New company supplying rides for Lehigh Acres Spring Festival

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.- Organizers of the annual Lehigh Acres Spring Festival are setting up for another nine days of family fun but the fair’s mishaps in previous years still cast a shadow of doubt for those who are concerned about safety.

Three years ago, a ride malfunctioned injuring five kids and sending two to the hospital. Last year, a ride lost power, leaving six stranded at the top.

This year, the fair’s organizers say they’ve parted ways with the company that operated the rides and hired a new crew, hoping everything runs more smoothly.

“I know if I was putting people on rides, I would make sure that they were safe and I would at least check the rides before they got on,” said Donald Bolinger.

Crews tightened screws and replaced ropes on Friday during the final phase of ride construction. Meanwhile, an inspector for the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services went through a checklist for every ride to make sure each one met the safety requirements.

“We did change,” said Andy Reisinger, board member for the fair. “This year we have a different company providing the carnival rides for us so we’re looking forward to a successful partnership with the new company.”

Modern Midways used to provide the rides but a petition showed not everyone was in favor of having them back again this year, so the festival switched to Tove Entertainment.

“We definitely did our research and of course we wanted to offer a carnival for our festival. So we did our research and we decided on this company,” Reisinger said.

The Department of Agriculture inspector said all the rides he checked as of Friday afternoon passed the 28 safety requirements. The list includes everything from having insurance, to hydraulics and structural integrity.