Drive-thru fair draws long lines of cars for a taste of the Carolina Classic | Local News

By Lisa D. Small 4 years ago

Chris Grimmett, the director of community and volunteer relations for Crisis Control, estimated that the organization had received more than 1,000 pounds of canned goods by 5 p.m. Thursday. “And we expect this to be our slowest day,” he said. “We feel really fortunate. (The fair) is usually our biggest event of the year. Last year, we collected 70,000 items.”

After snaking through the fairgrounds and having an opportunity to donate food to Crisis Control and loose change to the Salvation Army, people had orders taken by fair workers and then had an order number put on their windshields. Fourteen vendors are offering a wide variety of fair foods that includes sirloin tips, candy apples, pineapple smoothies, and sausage and peppers. Once people ordered and paid with a credit card, they pulled their car around the far side of the vendors and waited. Runners assembled orders in bins and carried them to cars, matching the number on the windshield with a ticket.

Randy Beck said that his wife, Sarah, and kids, Haynes and Abigail, “insisted” he drive them to the fair Thursday. They were patiently waiting for an order of fried Oreos, fried pickles, hot dogs, cotton candy and more. “We love the food!” Haynes said. “And I also miss the rides.”

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Drive-Thru at the Carolina Classic Fair

The Carolina Classic Fair’s Drive-Thru will continue from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds.

Admission is free. People enter at Gate 9 on 27th Street, then exit at Gate 2 near the Fairgrounds Annex and onto Deacon Boulevard.

The drive-thru occurs in this order:

• A collection station for canned-food stations to Crisis Control Ministry.

• A loose-change game, where participants can toss change from their vehicles into buckets. The game, cosponsored by WBFJ radio station, supports the Salvation Army.

• Food ordering. Payment is by credit card only. This area also sells fair T-shirts and “fair in a bag” packages that include tickets to the 2021 fair, a ball cap, lapel pin, pen, magnet and tote bag. The fair does not have online or other advance ordering, but it does have a menu posted online.

• Food pickup, where runners deliver food to vehicles using baskets for contactless delivery.

• “Road bump” ride on the way to the exit. People can drive over speed bumps for fun and stop in front of a color sign for a selfie.

People remain in their cars at all times.

On Oct. 2 and 3, the fairgrounds is hosting drive-in movies on the midway, as it has during the past few months. Movies include such titles as “Dumbo,”” Charlotte’s Web” and “Adventureland.” Four titles are being offered each night, two at 7:05 p.m. and two at 9:15 p.m. Tickets for the movies, $8.50 for children ages 5 to 11 and $10.50 for those ages 12 and up, are available in advance online.

Between movies, the fairgrounds plans 15-minute fireworks displays on those two nights. Fireworks and movie schedules are dependent on the weather.

For a menu, movie tickets and other information, visit www.carolinaclassicfair.com.

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