Although it has just begun, the Freeborn County fair is shaping up to have a record year, board members say.

Wednesday, August 01, 2001

Although it has just begun, the Freeborn County fair is shaping up to have a record year, board members say.

This year’s advance ticket sales were the second-highest in the fair’s history, said fair board spokesman Mike Woitas. A number of other changes and additions will make this year’s fair a success, he said.

A new traffic light on Bridge Avenue and an extra lane at the main fairground entrance will make it easier to actually get to the fair, Woitas said.

This year’s grandstand entertainment promises to attract large crowds. Woitas has gotten calls from people in Kansas, Wisconsin and North Dakota interested in attending the Billy Ray Cyrus show. But fairgoers should keep in mind that parking hasn’t changed from previous years, and it’s always best to arrive early to secure a space, he said.

&uot;The thing we’re trying to stress is the parking,&uot; he said. &uot;Especially if people are going to the shows, they need to come early.&uot;

Harland Bast, owner of carnival operator Hildebrand’s Midway of Fun, said there are a number of new rides on the midway this year, including a roller coaster, live pony rides, a Titanic slide, and free circus acts.

Last year, the fair was plagued by a number of difficulties. Receipts were down and the board had a hard time covering expenses when travel problems caused the Saturday entertainment, Molly Hatchet, to cancel.

In a more far-reaching incident, Juan Lopez Ortiz, an independent contractor working for Hildebrand’s Midway of fun, was picked up by Freeborn County deputies on a Maryland warrant alleging he sexually abused a minor there. He was placed under arrest, but while in the Freeborn County Jail he attempted to escape, seriously injuring two guards. Ortiz was recently found guilty of first-degree assault using deadly force, and will soon be sentenced in the crime.

The company had no knowledge of Ortiz’ warrant in Maryland at the time, Bast said. The nature of his business prevents him from doing background checks on his contractors, he said.

&uot;Out here at the carnival, we pretty much go on the character of a person,&uot; he said. &uot;I’m not in that business to check the guys, research, that whole deal. There’s probably a couple thousand employees on contract out here.&uot;

Hildenbrand’s demands their contractors be drug free, clean cut and sober during working hours, he said.

&uot;Obviously, if we thought anyone was handling children in an improper manner we wouldn’t have them working for us,&uot; he said.

Hildenbrand’s Midway of Fun experienced further troubles last year when a ride operator incorrectly balancing the &uot;Zipper&uot; amusement ride allowed the ride to slip, dumping a 23-year-old St. Paul woman and her 14 year old companion from the bucket to the ground about four feet below. While neither rider was seriously injured, it was the first amusement ride accident in the fair’s history, officials said at the time.

&uot;Luckily it was a bump and a bruise, and not a fatality,&uot; Bast said.

Bast said carnival employees had a safety meeting Tuesday night, and ride operators attended another Wednesday morning, to address safety issues.

In spite of last year’s incidents, ticket sales were up last year on the midway, Bast said.

The board has one year left in a five year contract with Hildenbrand’s Midway of Fun, but board members haven’t discussed the possibility of contracting with another company in light of last year’s incidents, Woitas said.

&uot;It hasn’t even crossed my mind,&uot; he said. &uot;We’ve contracted with them to put on the carnival and we trust them.&uot;

&uot;That was an incident that has passed, and we’re looking forward to an even better fair in 2001,&uot; he said. &uot;This year, we have faith that there aren’t going to be any problems.&uot;