As the North Carolina State Fair gears up to open this week ... an employee for the Cuckoo Fun House stepped back on a spinning plate on the floor of the ride, lost her balance and fell.

As you walk through the luminous Midway and past the swirling, musical rides this month, take a quick step back in time and remember the simpler origins of the North Carolina State Fair.

For fans of the racing pigs at the North Carolina ... The fair will add a fourth ride voucher redemption tent and queue line in the area where the critters once raced to victory. The NC State ...