The IMAC site has two contests in North Carolina currently on the schedule:

June 5-6, 2004
WSRC IMAC Mocksville, NC

October 16-17, 2004
NC Open Championship Mocksville, NC

I'm sure more will surface as the season gets ramped up. The start of the contest season really depends on your region. East coast contests will typically start in March, but most of them are in Florida & Georgia where the weather is a bit more tolerable & predictable. The season usually ends around October ... again weather in your region typically dictates this.

Contests are typically two days, Saturday & Sunday. Most contests allow for a practice session on Friday before the contest. The number of flights each contestant gets to fly is really a factor of:
1. The total number of contestants
2. The classes being flown
3. The number of free-style contestants (if a free-style segment is being offered)
4. The weather

If all goes well, you can expect to fly 2 to 3 flights per day. Depending on the contest director (and the number of contestants), you may fly 2 sequences during each flight. Don't be too disappointed if the weather foils the schedule and you only get to fly 1 flight per day. It happens.

Entry fees vary greatly by contest. Expect to pay between $20 to $45 dollars for the average contest (not Regionals or Nationals). It's well worth the price ... door prizes alone can recover the cost of entry. Don't forget, AMA clubs as a fund-raiser typically host the contests, so the money is going back to the die-hard folks that run the contest on a volunteer basis. The biggest cost of a contest can be hotel & transportation costs. When you go to a contest, socialize the trip with other club members and pair up on hotel rooms to save money. You may need to take separate cars, depending on the size of your airplanes, cars, and/or trailers.

Hope this helps! Best of luck!