WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — The North Carolina Sons of Confederate Veterans says it "strongly disagrees" with the name change of the Dixie Classic Fair.
The group released a statement which reads in part:
"The word “Dixie” signifies regional pride in the Southland and is a popular description for our region. So is the word “Southern.” Is the word “Southern” next to be considered offensive and to be banned from our vocabulary?
The City Council says they want to distance themselves from the word Dixie, “which has Confederate roots.” Why don’t they distance themselves from the region of America known as Dixie? A region that has been known as Dixie, since long before the War Between the States. There is nothing offensive about the word Dixie and an overwhelming majority of citizens wanted to retain the Dixie Classic Fair name. So, why not keep the name that the people the City Council supposedly represent want to keep?
The only people that would find offense in the word Dixie are those that find offense in anything Southern. This is just another manufactured controversy, created in the minds of a few politicians that are willing to waste nearly 100 thousand dollars to appease their ego, while insulting Southerners, the very people that have attended the Dixie Classic Fair for more than 130 years."
On Monday, the Winston-Salem City Council voted 6-2 to change the name of the fair to the "Carolina Classic Fair."
The push to change the name started when a group of citizens argued the name "Dixie" was divisive and a reflection of the old south's slavery and segregation.
A majority of fair-goers argued the name change was unnecessary.
Either way, the decision is now final. Winston-Salem's annual fall fair will become the "Carolina Classic Fair" by 2020.
