29th year of Salem Fair like "a family reunion" for organizers

SALEM (WSLS10)-- The Salem Fair is in full swing, as thousands of people visit the fairgrounds at the Salem Civic Center each night.

This is the 29th year of the Salem Fair. It's an event that many people in the Salem community, especially the organizers, look forward to each year.

"It's like a family reunion, you see people that you only see once or twice a year when they come back to the community," says Fair Manager, Carey Harveycutter. "My kids have grown up around it. The kids with Gillette's pizza, the oldest is 19, they've been here for 24 years-- so I've gotten to watch her grow up from being an infant."

Since the company first came to town, Deggeller Attractions has provided all of the rides and games on the Midway. The company's current owner, Heidi Deggeller Elsperman, was just a baby the first year the fair came to Salem.

"We've worked with Carey Harveycutter and John Saunders and everyone here at the Civic Center since the inception of the fair, so it's family. It's like coming home here," says Elsperman. "My sister-in-law had her son at Lewis Gale Hospital. Salem is definitely one of our favorite places to come."

If you haven't stopped by to check out the rides, games and food yet-- there's still plenty of time. The Salem Fair runs through Sunday, July 10.