LIMESTONE TOWNSHIP -- Children and carnival rides are almost drawn together like magnets. While many adults come to fairs, like the Montour-Delong Fair, to socialize and eat, kids like to ride. But after tragic events in other parts of our country, parents are thinking twice before letting their kids ride.
"If I look at it and I think, no I'm not letting her get on," Barb Knobb said.
Barb Knobb of Muncy brought her granddaughter Courtney to the fair. She tells Newswatch 16 some of the carnival rides make her nervous.
"If they don't look safe to me, I won't put her on them," Knobb said.
"When we come here, we come here to eat, visit friends and that's about it," Tanya McHale said.
Tanya McHale has two daughters under the age of three. Her oldest daughter wants to go on some of the rides, but McHale is unsure.
"I think the only thing we kind of allowed our little girl to do last night was the bounce house, however I don't feel comfortable having her on everything else," McHale said.
"I do get a little nervous how quickly they are put together and torn down. I'm hoping they are being regulated and check for safety," Knobb said.
Here in Pennsylvania, rides are only allowed to operate if they've been inspected by the state's Department of Agriculture.
"They go over their rides to make sure they're safe and everything's up to power," Bill Miller said.
Bill Miller is president of the Montour-Delong Fair. He says Garbrick Amusements out of Centre Hall runs the rides here and there has never been an incident.
"They're very conscientious people," Miller said.
But still, some parents have doubts. One parent tells Newswatch 16 she watches how the workers are managing the rides. Another lives close to an amusement park, and feels more comfortable having her kids ride those rides.
"We lived in Catawissa at one point, and Knoebels was so close so we could go there if they want to ride," McHale said.
All of these rides at the Montour-Delong Fair were inspected and according to the fair's president, there has never been an incident at this fair involving a ride.
