Fairs and carnivals have always been among the major attractions in rural areas of southwest Missouri. Among the sites that always greet fairgoers are the long lines to the rides....rides that spin at fantastic rates of speed...rides that dangle screaming children dozens of feet in the air...rides that make fairs and carnivals a special time in a young person's life and a fond memory for those who remember them from their youth.
These beloved rides may provide memories, but they also may be accidents waiting to happen, according to a report issued today by the Missouri state auditor's office.
As usual, one of the reasons cited by public officials who are charged with protecting the public is, "we can't do it because we don't have enough money."
The report said, "Auditors found 15 amusement ride companies operating rides (including go-carts, bumper boats, and a ferris wheel) without permits. Company representatives told auditors they did not know about the state permit law or failed to renew ride permits. Division of Fire Safety staff said they have not received adequate funding to more fully monitor for rides operating without a permit."
The audit checked laws in 28 states and found 13 of them require rides to be checked each time they are set up at a new location. In Missouri, rides only have to be inspected once a year. The audit says that 830 rides operated in the state last year.
If accidents are happening on rides in Missouri, the law may not require that anyone be notified. While the auditors found 17 states which require notification if an accident on a ride requires the use of first aid, Missouri only wants to know about it if a death or hospitalization is required.
If you are looking for independent inspectors to evaluate rides, you may find it in other states but not in Missouri, according to the audit. "One amusement company owner inspects his own rides," the audit said, and he is doing so legally.
Safety inspectors are also looking at some things that the average person might consider to be essential. "The division's inspection check list does not include evaluating ride operator and passenger requirements, such as the location of an operator when a ride is in use, or enforcement of passenger weight and height requirements. Division staff said they had not considered including ride operation issues in their inspection until fall 2004. " Surprisingly, rides at the Missouri State Fair were found to have operation violations last year, according to the audit.
"The public's safety has not been adequately safeguarded," the report said.
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Tonight's edition of The Carthage Press featured an article on my fellow East Newton High School graduate Ronna Patterson, who has been named principal at Pleasant Valley Elementary School.
Of particular note to me in that article, which was written by Lifestyles Editor Kaylea Hutson, was the man Ronna cited for inspiring her entry into education, the late James Payne, who taught English at Crowder College.
"He installed in them (his students) a love of literature and a desire to learn," she explained. "I was amazed by the skills he used. He was a gifted teacher.
"I thought, I want to do that some day. I want to reach people and get them excited about learning."
That reference gave me the opportunity to reminisce about the one class I was fortunate enough to have under Mr. Payne while attending Crowder in the fall of 1975. I never had the opportunity to have an English class with him, but I did take his basic speech class. I can never hear the Captain and Tennille sing "Lonely Night," without thinking about Mr. Payne's hatred of that song and its much-repeated phrase "cain't gitcha out of my mind." It drove him up the wall.
My favorite memory of that class came from Mr. Payne's reaction to one of his students when we made our first demonstration speech. Some people demonstrated how to cook certain dishes, I did an extremely poor magic trick, but our student with the background in the state penitentiary showed everyone how to make a shiv (a homemade knife valuable in prison confrontations). Mr. Payne's facial expressions during this speech were priceless, but you could also tell how pleased he was that this man was able to communicate clearly how to make a shiv and even spoke with proper English.
That's been almost three decades, but with apologies to Mr. Payne, "I cain't git it out of my mind."