LET THE GAMES BEGIN
State Fair kicks off
Neal Petersen has attended the Oklahoma State Fair since before he can remember, and for years he's tried to ride every ride.
“I moved to Oklahoma when I was 14,” Petersen said. “But I was coming before because my dad has always lived here.”
These days Petersen is using his personal expertise at the fair and passion for rides in an official manner. This is Petersen's second year as one of the Oklahoma Department of Labor ride inspectors for the Oklahoma State Fair. When it came time to test the first roller coaster, the 28-year-old enthusiastically sat front and center.
“Everyone else was nowhere to be found when it came to ride,” Petersen said, laughing.
Ride inspectors were busy with final checks Wednesday, before the gates open to the public Thursday. One roller coaster, a Ferris wheel and the Zero Gravity machine were examined and later tested as part of the walk-through. Journalists and ride inspectors alike rode the rides high above the fair below, with the Oklahoma City skyline a short ways off in the distance.
Petersen isn't the only one tasked with inspecting rides before thousands of attendees visit the state fair from Thursday through Sept. 23. He is one of eight inspectors this year with a combined 52 years of experience, Labor
Commissioner Melissa McLawhorn Houston said. “Amusement ride safety is an issue across the country,” McLawhorn Houston said. “There are only 30 states that regulate amusement rides across our country. Oklahoma has state-level inspectors that are on-site before a ride can go into operation.”
The state fair has 76 rides this year, each requiring inspection. Rides began to arrive and get set up Sunday. All of those rides will be supervised and inspected before opening.
“Our inspectors are incredible, the state of Oklahoma is so lucky to have the level of talent we have,” McLawhorn Houston said.
But some of the burden of safety falls on attendees and riders. “The patrons must do their part,” McLawhorn Houston said. “There are a number of restrictions posted on each ride.”
Ride inspector James Choate agrees.
“The biggest thing is to meet the height and weight requirements,” Choate said. “Not everyone can ride every ride.”
Attendees can expect to see their old favorites including Ferris wheels and roller coasters. There are also a number of new rides geared for smaller kids that Petersen had never seen in years past.
There will be plenty for old and new fans of the fair rides, Petersen feels. He knows some will come for the food, the vendors or any number of reasons, but that doesn’t change his opinion on what reigns supreme at the Oklahoma State Fair. “Definitely rides more than food,” he said.