FOOD, RIDES AND FUN AT THE DIXIE CLASSIC FAIR DREW 292,321 PEOPLE
Winston-Salem, NC, October 16, 2019 — A dose of nostalgia, along with classic food, rides and entertainment drew 292,321 people to the 137th Dixie Classic Fair in Winston-Salem, NC, from October 4 to 13, a slight increase over past five year averages.
“This is the last year the Fair will be billed as the ‘Dixie Classic Fair,’” said Fair Director, Cheryle Hartley. “Fair-goers found five new rides, new attractions like the Paul Bunyan Show, our first Hispanic Fiesta, concerts by CMA- and Grammy-winner Joe Diffie; rodeos; demolition derbies; many new foods; and livestock, agricultural, craft and specialty food competitions. This year, we broke the advance sale admission record, selling 38,594 tickets. The previous record was in 2007 with 37,608 advance tickets sold, so we opened the gates on the first day knowing it was going to be a great fair.”
The Fair implemented 16 new metal detectors at five public gates. The Fair partnered with the FanPark App to offer 207 people VIP reserved parking for the first time.
Many days featured special offers and free entry for school children, veterans, seniors and special education groups. 13,447 fair attendees on Wednesday, October 9, donated at least 5 non-perishable food items to Crisis Control Ministry to gain free admission to the Dixie Classic Fair. With the help of over 250 Crisis Control Ministry volunteers, Crisis Control Ministry collected 70,500 non-perishable food items. The food will keep Crisis Control Ministry’s pantries stocked for at least a third of the year, providing shelf stable food items to at least 2,300 people in Forsyth County.
The event’s opening and closing weekends featured the always-popular Demolition Derby, Figure 8 Racing, and a classic Rodeo. The R&B techno funk sound of Midnight Star took the Grandstand stage on Monday, presented by WQMG-FM. CMA and Grammy-Winner Joe Diffie performed his country classics as the crowds sang along on Tuesday night, presented by 93.1 WPAW-FM The Wolf. A little inspiration hit the Grandstand on Wednesday, when “The Faith Tour,” featuring Jordan Feliz with I am They and Hanna Kerr, presented by WBFJ-FM, brought their wildly popular contemporary Christian rock to town. The Outlaw Truck & Tractor Pulling Association (OTTPA) showed off their high-octane intensity to a packed Grandstand on Saturday. Gospel Fest, sponsored by The Chronicle, featured the best gospel music on both Sundays of the Fair.
The fair had 27,945 competitive entries in everything from baking and flower arranging to agriculture and livestock judging. In the 25th Annual Mid-Atlantic Southeastern Wine Competition, judges evaluated 446 wines from commercial and amateur winemakers, with Jolo Winery and Vineyards, Pilot Mountain, NC, taking top honors for their 2018 Jolotage. 2,089 fair-goers visited the Wine Tasting Pavilion which sold 848 bottles of wine
The fair sold a record amount of merchandise featuring the Dixie Classic Fair logo. From ball caps and sweatshirt to mason jars and cookbooks, 4,022 pieces were snapped up by spectators, resulting in total sales of $46,985, a 1,200 percent increase over 2018.
The Fair is owned and operated by City of Winston-Salem after being donated to the City by the Winston-Salem Foundation in 1969. Dates for 2020 are October 2 through October 11. For more information on the Dixie Classic Fair, visit www.DCFair.com.