Custom calendar's great, but you might have to pencil things in

There's no question that there's a LOT to see at the Fair. There are so many shows, exhibits, and contests going on that you might miss something if you don't plan carefully. The NC State Fair Web site has got you covered -- at least most of the way. You might have to pencil a couple of things in.

If you go to the Fair site's Custom Calendar page, you'll find a list of events for each day of the Fair. You can pick a day, pick the events you're interested in, and get a customized list of just those events, including where and when they are. And as a bonus the calendar also prints out a map of the Fairgrounds.

While this page was very useful in helping me figure out my Wednesday, it's not quite complete. I didn't find any information there on the Pants Dance Revolution finals, or any of the bands playing on Military Appreciation Day. I didn't get any information on the cooking contests either (I'm trying to keep count of how many times Gail Fuller wins.) On the other hand, I had forgotten about the livestock contests and I can never keep track of what's going on in the kid's park near the kiddie midway.