“Their biscuits are the best, or their pie is the best. It’s just competition,” Still said. “For an out-of-state student, you would just get a broad overview of what the whole state of South Carolina is about.”
In addition to the baked and home goods sections, Swick enjoys the fair’s large art galleries.
“We both love the art,” Swick said. “My husband submitted for the art show at one point, and one of his pictures was featured in it.”
Swick said, in the age of artificial intelligence, it’s critical that fair operators ensure the pieces on display truly represent South Carolina and its many artists.
Future of the fair(grounds)
With occasional talk of the fair being relocated and the land redeveloped by an outside party, such as rumors swirling around a potential USC takeover in 2022, Still was resolute in keeping it where it is. However, he said the organization is working to find ways to make the property more sustainable and useful year-round.
Long felt the fair’s location should be maintained for the sake of both the city and the USC student body.
“It’s right in the heart of South Carolina, right in the capital,” Long said. “They can attract a lot of the students.”
Peel said he saw the appeal of a larger site father from downtown Columbia that could help South Carolina match the size of comparable state fairs.
“I’d like to see them move to a larger venue,” Peel said. “They’re kind of constrained by space. A lot of state fairs are much larger, and our state fair can't really grow."
Coler also said the prices of the fair can discourage students from attending, hoping that it becomes more affordable in the future.
“By making things more accessible and more affordable, I think the student population could definitely help continue the legacy of the fair.”
General Admission tickets to the fair are $20. $5 tickets will be offered to students after showing their student IDs on Monday, Oct. 13.
Lasting memories
Whether they attended in 1990 like Swick or 2020 like Carrigan, USC students and alumni have a remarkably similar impression of the fair.
“I don’t see much of a difference,” Swick said. “I think it holds memories for you at whatever point of your life you're in.”
Carrigan said no student should pass up the opportunity to make the fair a part of their college experience.
“If you get the opportunity to go, definitely say yes,” Carrigan said. “Get out of your comfort zone, meet some new friends, try some new food and enjoy the rides.”
Tickets for the South Carolina State Fair will go on sale Sept. 9. The fair will run from Oct. 8 to Oct. 19.