LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky State Fair has further updated its Minor Attendance Policy, created in 2019, following an incident after several people were arrested for causing panic Saturday night.
Starting Monday, Aug. 22 at 6 p.m., adults over the age of 21 can only chaperone six minors at a time. Groups of more than six minors attending the fair after 6 p.m. will require an additional chaperone, according to David Beck with Kentucky Venues.
Beck said a challenge for the fair in the past has been groups of unattended minors becoming unruly.
"A group of young people, as we saw Saturday evening, unfortunately created a lot of disruption here on the property. We just think having supervision is critical and important and we see that at other venues," he said.
Chaperones are also required to stay at the fair if they bring minors. Any adult who drops off minors, even if their own admission fees are paid, are in violation of this policy.
"That's not appropriate, if that's observed, that's not going to be allowed," Beck said.
ID checks will continue to be conducted at entrance gates, Beck said. People who try to get into the Fairgrounds could be charged and prosecuted with a criminal trespassing offense.
Beck added that any misbehaving minor will be taken to the Lost Children Center to be reunited with their parent, guardian or chaperone; anyone who doesn't follow directions will be dismissed from the fair.
There will also be more security and patrolling officers, and more lighting will be used on the weekend and other high-attendance periods.
"We are challenged like many other segments of society on workforce, finding enough people to cover all the bases but we're staffed at the right level," Beck said.
Beck said fair officials regularly address security and could consider additional measures in the future.
"Following an event we review it and analyze what we could do better in the future," Beck said. "Our goal is to continue to have a family friendly place where Kentuckians can come to celebrate the god things in Kentucky."
When the change took effect Monday, WHAS11 News spoke with fairgoers about the updated policy. "I mean, you're going to take a chance with that anywhere you go," Susan Garcia said while waiting for the shuttle to take her to a concert.
17-year-old Kelsey Loy said people should appreciate spending additional time with their parents. "Experience it with your parents, you're not going to experience a lot with your parents when you get older," she said.
It’s been three years since a similar incident at the Kentucky State Fair led to the original security and policy changes regarding minors.
In 2019, Kentucky State Police said someone fired a single gunshot into the air. That incident also led to a panic at the fairgrounds. Seven teens were cited for their involvement in the incident and authorities said they were at the fair without their parents.
WHAS11 News spoke to police after the incident and they said then unsupervised teens had become an issue at the fair.
The incident moved officials to put policies in place to keep the fair safe and make it an enjoyable experience for everyone. The Minor Attendance Policy was still in place amid Saturday night's incident that led to the arrest of six minors and three adults.
The 2022 Kentucky State Fair ends on Aug. 28.
►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.