TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — The lights are bright, the rides are spinning, and the North Florida Fair is officially underway, bringing together food, fun, and a spirit of giving across Tallahassee.
- Neighbors donated 8,000 lbs of food as part of a food drive that offered free entry into the fair.
- The fair also partnered with the blood bus to encourage community donations.
- Watch the videos to see how this year's fair is making a difference.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
It's opening night at the North Florida Fair here in Tallahassee, where the fun will continue for the next week and a half.
The fair opened with free admission for everyone who attended on opening night, allowing them to have fun with family and friends.
The evening was full of games, food, prizes, and laughter.
And local businesses like Fryson's Kitchen say this annual event gives them a boost.
Owner Brenda Fryson said, "It's so important to us to be here because we see a lot of people. It's about people coming by and supporting local business. I started this business 10 years ago under a tent. God blessed me to start under a tent. Now, I have a mobile food truck, and I pray and ask God to bless me with a restaurant one day."
This year's fair is also making a difference. A month ago, we told you the fair was partnering with Second Harvest to offer free admission in exchange for canned goods.
Today, that effort paid off. Organizers tell me neighbors brought more than 8,000 pounds of food to help local families.
The Fair will be open until Sunday, November 16th.
Earlier:
A month ago we told you about The North Florida Fair and Second Harvest of the Big Bend teaming up to offer free admission in exchange for canned goods, helping families in need this holiday season. And today, we are seeing the benefits of that partnership with over 8,000 pounds of non-perishable food items donated.
Miranda Muir, the Executive Director of North Florida Fair, said, “We gave out about 1000 tickets that day to the fair, but we couldn’t be more impressed with how the community rallied together and brought out cans of food for their next-door neighbors. You know it’s very important that our community be a part of this.”
And that wasn't the only way the North Florida Fair brought the community together.
“We also partnered with the blood bus in the last week of October. If you donated blood, you also got a free ticket, so it’s been really encouraging to see the community come together and so much fun that now all these families get to come and enjoy the fair,” Muir added
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