COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the South Carolina State Fair prepares to open it's doors on Wednesday, October 9th, inspections are taking place for the 66 amusement rides on the property.
North American Midway Entertainment (NAME) provided the rides this year.
"Safety is our number one priority at North American Midway," says Lynda Franc, corporate marketing director for the amusement ride company. "So, we make sure we get multiple levels of safety inspectors coming in to check out every single ride here."
Along with state inspectors, NAME hires third party inspectors to look over rides and they have their own internal inspectors with the company.
"We do checks every single day on every single ride because we want to make sure that everyone who is coming has confidence in what they are going to be riding and that they have a blast," says Franc. "That's what we're all about."
The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (SCLLR) regulates the rides. They are currently inspecting the different rides at the fair
"If there is a problem with a ride, it will not get an operating permit until the problem is fixed," says Lesia Kudelka, SCLLLR communications director.
Franc says they also keep the same ride operators, to ensure that they are consistent with how the rides sound and operate.
"The fact that we do so many safety checks, I feel more confident here than I do anywhere else," says Franc. "You're missing out on a huge amount of fun if you don't give it a shot, but at the end of the day, I'd put any one of my family members on any of these rides. So, it's definitely safe and worth the experience."
For more information on the rides at the South Carolina State Fair, check out the link here.
Inspection reports with SCLLR can be found here.