Mid-State Fair plans new safety and security measures
Visitors, vendors and contractors will be required to pass through metal detector
–All visitors, vendors and contractors at the California Mid-State Fair will be required to pass through metal detectors this year. Event staff will use hand wands to screen those entering the Paso Robles Event Center, which hosts the fair every year. No weapons of any kind will be allowed, including pocket knives.
“The Sheriff’s Office fully supports the fair’s goal to improve security in order to create the safest possible family environment,” said San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson.
“Metal detection at the fair will detour unwanted and unsafe activities from taking place on our property,” said Michael H. Bradley, the fair’s new CEO. “This is our commitment to provide the highest standard of public safety for our guests and partners.”
The security advances two of the fair’s top two priorities, he said – customer safety and satisfaction. “When fairgoers come to the Mid-State Fair – whether it be it to show livestock, attend a concert or ride the Ferris wheel – we want them to rest assured that they are in a safe, family-friendly environment.”
People entering the fair will be asked to empty their pockets of metal objects before the wands are used. Those allowed to enter will be able to retrieve their belongings. Anyone who refuses to be screened will not be allowed on the property.
Because each individual has to be screened, fair officials suggest arriving earlier for events than in past years.
The fair, which began in 1946, features agricultural exhibits, a carnival, concerts and more. Last year, more than 428,000 people attended the fair. The 2016 California Mid-State Fair runs July 20 through July 31.
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