State Fair of Texas will have new safety measures in place this year
DALLAS - The State Fair of Texas is reminding visitors about some security changes to this year’s event. At least one change could create some slowdowns getting into the fairgrounds.
The biggest change is a new policy regarding minors. The fair is requiring all visitors under 18 to be accompanied by a chaperone over 21 years old after 5 p.m.
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Workers at the entrance will be checking. They’ll have safety team members in place to verify chaperone IDs.
The safety team members are all retired police officers who will wear marked shirts.
Every chaperone can be responsible for up to six minors.
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Once inside, the chaperones are not required to stay with the minors under the new policy. But the fair is recommending chaperones stay in touch during their visit.
The State Fair of Texas announced this new policy over the summer, reminding the public why it’s taking the extra security step.
"This isn't to limit attendance. This isn't to limit people from having a great time at the fair. Our No. 1 priority is to have a safe State Fair of Texas and we feel this is the next measure we can put in place to ensure that we're creating that safe environment for all of our fairgoers," said Karissa Condoianis, a spokeswoman for the fair.
Condoianis said the change could mean some slowdowns at the entrance at least for the first week. She asked for patience as the safety team rolled out the new policy.
Another new safety feature might actually speed things up. It’s a new security screening system.
Instead of walking through metal detectors, visitors will be screened through what is called an open gate system.
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"This is going to be where you won't have to take your phone out of your pocket. You won't have to put your bag down. This is going to read through all of that. This is the latest and greatest technology when it comes to detection. We're looking for weapons so this is going to be able to detect any of that as people walk through it," Condoianis said.
As with any year, anyone violating the fair’s code of conduct will be told to leave the fairgrounds.
RAW: State Fair of Texas on security changes for 2023
The State Fair of Texas is reminding visitors about some security changes to this year’s event. At least one change could create some slowdowns getting into the fairgrounds. The biggest change is a new policy regarding minors. The fair is requiring all visitors under 18 to be accompanied by a chaperone over 21 years old after 5 p.m.
The State Fair of Texas opens on Friday.