By Eva Andrews
From Sep. 30 to Oct. 9, the 134th annual Dixie Classic fair was in Winston-Salem. There were several rides available this year: dream wheel, fireball, century wheel, cliff hanger, construction zone, cuckoo haus, zyklon roller coaster, and much more. All the greasy goodies included: candy apples, cotton candy, fried candy bars, Polish sausage, turkey legs, funnel cakes, BBQ, hamburgers, hot dogs, and much more.
This fair also included an art exhibit with the convention center that displayed a wide variety of artwork from many schools and universities in the area, including Salem College. The Grandstand held events such as the Rodeo, Derby Demolition, Figure 8 Racing, and the Tractor Pull. There were also performances from local musical artists at the Triad Area Chevy Dealers Clock Tower Stage.
Even with attractions such as these, the Dixie Classic Fair’s attendance decreased by 20,484 from 2013 to 2014 due to weather during the 3 weekend days the year of 2014. The average attended for the fair is around 325,000 people. The year 2014 drew in 300, 362 people.. There isn’t an official count, but attendance rose 87 percent this year and about 95,000 people attended open weekend. The increase is most likely due to better weather this year.
Senior Amanda Jones describes her experience at the Dixie Classic. “The fair was a blast this year! I especially enjoyed the pig racing! And CAB did a really great job of organizing transportation and free admission for students,” she says. CAB provided free admission available for Salem students.
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