Walking through a cluster of rides set up for the 101st Hopkinton State Fair this weekend, Briggs Lockwood looked to his right and pointed to the Orient Express, a small roller coaster that runs around a tight oval with a few ups and downs along the way.
“That’s been there about as long as I’ve been doing this,” said Lockwood, chief of the Department of Safety’s Tramway and Amusement Ride Safety bureau. He’s been inspecting amusement park and fair rides in the state for about 15 years, and in that time he has developed a deep knowledge of the rides’ functionality and their history.
The fair opened to Hopkinton residents Thursday night for a few hours, but the rides won’t be in motion until noon today. The midway is a haven for thrill-seekers, but before fairgoers can shoot toward the sky on Vertigo or the Seven Seas, the rides undergo multiple inspections to ensure proper assembly and safety.
Lockwood will be back on the grounds this morning to finish checking the last few of the 30 rides he is responsible for inspecting. He spent all of Thursday reviewing the rides and first arrived Wednesday as the trucks were unloading.
His department has just three inspectors, including one part-time employee, who travel across the state throughout the year to various fairs, carnivals, amusement parks and ski areas (chairlifts also fall under their jurisdiction). And the week leading up to Labor Day weekend is probably the busiest time of year for the inspectors, with large fairs scheduled in Hopkinton and Lancaster.
But having familiarity with the rides speeds up the process, and Lockwood has plenty of that. He said of the 30 rides set up in Hopkinton, he’s inspected at least 20 of them several times before.
“New Hampshire is not the biggest market in the carnival industry so we often see the same companies each year,” Lockwood said. “It’s pretty uncommon to see a new fleet of rides we haven’t seen before.”
A few steps down the walkway, Lockwood pointed to the Tilt-A-Whirl – a “classic” ride that was first created in the 1920s. The model at the Hopkinton State Fair was built sometime in the late 1970s and was refurbished about six years ago. Down the way, another fair favorite stood ready for opening day: the Flying Bobs, a ride somewhere near 40 years old.
While one might expect older rides to present more issues, the opposite is true, Lockwood said. Old rides, he said, tend to have simpler structures than new ones, and they are easier to repair and inspect.
More and more, rides manufactured more recently use computers and enhanced technology. What was once controlled with a dial and switch is now being programmed electronically, adding to the challenge for inspectors and assemblers to know how everything should work. It is required that a manufacturer’s manual be kept with each ride.
“I’m not trying to brag, but it’s an awful lot to learn,” Briggs said. “These rides do so many different things, your mind becomes encyclopedic.”
State law requires that rides be inspected the first time they are set up each year. After that, it is up to the company providing the attraction to ensure the rides are prepared for use each day. Locally, the building inspector checks the electric functions, and the fire department ensures other areas of the fair are following safety standards, such as concessions and the large tent hosting 4-H events.
Several full-time and volunteer members of the Hopkinton Fire Department will be on the grounds each day. Hopkinton fire Chief Shawn Murray said crews are strategically placed around the fairgrounds to answer a call at any given moment. The department also provides an ambulance on site.
Fiesta Shows, a New Hampshire-based company, provides the midway attractions to the Hopkinton State Fair. More than 60 Fiesta employees will be working at the fair each day this weekend, performing daily inspections and repairs on the structures, said company President Eugene Dean. Several were on the grounds Thursday wrapping up the final assembly work on the rides. If a complex issue were to arise, the ride would be shut down immediately, Dean said. The state is required to investigate any incidents where someone is seriously injured.
Hopkinton State Fair Association President Deborah Curtis isn’t a fan of fast and spinning rides personally, but she is hoping for a banner year. Last year, the fair saw some 70,000 attendees despite a hot and humid weekend.
On Thursday, fair employees scrambled around the grounds as vendors arrived to set up their stands.
“I say it each year: We have four days to stay alive for 365 days,” Curtis said.
The fair opens to all today and will run through Monday. Gates are open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. today, Saturday and Sunday, and until 7 p.m. on Monday. Tickets and information are available online at hsfair.org.
(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3309, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)