LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Coastal Carolina Fair has returned to the Ladson Exchange Park for its 68th year filled with food, entertainment and community.

The fair has been operating since 1957 and has been held at the Ladson fairgrounds since 1979. Fair leaders say they are approaching 300,000 people in annual attendance.

Jeremy Tate, the chairman of buildings and grounds for the fair, says the planning started for this year while last year’s fair was still going on.

With it being a nonprofit fair, Tate says the impact starts with the people who buy the tickets.

“The money that’s raised here, it does go back to the local charities,” Tate says. “This past year, we gave away over $900,000 to 73 local charities and it took 230 of our members, 15,000 hours at the fair to volunteer to raise that money. But it really starts out with a good turnout from our community.”

As part of the entertainment, 63 rides will spread across 180 acres, including a new Mega Drop Tower that will drop riders from 120 ft. high. Another new ride called “Lightning” features a spinning windmill design that lets thrill-seekers fly through the air at about 80 mph.

David Grimm, director of business development and marketing for Reithoffer Shows, Inc., says about 30 of the rides will be for the kids.

“I always recommend that they get what we call a wristband, or an armband, they put that on for one price, you can ride all the rides,” Grimm says.

Although Grimm says the wristband is the best bang for a buck, the “Lightning” ride will require a separate ticket.

For when it’s time to take a break from riding, attendees can snack on all kinds of dishes, like Nashville hot pickles, while washing it down with blueberry lemonade. One of the featured desserts is called the “Pig’s Trough”; it’s from Ye Ole Fashioned and features a six-scoop banana split with six toppings, nuts, whipped cream and a cherry.

The fair’s organizer, Jay Wallace, says around 80 vendors have brought their treats this year.

“Highly professional people,” Wallace says. “They really know what they’re doing. They keep their booths really clean. They know how to come up with new stuff. And those long-term relationships allows us to put on a really great fair to bring this to Charleston with these national flavors.”

Wallace says he thanks the thousands of volunteers who help make the event possible every year, as the fair returned $947,000 to the Tri-County area covering Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester Counties last year.

The gates open at 3 p.m. Thursday and close at 9 p.m. Attendees can expect longer hours on the weekends.

Click here to visit the fair’s website for ticket information, a list of special events and details about their policies.

The fair runs every day through Nov. 9.

LADSON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Coastal Carolina Fair will open in two days with 65 rides across 180 acres, including two new attractions that are faster and taller than previous offerings.

The fair features a 120-foot drop ride and a ride that spins at 80 miles per hour, said Jay Wallace with the Coastal Carolina Fair.

“A 120-foot drop. Now, you’ve seen these things, right? The big giant pole. You kind of inch your way up and then boom. The kids love it. The screams are a lot,” Wallace said. “We’ve got that and a ride that twirls 80 miles an hour.”

New food items include deep-fried pickles covered in Nashville Hot and a dessert called a Pig Trough.

“Deep-fried pickles, covered in Nashville Hot. That’s a big one,” Wallace said. “Then our very own local Ye Ole Fashioned has got what they call a Pig Trough, which has got a lot of split components. All types of toppings and scoops of ice cream. It’s going to be quite delicious.”

The fair has operated since 1957, being held at the Ladson fairgrounds since 1979. Fair leaders say they are approaching 300,000 people in annual attendance.

Last year, the fair returned $947,000 to the Tri-County area covering Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties, Wallace said.

Admission tickets provide access to fair entertainment, while wristbands are required for rides. The fair includes a rodeo Monday through Wednesday, three stages, a sea lion act, a petting zoo and a creative arts building.

Parking options include pedicabs for a fee and VIP parking at the main gate, which must be purchased in advance through the website. The fair maintains a clear bag policy for security.

Fair organizers do not rent strollers or wheelchairs on the grounds. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own.

Click here to visit the fair’s website for ticket information.

The fair runs through Nov. 9.

HOPKINS — Whenever he’s home, Steve Ray Ladson takes his banjo out to the barn and plays for his family’s horses. And the miniature donkeys.

The Hopkins native takes note of how the animals react to what he’s playing.

“If I'm hitting something, I'm playing something and it strikes a nerve on them, they let me know that that’s pretty good,” said the musician who can play 10 instruments.

Staying connected to his roots — church, family and trail rides with his cousin, friend and NFL receiver Xavier Legette — is the foundation upon which Ladson has created a new genre of music, “Blackgrass Brothercana.”

The blend of rap, hip-hop, soul, blues, rock and country has captivated the nation and catapulted him to the finale of “America’s Got Talent,” where he competed for $1 million. In the end, he lost out to another singer, Jessica Sanchez.

Ladson wowed audiences — and the panel of celebrity judges — during his audition for the NBC competition show with “Back of My Truck,” an original track that melds hip-hop and roots country to create a tune ripe for radio play.

He stunned the world again last month with a second original track, “Boots like Mine,” which earned him a straight-shot to Sept. 23’s finale show thanks to judge Sofia Vergara’s “Golden Buzzer.”

“You are a superstar,” Vergara told Ladson over thunderous applause during the August episode. “But to be honest, I didn’t like this song … I loved it.

His music has racked up millions of streams over the past few months, launching the professional musician from playing in the bands of established acts to his own performing center stage. It’s a dream more than a decade in the making, but Ladson isn’t resting on his laurels.

“Can't get caught up,” Ladson told Free Times from Los Angeles a few days before the finale. “You got to keep going and keep going. So, just trying to soak it all in, enjoy it … and keep working.”

Even after the show, work will continue. Ladson’s got several tour dates — including a headlining set at Jam Room Music Festival in November — and an album in the works.

