UPDATE: Boone County Fair Carnival scheduled to open tomorrow

UPDATE: Boone County Fair officials have confirmed the carnival is scheduled to open Wednesday at 4 p.m.

After what amounted to a “miscommunication” about Tuesday morning’s safety spot inspections, Boone County Fire Protection District Assistant Chief Gale Blomenkamp worked with the fair board and the owner of the carnival, Fred Sanchez, to figure out what happened.

“It was a miscommunication or the misunderstanding of what that safety spot inspection was,” said Blomenkamp.

Sanchez provided Blomenkamp and ABC 17 News with more than a dozen certifications for his rides.

A certification means that an individual inspector that has been trained in inspecting carnival rides investigated and certified that they were operational and safe. They submit their paperwork to the Department of Public Safety, which certifies each individual carnival ride for one year if it meets safety standards. Sanchez’s rides are certified until at least next March. Some are certified until July 2019.

Spot safety inspections are done by the state fire marshal’s office to make sure nothing has happened to the rides within that year. Tuesday’s inspection turned up minor safety concerns, ones that Blomenkamp said were easily fixable, but ended up getting misconstrued. Some of the safety violations included a broken swing and hinge.

“Are they safety violations, yes. Do they need to be fixed, absolutely,” he said. “That’s what the carnival people have done.”

The same inspector that came out Tuesday morning will be back on the fairgrounds Wednesday around 2 p.m. to inspect the remaining rides and clear up any confusion. Blomenkamp said he expects the rides will pass inspection and the carnival will be open at 4 p.m.

“I would put my children on those rides starting tomorrow at 4 o’clock,” said Blomenkamp. “I would encourage everyone else to bring their families and let’s have a good fair. Let’s support the Boone County Fair.”

ORIGINAL STORY: The carnival is not in operation at the Boone County Fair Tuesday night.

ABC 17 News crews at the fair saw rides being taken down.

A post of the Boone County Fair Facebook page said, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will not have a carnival this evening. However, admission to the fair is free!”

This is the third year the fair will be held in Sturgeon.

In 2017, the fair saw a drop in attendance. ABC 17 News reported about 4,500 people came to the fair last year, which was about 2,500 less people than what the fairgrounds saw in 2016. At the time, officials said it was likely due to hot temperatures.

A full list of the events for the fair can be found here.