COLUMBIA, S.C. — Whether it's the classic funnel cakes or the daring dill pickle pizza, if you're at the South Carolina State Fair, you better have your money handy.
For the Streisfeld family, the cost has been eye-opening. “I think we’ve spent $200 dollars,” said Rachel Streisfeld.
The Streisfelds say they are seasoned fairgoers, have attended since 2016, but have noticed a surprising trend, and it's the food that's taking the biggest bite out of their budget.
“The food is considerably more, the entrance fees and all that doesn’t seem more different to me,” Streisfeld said.
For attendees like Dominique Dingle and Jamiera Ford, the price is something they’re willing to overcome.
“I got my turkey legs. I paid for two ... I'm not playing with them,” Dingle said.
“I wanted a burger, but I also wanted a funnel cake, that’s the ultimate,” Ford chimed in.
“I got the burger, the gyro, I'm trying to get sausage dog,” Dingle added.
As for the Foster family, their laughter and excitement are priceless, and they'd rather not tally up the cost of their adventure.
“This is day 2. We couldn’t get our food on day one. We had more food we had to get so we came back for me,” Foster said.
Gene Timmons with Timmons Concessions says since 2016, he feels the price is 20-30%, and they don’t like to pass it off to customers but they have to make money. “We have a percentage we have to work off of, so when the prices go up, to keep us from losing money, we have to raise that price,” Timmons said.
For the Foster family, they say the high prices aren’t stopping them from having fun. “100%, it’s all worth it.”
The South Carolina State Fair goes until October 22nd.