What happened to the Turkey Shoot Building?

When I was at the Fairgrounds one day over the summer, I noticed that the "Turkey Shoot Building" -- the cinderblock building at the top of the old midway -- had been torn down. I was a little sad about that because I thought it meant no more turkey shoots.

But no! All it meant was no more cinderblock building. If you head toward the old midway you'll still hear the sound of shotguns over the carnival barkers and public address system announcements.

The Raleigh Jaycees Turkey Shoot now continues in its -- what,  60th year? -- in a space that's three tractor-trailers in a "U" shape. You can still take a shot with a chance to win a turkey.

So what happened to the building?

A rep for the Department of Agriculture told me that it just had to be torn down. "It was very old and in bad shape," Natalie Alford said. "There wasn't anything else it could be used for, and it was falling apart. So it came down."

It doesn't seem to have slowed down the Turkey Shoot at all. Even without the cinderblock building it continues its tradition as the longest-running game at the Fair.