James E. Strates Shows.

• Position: Triangle - North Carolina State Fair contract - Brief Article

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Orlando, Fla.-based James E. Strates Shows will operate the N.C. State Fair midway again this year, but the contract with the Department of Agriculture didn't come cheap. Strates, which ran the midway 53 straight years before losing the contract in 2002, will pay the state $6.50 per paying visitor when the fair opens Oct. 17. Based on average attendance the past five years, the state would make $4.1 million. Last year, New...