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Winston-Salem Takes Steps To Change Dixie Classic Fair Name

WFDD file photo by Paul Garber

The Dixie Classic Fair in Winston-Salem will get a new name. The process for the change was discussed Wednesday during a committee planning meeting.

City Council directed staff to move forward with the process after several residents voiced concerns at a recent council meeting.

Some residents say “Dixie Classic” evokes images of slavery and the Confederacy.  Last month, Winston-Salem removed a Confederate statue from downtown.

Several members of the fair committee objected to a news release about the change that city officials wanted to send out Wednesday, saying it appeared to portray the panel as pushing for it.

Ben Rowe, Assistant City Manager, says the public is invited to make suggestions.

“Folks will have an opportunity to submit ideas through the city's social media platforms, through the city's citizen telephone feedback line, through email, and then through this public input meeting,” says Rowe.

That public meeting on May 7 will take place from 6-8 p.m. at the Fairgrounds Home and Garden Building.

The new name for the Dixie Classic Fair would go into effect in 2020.

Winston-Salem City council is expected to make a decision on what that will be in August.

*Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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