Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

As a child, I imagine a county fair as the most thrilling and breathtaking place on Earth. Joined by family and friends and surrounded by thrilling rides, fun carnival games and greasy funnel cakes, it is easy to be blinded by a local fair’s splendor. Despite the opportunity to make great memories and spend time with loved ones, there is a dark undertone that no one discusses. 

First, fair equipment moving from place to place is dangerous. Traveling carnivals and fairs are built for the purpose of being torn down and rebuilt regularly. Because of this, the rides aren’t as safe. One missing part or one aged brake could be the deciding factor between life and death.

Last year, when I went to the fair with a large group, a friend of mine pointed out one of the roller coasters looked like it could come off the ground at any second. The most daring ride at my county’s annual fair, “The Fireball,” seemed to only be held down by few sandbags. Additionally, there have even been viral videos on apps like Tik Tok and Instagram displaying a carnival ride begin to tip over.

Another quality that makes any local fair seem faulty is the fact that it is an obvious money-grab. Instead of spending $50 dollars trying to win a fish, try driving to the pet store and buying one with a tank. County fairs are always expensive, since attendees must pay money just to gain entry and pay even more money just to buy five tickets. Playing any of the carnival games requires you to pay money, yet everyone knows the games are rigged. If a family of four wanted to visit the carnival, it would be at least $100. 

A final reason why the fair is dissatisfactory is because some of the people who work there are sketchy.  I went to the fair with some friends last year, and we went to an attraction where there was no line. He was a scary looking guy, and since no one else wanted to ride on the spinning roller coaster and our frightened reactions were funny to him, he restarted the ride and didn’t let us get off. My friend passed out and I got sick on the ride.  

The employees have very few rules and little supervision while working, which makes it easy for them to slack off, make a life-threatening mistake or run an attraction while under the influence of harmful substances. These reasons make them more susceptible to making mistakes and they are therefore unreliable.

Any local fair or carnival can be a scary and unsafe experience. Sure, I have some good memories there from when I was little, but the carnival isn’t glamorous once you’re older. In fact, actions should be made to force traveling fairs to have stricter regulations to keep children safe.