Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, June 25, 1993 TAG: 9306250137
SECTION: SALEM FAIR PAGE: SF-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By DONNA SULKIN
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The change helps make up for the fact that the fair is one day shorter this year, and also to make the most of the July 4 holiday which some people will celebrate on Monday, July 5. The new hours give visitors an extra hour of fun on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and three extra hours of fun on Monday, July 5, and on the two Fridays of the Fair.
Fair-goers will come from all over Virginia and other adjoining states to enjoy the second-largest fair in the state. The Salem event is second in size only to the Virginia State Fair held in Richmond each year. Salem fair-goers can take advantage again this year of free shuttle bus service from General Electric.
Parents can rest a little easier: Lewis Gale Hospital is sponsoring a Lost Children's Area, Friday through Monday, noon to 10 p.m. and Tuesday through Thursday, 4-10 p.m.
Salem's fair is an old-fashioned event complete with exhibits for flowers, vegetables, arts and crafts, music of all types, rides for all ages, and "every kind of food you can imagine," says Director Carey Harveycutter. Celebrating its sixth year, the fair was brought back to Salem after Lakeside Amusement Park shut down.
Harveycutter claims the rides and the exhibits are the big drawing cards. "Everybody, and I mean, everybody, loves to take home a blue ribbon," he said.
Exhibits, sponsored this year by WSLS-TV10, will feature everything from broccoli to rhubarb stalks, from canned peaches to butter beans, from cookies to spice cakes, from coconut pie to pepper jelly. In horticultural exhibits, you'll find African violets, dahlias, dried flowers, silk flowers and miscellaneous potted plants.
If needlework is what you prize, look for afghans, bedspreads, collars, pillowcases, tables linens, and the like. You'll also find embroidery, candlewicking, smocking and quilting. And in the basket category, you'll see handmade egg baskets, handmade market baskets, and handmade miscellaneous baskets.
There are also categories for photography, painting, drawing, calligraphy and even stained glass. And that doesn't even begin to touch the 4-H educational exhibits.
Another drawing card for the fair is the fact that it's free. Sponsors provide funding for the events, "so the only things people have to pay for are things they want to do - the rides or food," says Harveycutter. "You could come and walk around and see the exhibits and displays, listen to all the music, have a great time and not spend anything."
In music, fair-goers will find everything from country to rock, from Top 40 dance music to rhythm & blues, and from jazz to progressive rock. The Free Stage offers a different group each night performing two sets. The first set starts at 7 p.m.
On July 4, K92 is sponsoring the K92/Salem Fair SummerBlast '93 starting at 1 p.m. and featuring Boy Krazy, Wendy Moten, Michael Damien (of "The Young & Restless" fame) and Freedon Williams.
And music isn't all there is to enjoy. There are clowns, racing pigs, the Marlboro Adventure Team, and the U.S. Space Camp Expo, new to the fair this year.
The Expo features demonstrations of space gadgetry, much of it designed for audience hands-on participation. And you can see models of the Space Shuttle, the Lunar Excursion Module and other things you've seen only on television.
When your eyes and ears can't take anymore, you can sample every imaginable kind of food - "the sit-down kind, the stand-up kind, the walk-around kind," says Harveycutter. The range includes ribs, corn dogs, funnel cakes, cotton candy, pizzas and tacos.
Before you eat, though, you might be wise to do all the riding you're going to do. There're all kinds of rides - calm, fast and exciting, and in-between - for every age group. And there are more than 30 games for kids and adults to play. You should have no problem winning that stuffed blue teddy bear you've always wanted.
And to help celebrate the July 4 holiday, the fair will feature fireworks on Friday, July 2, Saturday, July 3 and Sunday, July 4, beginning at 10 each night. The fireworks are sponsored by Diet Pepsi, Virginia's 13 WSET, and Q99.
Harveycutter promises an even bigger, better show than last year and says, "they're visible anywhere on the grounds, and they're free."
by CNB