Kentucky State Fair changes its minor attendance policy after incident that caused panic
The Kentucky State Fair has announced it’s strengthening security and changing its minor attendance policy after an incident at the fair over the weekend led some to believe that shots had been fired, causing panic and resulting in several arrests.
The updated policy went into effect Tuesday at 6 p.m. Adults cannot chaperon more than six minors at a time, the fair said, and they have to remain at the fair while the minors are in attendance.
I.D. checks will be conducted at entrance gates and anyone who attempts to bypass the entrances would be committing criminal trespassing, according to the fair.
Additional security will be put in place and extra lighting will be activated in high-traffic areas, fair officials said.
The fair already had an attendance policy in place for minors, which was created in 2019 to help reduce problems of unsupervised minors at the fair. Minors entering the fair after 6 p.m. are required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian 21 or older.
“Our policy was created to help curtail problems with large, young crowds of unsupervised minors,” David Beck, Kentucky Venues president and CEO, said in a statement. “We put the safety of our guests at the top of the priority list and we are taking immediate action to ensure that our family-friendly event remains so for all.”
Last Saturday nine people, six of whom were minors, were arrested at the Kentucky State Fair after they allegedly caused disturbances which caused some to think shots had been fired, according to Kentucky State Police.
The initial investigation indicated the group of individuals caused panic with noise-making devices, leading fair goers to believe shots had been fired, according to state police.
As of Sunday afternoon, investigators had found no physical evidence that a gun was fired during the disruption, but the investigation remains ongoing.
The fair is set to run through Aug. 28.
