COLUMBIA, S.C. — We are less than a week from the South Carolina State Fair opening and preparations are underway.
“We got over 120 loads coming in here for the fair,” said North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) Safety Director Daniel Yarnell.
NAME is the company that provides the rides at the state fair. Yarnell said trucks started arriving on Monday, and setup will go through the weekend.
“You have one bad incident, and it can cost you not only at this fair ... thinking cost to set the ones that go next are the ones to go to in the future. So we want to do everything we can to ensure the safety of patrons,” said Yarnell.
The 154-year-old event will have nearly 70 rides, promising excitement for visitors of all ages.
"We'll have a huge midway. We'll have a couple of roller coasters and drop towers," said Yarnell.
Yarnell said each ride goes through multiple levels of inspection, including state inspection from the S.C. Department of Labor, licensing, and regulation, third-party inspectors, and daily inspections.
Yarnell said the same workers travel the country with NAME and set up the same ride over and over again. Additionally, each ride must pass a different state-mandated inspection in every state that they visit.
“We've done what we can and we want the patrons to do what they can – obey the rules, obey the operator and just try to have a good time,” said Yarnell.
Anyone with a concern about a fair ride is encouraged to report it to guest relations.
The fair begins October 11 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 22