Carnival games put to the test before fair gates open
The Wake County Sheriff's Office inspected North Carolina State Fair carnival games on Wednesday to determine whether they are, in fact, winnable.
The fair opens to the public on Thursday at noon.
Wake County Sheriff Gerald Baker was joined by a group of children with the Miracle League of the Triangle to ensure that carnival games like balloon dart throw and ring toss are games of skill and not chance.
"There have been times when some games have been kind of skewed a little bit. Our job is to make sure that does not happen," Baker said.
Lily Vaccaro was among the children helping Baker test the games. She had better luck than some of the adults at winning the dart throw game on Wednesday.
"I am so glad you guys let me do this. It was awesome," she said.
Adult inspectors also went from game to game requiring operators to prove the games could be won.
Tips to win
While carnival games can be fun, they are also tough to win. While some websites offer tips on how to win the games, most agree that the Rope Ladder Game is the most winnable if you ignore the rungs and use only the outside of the ropes to climb on. Just focus on moving your left foot and and right arm at the same time, then the opposite limbs next.
Another carnival game tip involves the Milk Can Toss. The Art of Manliness website suggests throwing the ball underhanded but gripping it on the top to create a backspin. Then, aim for the back of the metal milk can. Hopefully the ball will slide into the hole.
The website Ranker suggests lining up your shot before the Water Gun Game even starts. This will give you a slight edge over your fellow competitors.
For the Shoot the Star game, most websites suggest shooting a circle around the star instead of shooting directly at it.
Fair safety
In addition to inspecting games, the Wake County Sheriff's Office is also the lead agency for security and law enforcement at the fair. There will be deputies on duty, undercover officers and members from the Drug and Vice and Special Response teams at the fairgrounds daily.
On Wednesday, Baker said sex offenders would not be allowed into the fair this year. His comments were in response to a statement from North Carolinians for Rational Sexual Offense Laws calling for the state to allow people listed on the sex offender registry to be able to attend the fair.
The Raleigh-based group, which advocates on behalf of registered sex offenders, has said that public safety resources are “being wasted” by tracking sex offenders, arguing more resources should go toward threats like Legionnaires’ disease.
A 2016 law passed by the General Assembly bars registered sex offenders from the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh as well as any other fairground in the state during an agricultural fair.
"There was a group that was seeking to allow, wanted me to allow convicted sex offenders in," Baker said. "That is not going to happen. We are going to, each and every year, as we have in the past, make sure the children are safe and everyone is safe."
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the state Department of Labor inspected the fair's carnival rides, while health officials checked food vendors.
Health has been a big concern for fairgoers in light of a recent outbreak of Legionnaires' disease linked to a hot tub display at the Mountain State Fair last month in Fletcher. Three people died from the outbreak.
There have been 140 cases of Legionnaires' disease connected to the western North Carolina fair. Officials say people who became ill may have been exposed to contaminated water droplets when they walked by the exhibit.
Ahead of the State Fair, the fairgrounds’ water distribution system has been flushed for extra precaution.
