City Council approves renaming of Dixie
Classic Fair
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
With the city chamber
filled with residents for
and against the resolution,
the Winston-Salem City
Council voted on Monday
night to change the name
of the Dixie Classic Fair.
Talks about the name
change were reignited
earlier this year when a
group of residents led
by Bishop Sir Walter
Mack called for the term
“Dixie” to be immediately
removed from the name of
the city’s fair.
Mack, who is the senior
pastor at Union Baptist
Church, and others said
the term was derogatory
because of its connection
to slavery and white
supremacy. Mack and
more than 20 other local
pastors and ministers also
held a press conference to
cali for the name change.
After the push for the
change was made public,
thousands of people
reached out to fair and city
officials to let it be known
how they felt.
In early May, hundreds
of people showed up
to a public forum held
at the Winston-Salem
Fairgrounds and according
to city officials, they have
received 11,000 emails and
other comments directly
related to the name change.
“Dixie” has been
associated with the local
fair since the mid 1950s
when the name was
changed to include the
term. At that time, the city
of Winston-Salem had two
fairs, the Dixie Classic
Fair, for whites, and the
Carolina Fair for blacks.
When the Dixie Classic
Fair was integrated, the
Carolina Fair lost support
and eventually disbanded.
When the city took over
the Dixie Classic Fair years
later, the name stayed.
Before the vote
on Monday, Aug. 19,
council members had the
opportunity to express
their feelings on the matter
and explain their vote.
Winston-Salem native
and representative for
the North Ward, where
the annual fair is held,
Denise “D.D.” Adams,
said she remembers when
she wasn’t allowed to go
to the Dixie Classic Fair
because of the color of her
skin. She said now it’s her
responsibility to stand up
for what’s right.
“When it’s all said
and done, like Martin
Luther King said, I have
to know that I stood on
the right side of what’s
right, and just. There are
so many fairs in this state
and nobody grabbed up
Dixie. Whether it was
Raleigh, Greensboro,
Charlotte or Durham. And
Winston-Salem didn’t
either,” Adams said. “One
person with their signature
decided to change the
history of this city. We all
know what was going on
in this city in 1956.”
Councilmember James
Taylor, who is - publisher
of The Chronicle, let the
council and public know
that he would be exercising
his right to abstain.
According to Mayor Allen
Joines, “abstain” votes are
counted as “yes” votes.
Taylor, who mentioned
the need for a name
change during a committee
meeting in 2015, said
although he stands by
his original thoughts and
views, he gave his word
that he would not move
forward with pushing for
a name change. He said
after his initial call for the
name change, he received
countless emails and calls
from constituents asking
him to drop the matter, but
heard from few supporters.
Later that year, Taylor
released a statement saying
he would no longer pursue
the name change.
“I do stand behind
my comments I made
in 2015 supporting the
name change, but I also
stand by my word which
I think is important to
the constituents,” Taylor
continued. “I stand by my
promise to the constituents
that I would not pursue
this further. Even though
I know times change and
information changes, my
word is important to me.”
Councilmember Dan
Besse said he saw no
compelling reason to keep
the name. He said, “The
name itself, Dixie, has
no special connection to
Winston-Salem or Forsyth
County.”
John Larson, who
represents the South
Ward, was one. of two
councilmembers in
attendance to vote ‘No’ on
the name change. Larson
mentioned the majority
of the responses received
were against the change.
“Eighty-six percent
said that they shouldn’t
change the name at all,”
Larson noted.
“We can quibble
certainty over whether
those people were in
See Fair on A2
Burke leads rifle initiative at Smith Reynolds Airport
BY TEVIN STINSON
THE CHRONICLE
After it was sent
back to the public safety
committee for discussion
earlier this summer, the
Winston-Salem City
Council has approved
an amendment that will
allow wildlife officers to
discharge rifles to shoot
deer within the boundaries
of Smith Reynolds Airport.
Before the amendment
was approved by a 6-1 vote
on Monday, Aug. 19, the
ordinance only allowed the
use of shotguns to remove
deer and other wildlife in
the vicinity of the airport.
James Capps, a wildlife
biologist who spoke to city
council members during
a public safety committee
meeting, said shotguns
were best for shooting
birds, not deer.
It is believed that
about 15 whitetail deer are
currently within the fences
that enclose the runways
and taxiways of the airport
located on North Liberty
Street. Representatives
from the airport have
said deer on the runway
and taxiway, a path that
connects to the runway,
cause problems for aircraft
and most importantly,
endangers passengers.
When the matter was
on the table for a vote in
June, councilmembers
raised questions about
how the amendment would
impact residents who
live in the vicinity of the
airport. Councilmember
James Taylor, who is
publisher of The Chronicle
and chair of the public
safety committee, said he
didn’t feel comfortable
voting on the matter
without having input from
the residents first.
“I would like to have
seen an opportunity to have
more public input on this
issue, especially from the
community surrounding
the airport,” Taylor
continued. “I understand
the need to curtail the
deer population. I think it
makes sense to protect the
residents who are using the
planes and the equipment
at the airport, but I think
we have to do it at the
same time protecting the
community.”
Councilmember
Denise “D.D.” Adams”
agreed with Taylor. She
said the original plan,
which was to notify
residents a few days before
wildlife experts were
scheduled to arrive, wasn’t
sufficient.
“You can’t just tell
people the weekend
before you’re going to
shoot rifles. I agree with
Councilmember Taylor
that we need to pull this
back and make sure
that everybody in the
community around that
airport understands what
is getting ready to happen
and why.”
After hearing
comments from her
colleagues, Mayor
Tempore Vivian Burke
made a motion to have the
amendment sent back to the
public safety committee
for review. Since that time,
city officials have sent
out more than 700 letters
to residents who live
within 500 feet of airport
property. City officials
also sent emails and had
meetings with residents.
At least nine residents
responded to the city and let
it be known that they were
against the amendment.
Jerelyn Travick, who
lives on Airport Road, has
been very vocal about her
concerns with the rifles.
During the committee
meeting, Travick raised
numerous questions about
the amendment.
Although residents like
Travick and others still
have concerns, prior to
voting on Monday night,
Burke said, “We have
communicated in many
ways with them and I don’t
know how much more we
can talk about this issue.”
To eliminate the deer
population within the
boundaries of the airport,
wildlife experts will
use suppressed single-
fire rifles. According
to Andrew Moore, a
representative with the
U.S. Department of
Agriculture, the firearms
will only be used from
an elevated platform, so
the experts will always be
See Rifle on A2
ADVENTURE IS WAITING.
JOIN CUB SCOUTS.
Boys & Girls Ages 5-10!
Find a Cub Scout Pack
near you.
Visit BeAScout.org
We Rent U-Haul Trucks!
jj^
Professional self-storage.
MOVE IN
SPECIAL
( «|BtM*
M! ASSURED
of Winston-Salem, LLC
(336) 924-7000
www.assureristoragews.com
Office Hors: Mon-Fri 9an-5pm; Sat ta-3p ■
Gate Hours: San-1 Open
4191 Bethania Station Road • Winston-Salem
CN
’Wilson
'NcU '