SALEM, Va. – Hundreds of thousands of people will be visiting the Salem area over the next two weeks, as the Salem Fair officially opens for the summer Tuesday night.
For every family that comes, it's something different that brings them back year after year. Some come to just walk around and watch the crowds, others take part in the nightly ride specials, and some families come to grab a quick bite to eat for dinner.
Organizers say one of the biggest draws that keeps people visiting year after year and even multiple times during the 13 days the fair is in town is the free gate. This is the largest free gate fair in the entire nation, with between 250,000 and 350,000 people expected to walk through the gates over the next two weeks.
The fair started 31 years ago, just after Salem's Lakeside amusement park closed down for good. It offered people who traveled for years to visit the amusement park something new to do during the summer, and over the past three decades has proved to be a major success.
“After 31 years, the fair is pretty well-established in the community,” says Wendy Delano, the Salem Civic Center Director. “A lot of families look forward to coming, they come from all over Southwest Virginia. It’s great for economic impact and we’re here providing a service to a lot of family members and children, people who don’t normally get the opportunity to travel, we’re bringing it right here to them.”
A big draw this year are some of the new performances. From a new extreme pogo performance to a show centered on birds of prey, there are tons of free things to do.
“The Salem Fair is a tradition in this area,” says James Ingram, with Deggeller Attractions. “We love coming here and the rides are what people come for. We have some very unique rides, we have the supernova which is a one-of-a-kind ride. We have the riptide rollercoaster most places don’t get that, so it’s really fun for everyone to come out and enjoy the rides here.”
The fair officially opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday and will be in town until Sunday, July 15. Click here to see the schedule.