Hopkins to Hollywood

Ladson grew up in Hopkins, a small rural town about 30 minutes from Columbia. His father is a pastor, and Ladson’s first performances took place in church. It taught him how to play to a crowd, stage presence tricks and where to set a performance’s tone based on its size and context. He suspects he’s memorized most of the hymnal they sung growing up — Hymn 434 is one of his favorites.

“Church is spiritual, you know, a lot of this stuff is still spiritual too, because it's a connection,” he said. “People need to feel you.”

When he was 22, Ladson booked his first professional gig. For 13 years, he toured with Grammy-winning gospel acts like Robert Randolph and the Family Band and the Blind Boys of Alabama, a Southern blues/gospel group founded in the 1930s.

He’s toured the world with these bands. He remembers turning 23 in Warsaw, Poland. The experience honed his musicianship and helped him plot a course to make his own music, which has always been the goal.

“I paid my dues, put in a lot of work. I learned the ropes from them. I've seen exactly what to do, how to do it, so it made me prepare for my own boat,” Ladson said.

‘Blues was always a feeling’

Ladson draws a lot of inspiration from blues groups from the early 20th century, including bluesmen Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Johnson. For Ladson, “Blues was always a feeling” he felt in himself.

“I always loved the blues, and just love the way that they could sing and just be a one-man show and move a crowd and have a party, just with one man,” he said.

Ladson leans on the blues but also pulls from hip-hop beats and flow, as well as country twang and lyrics, to create his sound.

On the season finale of “America’s Got Talent,” about 40 family members traveled to California to watch him perform the original song, “Do the Rodeo” — many of whom have never seen him play live outside of a church setting.

While he didn’t take home the win, he made a lot of South Carolinians proud.

HOPKINS — Whenever he’s home, Steve Ray Ladson takes his banjo out to the barn and plays for his family’s horses. And the miniature donkeys.

The Hopkins native takes note of how the animals react to what he’s playing.

“If I'm hitting something, I'm playing something and it strikes a nerve on them, they let me know that that’s pretty good,” said the musician who can play 10 instruments.

Staying connected to his roots — church, family and trail rides with his cousin, friend and NFL receiver Xavier Legette — is the foundation upon which Ladson has created a new genre of music, “Blackgrass Brothercana.”

The blend of rap, hip-hop, soul, blues, rock and country has captivated the nation and catapulted him to the finale of “America’s Got Talent,” where he’ll compete for $1 million this week.

Ladson wowed audiences — and the panel of celebrity judges — during his audition for the NBC competition show with “Back of My Truck,” an original track that melds hip-hop and roots country to create a tune ripe for radio play.

He stunned the world again last month with a second original track, “Boots like Mine,” which earned him a straight-shot to Sept. 23’s finale show thanks to judge Sofia Vergara’s “Golden Buzzer.”

“You are a superstar,” Vergara told Ladson over thunderous applause during the August episode. “But to be honest, I didn’t like this song … I loved it.

His music has racked up millions of streams over the past few months, launching the professional musician from playing in the bands of established acts to his own performing center stage. It’s a dream more than a decade in the making, but Ladson isn’t resting on his laurels.

“Can't get caught up,” Ladson told Free Times from Los Angeles a few days before the finale. “You got to keep going and keep going. So, just trying to soak it all in, enjoy it … and keep working.”

Even after the show, work will continue. Ladson’s got several tour dates — including a headlining set at Jam Room Music Festival in November — and an album in the works.

Hopkins to Hollywood

Ladson grew up in Hopkins, a small rural town about 30 minutes from Columbia. His father is a pastor, and Ladson’s first performances took place in church. It taught him how to play to a crowd, stage presence tricks and where to set a performance’s tone based on its size and context. He suspects he’s memorized most of the hymnal they sung growing up — Hymn 434 is one of his favorites.

“Church is spiritual, you know, a lot of this stuff is still spiritual too, because it's a connection,” he said. “People need to feel you.”

When he was 22, Ladson booked his first professional gig. For 13 years, he toured with Grammy-winning gospel acts like Robert Randolph and the Family Band and the Blind Boys of Alabama, a Southern blues/gospel group founded in the 1930s.

He’s toured the world with these bands. He remembers turning 23 in Warsaw, Poland. The experience honed his musicianship and helped him plot a course to make his own music, which has always been the goal.

“I paid my dues, put in a lot of work. I learned the ropes from them. I've seen exactly what to do, how to do it, so it made me prepare for my own boat,” Ladson said.

‘Blues was always a feeling’

Ladson draws a lot of inspiration from blues groups from the early 20th century, including bluesmen Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Johnson. For Ladson, “Blues was always a feeling” he felt in himself.

“I always loved the blues, and just love the way that they could sing and just be a one-man show and move a crowd and have a party, just with one man,” he said.

Ladson leans on the blues but also pulls from hip-hop beats and flow, as well as country twang and lyrics, to create his sound.

He’ll be performing a third original song during Tuesday, Sept. 23’s season finale of “America’s Got Talent,” where about 40 family members will be traveling to California to watch him — many of whom have never seen him play live outside of a church setting.

“It's gonna be really special,” he said.

A hometown boy — he makes sure to come home at least once a month to “breathe in the country air” and take a trail ride — Ladson urged South Carolinians to tune in and vote for him.

“It’s gonna be a rodeo,” he promised.

Ladson performs on the finale “America’s Got Talent” at 9 p.m. Sept. 23 on NBC and Peacock. Voting starts after the show’s conclusion and goes through the night. Download the NBC or “AGT” apps, or head to nbc.com/AGTVote to cast a vote for Ladson.

The winner will be announced Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. on NBC.