Song recalls a 'State Fair day'

Some musicians in the Kudzu Ramblers grew up going to the State Fair.

"I thought, the State Fair, nobody's ever written a song about the North Carolina State Fair. It must be 150 years old," songwriter and fiddle player Lennie Green said.

For a songwriter, the sights and sounds of the midway are made for music.

Green recalled his inspiration: "Riding on the trucks, the dragon train and boats, wishing every day could be a State Fair day."

The lyrics the band members wrote recall their memories of the fair.

They sing, "A State Fair Day, it's a day of fun for all."

Green remembered, "You ride rides. You know you enjoy the exhibits. (You) eat, of course."

Love is a theme in the lyrics: "Win a teddy bear, be her hero for all time."

Green became a young woman's hero at the State Fair. "My wife and I fell in love at the fair. It was one of the places we loved together," he said.

Perhaps the most potent theme expressed by the lyrics is togetherness.

"I think there are very few places where can see this many generations coming together and having fun," mandolin player Carla Osborne said.

So the lyrics go, "The Old North State from the mountains to the bay, the generations play on a State Fair day."

"The North Carolina way on a State Fair day."