State Fair organizers dispel safety concerns

Organizers of this year’s Colorado State Fair hope recent tragedies on amusement park rides elsewhere won’t deter patrons from coming out to the midway in Pueblo.

Over the last few weeks, a 10-year-old died on a water slide in Kansas, and three young girls fell 40 feet from a ferris wheel in Tennessee when their car tipped over on its side halfway up.

Susan Bertozzi of Crabtree Amusements, the vendor hired to put together this year’s carnival, says before the first ticket is taken, every ride will be examined by a state inspector.

After that, each ride will be checked out daily by the company’s own inspectors.

“We have on staff two Level 3 safety certified individuals. That’s the highest certification that you can get,” she explained Bertozzi.

Both Bertozzi and state fair General Manager Sara Cummings say safety is the top priority at this year’s event.

Sarah Cummings estimates about half of the anticipated 500,000 attendees at the fair will visit the midway.

She hopes the recent cases of injuries elsewhere around the country won’t scare away carnival goers.

“I would hope that the recent incidents in the media are not a deterrent to our patrons. We hope that we can make them comfortable with the level of safety inspections that we provide with our rides,” she said.

The 11-day event begins August 26.

Click here for a full schedule of events, and a list of discount packages.