Almost All Rides Cleared For State Fair's Opening Day

RALEIGH, N.C. — The 2006 North Carolina State fair is set to open Friday and the big question is whether the rides will be ready to go.

WRAL.com State Fair Section

As of late Thursday afternoon, inspectors had approved 90 rides at the fair. Powers Great American Midways, which will run the Midway this year, hopes to have 110 rides available on opening day.

"I've got a 2-year-old daughter and a 5-month-old son and if the Department of Labor has inspected it and it has a sticker on it, I would put my kid on it anytime, anyplace, anywhere," said chief ride inspector Jonathan Brooks.

Wade Shows, which ran the midway in 2005, had trouble getting the rides approved before the start of the fair. When the gates opened last year, only

half of the 111 rides

were up and running.

Inspectors with the North Carolina Department of Labor will check the safety conditions of the rides Thursday morning. Under state law, fair ride equipment must meet 100 percent of manufacturers' specifications before it can operate. The Department of Labor said the North Carolina State Fair is the largest accumulation of amusement devices in North America.