It’s almost "Go Time!"
The Tulsa State Fair opens Thursday, and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office hopes to see fewer lost kids this year. Last year, TCSO reunited 133 kids with their families. Sheriff Vic Regalado said sometimes kids and parents just get separated.
"Kids get excited at the fair. There’s no doubt. There’s rides, there’s food, there’s — you know, there’s everything that you could imagine that a child would get lost in, in excitement," Regalado said.
Regalado recommended taking a picture of your kids before entering the fair, teaching them your cell phone number and to find a deputy if they do get lost, and writing your cell phone number on a free wristband TCSO is handing out so if a scared, lost child forgets, it’s on their wrist. Those wrist bands will be available at the sheriff's command post on the east side of Expo Square and on the upper level of the building.
Officials are expecting somewhere in the neighborhood of 1.5 million visitors over the fair's 11-day run. That much traffic can mean a lot of car burglaries.
"Oftentimes, thieves are people of opportunity. So, when they go looking for an easy target, they’re looking for somebody who’s left their purse in the front seat, somebody who’s left a firearm out, which — believe it or not — that has happened," Regalado said.
It’s best to put your valuables in the trunk of your locked car or to leave them at home. Many visitors look for free parking in neighborhoods around the fairgrounds. Tulsa police will be strictly enforcing parking regulations on city streets.
There’s one thing everyone should leave at home: their gun.
"The state fairs here in Tulsa as well as in Oklahoma County are exceptions to the open carry and carry concealed license laws. So, you cannot, by law, bring them into the fair," Regalado said.
The sheriff’s office will have from 25 to 80 deputies at a time inside the fair, depending on how busy it is. If there’s an emergency, fairgoers should move aside for first responders.
