The Coastal Carolina Fair is gearing up to open its 69th year in Ladson this week, bringing more than 80 rides to the fairgrounds in Ladson along with daily safety checks on every one of them. Organizers say the ride inspections happen before the gates open to the public.
According to Live 5 News, the fair opens Thursday at 3 p.m. and runs through November 8. Fair organizers conduct daily safety checks of every ride before visitors enter the park, and the fair uses inspectors along with a third-party safety consultant to check the rides, the outlet reports. Those inspectors reportedly work with the rides year round, not just during the fair's run.
Jay Wallace, quoted in the same report, said the fair has a process to double-check safety to the maximum. He also said the fair has a fantastic safety record and that safety is its number one priority, according to Live 5 News. The station also notes the fair receives more inspections than fully installed permanent rides get at theme parks.
How the Daily Ride Checks Work
The emphasis on repeated, daily inspection echoes what's playing out at other fairs around the Carolinas this season. At the South Carolina State Fair, the ride provider told WIS-TV that it had six nationally certified inspectors on staff plus four more from a third-party organization checking all 65 rides at that fair, including five new additions. The South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation was also on-site that week conducting its own checks, per the station, and all 65 rides were inspected daily before opening, right up through the first day of the fair. WIS-TV also reported that every ride there has its own specific emergency evacuation procedure for situations like severe weather or power outages.
A similar pattern showed up at the North Carolina State Fair, where nearly 100 rides were inspected, according to WRAL. The labor commissioner expected inspectors to spend close to 1,000 hours on inspections, and WRAL reported those inspections were set to continue through closing day.
Clear Bags, Metal Detectors and What Gets Turned Away
Security at the gates is getting attention this year as well. Fair rules ask visitors to bring clear bags and to check cooler rules and prohibited items before heading out, per Live 5 News. The fair's official clear-bag policy, posted on coastalcarolinafair.org, spells out the specifics: clear plastic, vinyl or PVC bags that do not exceed 12 by 6 by 12 inches, plus one-gallon plastic freezer bags, with each person allowed one approved large clear bag.
Exceptions will be made for medically necessary items after proper inspection, the policy states, but bags that don't meet the criteria will be turned away from the gates before visitors even reach the security screening checkpoints.
Fair-goers can find tickets available for purchase online ahead of opening day, Live 5 News reports.
