Sam Feldstein
A crowd of people surrounded by food and attractions and one of the Ferris wheels in the background walks by at the the NC State Fairgrounds during the 2015 annual North Carolina State Fair on Friday, Oct. 23, 2015. There were numerous rides, attractions and food offered to the fairgoers.
More than one million North Carolinians enjoyed this year’s state fair and were able to walk away healthy due to the stress placed on safety at the park. However, within the family atmosphere, the fair’s security force apprehended four registered sex offenders at the fair this year, and two sisters slipped out of their restraints on a ride, suffering only minor injuries.
With nearly 100,000 attendees each day, it takes a large police force to handle any potential threats. Jennifer Kendrick, a public information officer at the N.C. State Fairgrounds, said on a busy day there are about 100 officers on the grounds. This includes police from Raleigh and Wake County police departments as well as a “special police force” which are the full-time security patrol at the fairgrounds.
“Blue uniform” officers are trained to respond to any number of more severe threats, while the special police force focuses mainly on crowd security, dealing with small disturbances such as fights or theft, according to Kendrick.
Sex Offenders
Tyrone Szabo, 64, was the first sex offender arrested at this year’s fair. On Oct. 20 he was arrested for impersonating a ride inspector at the Kiddieland area.
The second was Matthew Kenning, 38, who was arrested Oct. 21 for flying a drone over the State Fair and for possessing drug paraphernalia.
The third and fourth were Charles Robert Stokes, 32, and Bobby Joe Snyder, 37. Stokes was arrested on Oct. 22 after law enforcement said he got too close to restricted areas, according to ABC 11. Snyder was arrested Saturday near an entrance gate where children were present.
Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison wants there to be clearer rules in regards to sex offenders at the fair in years to come.
“This is the way it’s going to be — you can’t come,” Harrison said. “If you do come, you’re going to be charged.”
Registered sex offenders must stay 300 feet away from property with children present.
The security force also made 20 arrests for other crimes.
Ride Safety
While security keeps fairgoers safe from each other, the North Carolina Department of Labor keeps them safe on the 103 rides offered at the fair.
“The Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau inspected 6,246 amusement devices in 996 locations last year,” said Dolores Quesenberry, communications director of NCDOL.
The inspectors of these rides are very thorough, according to Quesenberry,
“Every nut, bolt and panel is examined,” Quesenberry said. “North Carolina will not allow a ride to run if even one part is not functioning properly.”
This is not the case in some other states.
Mark Janas, director of public relations for Powers Great American Midways, spoke about the “100 percent completion law” in North Carolina, which says that a ride must meet all requirements to be ‘tagged’ or ‘stickered’, which means a ride is certified and rideable.
“A ride is inspected every time it is assembled in North Carolina,” Quesenberry said. If a ride were to travel from the State Fair to another venue, it would have to be examined again. “North Carolina Statute requires one operational check each day.”
Inspectors are required to spend five years learning about the elevator industry before inspecting rides for the NCDOL, according to Quesenberry.
Unfortunately, these inspections can’t account for all potential accidents as two girls, Gina and Gianna Carucci, slipped out of their safety restraints on the zipper ride on Oct. 20, and were tossed around the cage. While the two sisters had to spend the night in WakeMed Hospital, they only received minor injuries and were released the next day.
Inspectors of the ride noted that there were no malfunctions that caused this accident. Fair spokesperson Brian Long said, “People do need to keep in mind what rides do. They’re going to throw you around, you’re going to flip, you’re going to get moved around.”
“A ride is purchased like a car from different dealers and manufacturers, some overseas. If a ride comes in from another country, it must meet the safety requirements here,” Janas said
Operators for these rides undergo a “stringent training process,” according to Janas, which is specific to each different ride.
Powers Great American Midways is the only Midway provider in NC to be honored by the North Carolina Department of Labor. According to Janas, “Safety is our number one priority. Fun is number two.”
Food Safety
Another area of focus, in regards to safety, is the 147 permitted food facilities that were at the grounds this year. Andre Pierce, director of the environmental health and safety division in Wake County, said that in order for concessions stand to be permitted, they must meet all requirements, including an approved source of water for washing hands, dishes and produce.
Permits for these concession stands last 23 days, “A perfect amount of time for the Fair,” Pierce said. “NC State rules don’t require another inspection during the hours of operation; however, we check each stand at least once during this time.”
It is also worth noting that funnel cakes, candy apples, cotton candy, popcorn and other foods of the sort aren’t examined by the department. According to Pierce, “These products have a very low water activity so they have a lower potential for carrying food-borne illness.”