October 22, 2003
Museum Hosts State Fair Book-signing Event
Author of new history book on the NC State Fair to talk and autograph copies

RALEIGH, N.C. (October 22, 2003) - The Raleigh City Museum will continue its Pieces of the Past Fall 2003 Lecture Series with a presentation and book-signing by Dr. Melton McLaurin, author of the new book "The North Carolina State Fair: The First 150 Years." Dr. McLaurin will be joined by Paul Blankinship, a state fair historian who assisted in the selection of illustrations for this new book. The program will be held Saturday, November 8, 2003 at 2:00 p.m. in the museum's lower level classroom. The program is free and open to the general public, and Dr. McLaurin's book will be available for purchase that day for $25 a copy (plus tax).

Published jointly by the NC Office of Archives and History and the State Fair Division of the Department of Agriculture, Dr. McLaurin's book is lavishly illustrated with over 300 color and black-and-white pictures selected by Mr. Blankinship. The hardcover text is the most comprehensive account published to date of the people, politics and events that have shaped the North Carolina State Fair. In October of this year, the NC State Fair celebrates its 150th anniversary as our state's largest event. The book provides detailed insights into the history of the fair since its inception in 1853, as well as its social aspects and its agricultural and industrial promotion.

Dr. McLaurin is the author of seven books and numerous articles on the American South. He is a professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where he taught for 25 years. A native North Carolinian, he received his B.S. and M.A. degrees from East Carolina University and a Ph.D. in history from the University of South Carolina. Mr. Blankinship is a native of Brevard, NC. He received his M.A. in oceanography from NC State University and has conducted extensive research and assembled an array of materials on the history of the North Carolina State Fair. He has exhibited his collection annually at the fair since 1992.

For more information on this event, please contact Ken Peters, Coordinator of Education & Outreach, at 832-3775 ext. 11.

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