'When we started it was $1.25': Couple serves root beer floats for 31 years at State Fair

Grant Simons and his wife, Gail, have a rich history with the North Carolina State Fair.

“When we started doing floats, it was $1.25,” Grant Simons recalled.

Times and prices have changed, but the classic treat remains the same.

For the Simons, it all started with a vintage food truck that belonged to Gail Simon’s parents.

“Out of that, they built a restaurant and that’s where I met my husband of the future, in that restaurant,” Gail Simons said.

Their first date, to the drive-in movie theater, didn’t go quite as planned, however.

“She made a date with a guy in the car beside us,” Grant Simons said.

The couple laughs about that fact now because they will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary next year.

The couple makes their home in Florida, but are on the road three months out of the year on the county and state fair circuit.

“It’s like a big family. When you get to the fair, the first day or so, you’re lucky if you get all your work done because you have to visit with everybody that you haven’t seen since last year or whenever,” Gail Simons said.

The Simons have been carrying on a love affair with each other and the North Carolina State Fair, one root beer float at a time.

“We enjoy having people come to us, back again. We come to the fair because of you folks. That makes a great bond,” Grant Simons said.

This year marked the 31st year the couple has served up root beer floats at the North Carolina State Fair and they plan to return in 2018.