OABA Update- by Bob Johnson, OABA President and CEO A Historic Season for Carnivals, Fairs & Expositions Knock on wood, so far no hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados or major flooding hamper-
ing our family amusement and entertainment events throughout the U.S. and Canada… thus a historic 2014 season! The majority of Fairs have had great attendance, with having record setting days and some record setting Fairs, according to the highlight reports from Tom Powell, IAFE and other industry publications and electronic news reports. All eyes will be on the Fairs and Festivals in the Southeast this fall and winter as hope-
fully they will give us a spectacular finish to this record breaking season and an indication as to the 2015 family entertainment season. Fairs continue to be the best, low cost family value and entertainment op- tion for hundreds of million families seeking great food items, amusement rides, name talent and education, showcasing their state and local agriculture. I believe that the states of California, Florida and Texas are leading the way to an ever slowly improving economy. Early in September, I Chaired the Florida Fair Rides Advisory Committee meeting, held at Disney World, along with state officials with DACS, ride inspection team, Alan Harrison and Michelle Faulk. Members of this Safety Committee are appointed by Commissioner Adam Putnam to serve two-year terms. Committee members attending this meeting from our industry included Charles Pesano (FL State Fair), Martha Leverock (Jacksonville Fair), Bill Castigliolia ( A of A), Michael Wood (Wood Entertainment), Charles Panacek (Belle City) and Jerry Smithson (independent ride safety consultant). Guests included Miranda Muir (Osceola County Fair) and E. James Strates and Jay Strates (Strates Shows) among others from amusement attractions and parks in the state, such as Disney, Busch Gardens, SeaWorld, Fun Spot Attractions and Andretti Speedway, who contributed to the discussions. The Agenda included further enhancements of the State’s electronic record submissions from ride owners to the De-
partment of Agriculture and Consumer Services, specifically daily inspection records and employee ride training docu- ments, Florida’s permanent park and attraction growth, a discussion regarding proposed, new Statute/Rule changes for the 2015 legislative session and DACS’s inspection statistics from the prior fiscal years 2013/2014. The state’s annual inspection report is our annual report card regarding ride inspections, stop operation orders, inspec- tion deficiencies and number of ride permits issued. Their report showed that a total of 9,304 rides were inspected, down from 9,478 the prior fiscal year. Remember that carnival rides are inspected at each set-up at events in this state. Rides permitted or “stickered” by the State were 1,656, down from 1,701 the prior fiscal year. It also showed there were 130 stop operation reports, mostly due to 112 mechanical and structural issues, which meant that rides could not operate until the deficiency is fixed, which was up slightly from the prior period. More troubling in this report was the higher than usual number of deficiencies found in their inspections at 24,190, the
highest ever since they have been keeping records, an increase of 3,856 over the prior fiscal year. So this tells us that the inspectors are doing a good job and ride operators, not such a good job. However, many of these deficiencies are taken care of before the inspector leaves the property allowing the ride(s) to operate, once they are re-inspected. It should be noted that these statistics include all amusement rides and attractions, such as the ever popular Zip Lines in the State of Florida, not just carnival rides. As Chairman of this State Ride Safety Committee, I believe that the Bureau of Fair Rides is doing an outstanding job of inspecting carnival rides. I also believe that both Alan Harrison and Michelle Faulk along with their inspectors (some 15 total) are doing an outstanding job helping to protect our guests and the amusement riding patrons. The industry mem- bers on this Committee are to be thanked for their dedicated service and commitment to ride safety by each of you. Happy Holidays to all and wishing your Fairs a safe and wonderful entertainment experience!
Florida Amusement Device and Attraction
Advisory Committee was held in Orlando on September 16th. The committee is chaired by Bob Johnson, with OABA, and the Fair industry is represented by Martha Leverock with the Greater Jacksonville Ag Fair, Chuck Pe- sano with the Florida State Fair, and Charles Panacek with Belle City Amusements.
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