The South Carolina State Fair kicked off on Wednesday afternoon to record attendance. The Cantey Building houses the agricultural exhibits, as well as commercial and amateur arts & crafts. Francis Coon has been superintendent of the ag exhibits for 15 years now, and says the number of exhibits has seen it’s ups and downs:
 

“Its not as much as we’ve had in the past, we are down a bit from last year. The largest pumpkins and other vegetables are a big draw for us. We have a 176 pound watermelon, but the 250 lb one had died. We have several gourds as well. We have a good variety of commodities to make it a good showing.”
 

Francis explains that each year they get something they’ve never had before as an entry, and this year it’s the foot-long Fava Bean. She finally made a sign for them to hopefully answer the most asked question of the fair thus far.
 

For more from the South Carolina State Fair, including photographs and interviews from commodity organizations, USDA, and others, check out the stories and photos on our home page.

Francis Coon, superintendant of ag exhibits at the South Carolina State Fair going on now through October 21st in Columbia, South Carolina.