SALEM, Va. – From July 2 to July 13, the Salem Fair brought food, rides, and games to the Southwest Virginia region. It also gave the people of Salem a chance to get out and enjoy something that only comes once a year.
“For Salem, there’s not a lot much to do here,” Jermaine Jordan said. But the Salem Fair does give a lot of opportunities, and I love the fact that it brings everybody together so they can do those things that maybe not all the time we can do.”
While City of Salem Director of Tourism Carey Harveycutter believed that there were plenty of net positives from the fair, he also called it a “good, not great” run.
Harveycutter mentioned the rain and thunderstorms during the early parts of the Fair that forced him and his staff to adapt.
Another issue that came up was the Savannah Bananas playing two games at Carillion Clinic Field.
While having the wildly popular Bananas in town exposed many different people to fair, it also brought more logistical challenges that put stress on his staff.
“Which was a little challenging and stressed the staff,” Harveycutter said. “When you’ve got the regular staff working everything, the Red Sox staff working on the grounds, extra police, extra Fire EMS, everybody was a little tired this morning when they got up.”
Parking was also an issue, as more lots needed to be opened to accommodate attendees. Harveycutter, however, planned for the occasion and praised the shuttle system that was in operation for helping get people to and from the fair.
Harveycutter and his staff also made plans for the heat, which persisted throughout the entirety of the fair.
“We have cooling fans on property and at the gate and on the grounds. We have a misting tent set up for people to go through,” Harveycutter said. “Then you have the Civic Center and the Civic Center Annex where it’s air conditioned.”
What Harveycutter learned most was how to adapt. Through that adaptability, he and his staff were able to create memories for life for everyone who visited the Salem Fair.
“What I love to see is a young family that’s got a child in arms and the little boy or little girl is screaming Mama I don’t want to leave I don’t want to leave, that’s a customer we got for life.”