NC State Fair
Within 5 years, the year the Fair first saw over 1 million attendees
2010
The city is named after this famous English explorer
Sir Walter Raleigh
Before modern plastic buckets were invented, kids in the 1950s often used this common item to carry their haul of Halloween candy.
Pillowcase
Cisco's iconic logo was directly inspired by this famous suspension bridge.
Golden Gate Bridge
In October 2026, this social media giant underwent a massive corporate rebrand, officially changing its name to "Threads Inc." to consolidate its microblogging and messaging platforms
Meta
Within 10 years, the Fair's inaugural year
1853
This nickname for Raleigh comes from the thousands of these types of trees planted along its streets
City of Oaks
This mega-retailer became an internet sensation for selling a 12-foot-tall skeleton named "Skelly"
Home Depot
This flagship Cisco communication app serves as the enterprise hub for secure messaging, cloud calling, and AI-powered video conferencing with real-time translation.
Webex
NASA's Artemis program achieved a major milestone in 2026 when this private space exploration company successfully completed an uncrewed lunar landing test of its massive Starship HLS
SpaceX
This red avian is the official mascot of the Fair
Casey Cardinal
These three primary geographic points comprise what is known as the "Triangle"
Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill
Invented in 1896, this chewy, chocolate-flavored roll was the first mass-wrapped penny candy in America, making it a historic trick-or-treat staple
Tootsie Roll
In 2024, completed a $28 billion acquisition of this major data-observability and cybersecurity giant
Splunk
This short-form video platform's comment sections were completely taken over by users typing "You look like you're from..."
TikTok
In 1905, this rough riding president attended and spoke at the Fair
Teddy Roosevelt
Designed by architect William Nichols, this Greek Revival building sits proudly on Capitol Square
North Carolina State Capitol
According to ancient European lore, if you wear your clothes inside out and walk backward on Halloween night, you are guaranteed to see one of these mythical creatures at midnight.
Witch
This internal monthly meeting serves as a primary hub for Cisco employees to stay updated on company news, culture, and key business highlights
Cisco Beat
In October, wildlife conservationists celebrated a newly published survey revealing the complete removal of this animal from the vulnerable species list.
Giant Panda
This saddle-shaped Fair venue opened in 1952 and was the first in the world to use a cable-supported roof.
Dorton Arena
This towering brick structure once manufactured water meters. Now a popular multi-use market and food hall
City Market
Before Americans carved pumpkins, people in the British Isles carved this root vegetable instead
Turnip
Originally founded in 1984 by Leonard Bosack and Sandra Lerner, computer scientists at this prestigious California university.
Stanford
This global furniture brand to adapt all its classic instructions in audio format to help the visually impaired
Ikea