Ladson, South Carolina – The Coastal Carolina Fair has returned to Ladson Exchange Park for its 68th year, offering cuisine, entertainment, and community.
The fair has been around since 1957, and it has been held at the Ladson fairgrounds since 1979. Fair organizers estimate that the annual turnout is reaching 300,000 people.
According to Jeremy Tate, the fair’s chairman of buildings and grounds, preparation for this year began while the previous year’s fair was still in progress.
Tate says the influence of the charity fair begins with the people who purchase tickets.
“The money that’s raised here, it does go back to the local charities,” Tate informs me. “This year, we donated over $900,000 to 73 local organizations, and it took 230 of our members 15,000 hours of volunteer time at the fair to raise that amount. But it all starts with a strong turnout from our community.”
As part of the entertainment, 63 rides will be distributed across 180 acres, including a new Mega Drop Tower that will drop riders from 120 feet above. Another new attraction dubbed “Lightning” has a rotating windmill design that allows thrill-seekers to fly through the air at speeds of up to 80 mph.
According to David Grimm, director of business development and marketing at Reithoffer Shows, Inc., approximately 30 of the rides will be designed for children.
“I always recommend that they get what we call a wristband, or an armband, they put that on for one price, you can ride all the rides,” Grimm goes on.
Although Grimm believes the wristband offers the best value, the “Lightning” ride will require a separate ticket.
When it’s time to take a break from riding, attendees may eat on a variety of delicacies, like Nashville hot pickles, and wash it down with blueberry lemonade. One of the highlighted desserts is the “Pig’s Trough” from Ye Ole Fashioned, which consists of a six-scoop banana split with six toppings, nuts, whipped cream, and cherry.
Jay Wallace, the fair’s coordinator, said approximately 80 vendors brought their delicacies this year.
“Highly professional people,” Wallace says. “They definitely understand what they’re doing. They maintain their booths quite tidy. They know how to come up with innovative ideas. And those long-term ties enable us to put on a fantastic fair to bring this to Charleston with these national flavors.”
Wallace expresses gratitude to the thousands of volunteers who make the event possible each year, noting that the fair returned $947,000 to the Tri-County area of Charleston, Berkeley, and Dorchester Counties last year.
The gates will open at 3 p.m. Thursday and shut at 9 p.m. Attendees can expect longer hours on weekends.
