BECKLEY, W.V. (LOOTPRESS) – Over the weekend, people from across southern West Virginia gathered at the Raleigh County Memorial Airport for the 2021 Friends of Charity Auto Fair. The event was complete with a premier car show, a plethora of local arts and crafts vendors, carnival rides, a flea market and a live concert featuring Josh Turner.
The auto fair, which works to raise money for two notable organizations: Hospice of Southern West Virginia and Brian’s Safe House, was canceled last year due to the pandemic, leaving a hole in many people’s summer traditions.
The success of the 2021 fair confirms just how much the annual event means to residents, visitors and everyone in between.
Director of Public Relations for Hospice of Southern West Virginia Hope Duncan says this year’s fair was the largest in the event’s history.
“We had a great turnout,” Duncan said. “We had a record number of car registrations this year out of all 16 years of the Friends of Charity Auto Fair.”
In addition to more than 500 car registrations, the event also saw more in general attendance. Organizers are currently working to compile an official tally, but with a sold-out concert, Duncan is sure the numbers will be tremendous.
“We had such high hopes for this year, especially considering that we had to cancel last year because of Covid. The community came out and supported us in such a big way. It was just nice to see each other face to face and have some sense of normalcy back.”
