Gates open tomorrow morning at 7:00 for the 2011 Kentucky State Fair. Spokeswoman Amanda Storment says officials are mindful of last week’s tragedy at the Indiana State Fair, where five people were killed when a concert stage rigging was brought down by a gust of wind.Storment says they’re confident that the rigging that’s used for the ten outdoor shows here is safe."It’s on hydraulics and the stage top can be raised and lowered as needed. We feel confident that those outdoor concerts in Cardinal Stadium, it’s a safe place to be. We have a much smaller stage than the Indiana State Fair had," she said."Because we are an exposition center that operates 365 days a year, we are accustomed to having safety procedures in place, we’re vigilant about those kinds of emergency procedures. We’re in constant contact with the weather service."The Louisville stage is supplied and assembled by the concert promoter and currently not subject to state Agriculture Department inspections, as are rides and some other fair attractions.Some 600,000 people are expected to visit the fair during its ten-day run. Attractions includes hundreds of exhibits, midway rides, concerts and food.Storment says hundreds of temporary fair workers have been hired, but more will be needed during and after the event."Because there is somewhat of a turnover, we are going to need other people throughout the fair to apply. If you want to work three, four, five days, that’s great, we have all different shifts for people to work. So yes, we continue to hire," she said.The state fair employment trailer is at Gate 4 of the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.