Melton A. McLaurin is professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina. For many years, Paul Blankinship has conducted research and assembled a variety of materials on the history of the North Carolina State Fair and fairgrounds. His resulting collection has culminated in an annual exhibit, titled History of the North Carolina State Fair and is on view each year in the one-room schoolhouse located in the Heritage Circle area of the fairgrounds.