The Heart O' Texas Fair and Rodeo is finally kicking off, and as usual, the rides are a main attraction, but officials and fair staff are making sure that safety is a big part of the fun.
Officials say this process starts months before the fair even opens.
"They’ll lay out the grounds, we’ll talk about where cords are going — where we need to cover things, and all those kinds of things," said President and CEO of the Heart O' Texas Fair & Rodeo, Wes Allison.
'AMP' is the carnival provider for the fair — it's a group that works hard to ensure the safety and security of riders.
"They use inspectors that they have on their staff as well as state inspectors that come in and inspect each ride," Allison said.
But the safeguards don't stop there —
"Nightly once they finish, they’ll inspect them, post us closing the gates and again before we open, and then they’ll do another inspection with their inspection staff that goes through them," Allison said.
The fair has its own protocols to ensure workers and volunteers are on top of it all.
"I guess a little bit of a secret shopper, if you want to call it that — we use some of our volunteers to go around if we suspect there’s an issue, we try to bait the ride operator," Allison said.
It’s things like barriers that help protect Central Texans from open gaps and spaces, and signs remind guests of of safety regulations on specific rides.
These protocols are all in place for the safety of the Central Texas community
"There’s no reason for anybody to have to worry about safety issues when they’re out here," Allison said.
The carnival portion of the fair is cashless, but all games and rides can be played by using 'Magic Money' — for more information on the fair and carnival, click here.
