WHO/WHAT: Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler will officially open the 2011 State Fair at a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony.

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 14, 11 a.m.

WHERE: Bluegrass Stage, Heritage Circle, State Fairgrounds

OTHER INFO: Miss North Carolina Hailey Best will sing the National Anthem. State Fair Manager Wesley Wyatt also will speak at the event.

Following the ceremony, fairgoers will have the opportunity to string tobacco the old-fashioned way and load it into the log barn in Heritage Circle, where it will cure during the fair.

A tobacco-stringing contest is set for 2 p.m. in Heritage Circle. Three-person teams can compete for prize money and a ribbon. Teams need to register by noon in Heritage Circle. The contest is sponsored by the John Deere Ice Cream Guys and Duke Homestead.