WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Winston-Salem city officials say the Carolina Classic Fair will have to wait until 2021.
According to a press release, the city is canceling this year's fair.
City management said that the chance of holding the fair amidst rising COVID-19 numbers in Forysth County and the current phase 2 restrictions was minimal.
The fair usually brings in about 300,000 people a year and officials say there's no way to eliminate the risk of spreading the virus with that many people. Projections estimate that canceling the fair will cost the city about $670,000.
This would have been the first fair under its new name after the "Dixie Classic" name was retired.
"We kind of expected that. We've seen a lot of smaller fairs and events canceled leading up to it and barring some vaccine, we expected this very notification," said Derek Lawson.
Lawson is a frequent vendor at the fair and owns the World's Largest Gummi Bear' stand.
"A lot of people look forward to the fair food, the rides, we look forward to it every year because we are family, we have a fair family," Lawson said.
This year's event scheduled for October 2nd thru the 11th under the new name Carolina Classic Fair.
City officials canceled the fair over concerns about the growing community transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
"The decision to cancel the 2020 Carolina Classic Fair was a very difficult decision, it's the second-largest fair in North Carolina," said Ben Rowe, an assistant city manager for the City of Winston-Salem.
"In the final analysis, we felt like if public safety is our highest priority and we want to make sure people are safe and healthy, we felt like it was the right thing to do," Rowe said.
Fairgrounds staff will explore ways to hold parts of the fair virtually. More information on that will be on their website.