BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — As families head to the Kern County Fair to enjoy the rides, food and entertainment, fair officials are reminding parents to make a plan in case they get separated from their children.
Chelsey Roberts, marketing director for the Kern County Fair, said large crowds can sometimes lead to families becoming disconnected from their group.
“We know it’s the biggest event in our community and so we wanna make sure that everyone who is coming out is enjoying themselves while also having a good, safe time,” Roberts said.
Parents can get identification wristbands for their children at Bakersfield Police Department volunteer stations near fairground entrances. The wristbands allow parents to add contact information that can be used if a child becomes separated from their family.
“They’ll put a wristband with your contact information on your child so that if they do get lost, then they can help reconnect you guys,” Roberts said.
Fair officials also have placards throughout the grounds marked “Lost Children,” with arrows and duck footprints leading to the lost children’s area near BPD headquarters.
“Just follow the arrows and it takes you to our lost children’s booth,” Roberts said. “There we have a nice kind of friendly area for kids to not be scared at while they wait for their parents to get reconnected with them.”
Roberts encourages parents to point out the placards to their children when they arrive and discuss what to do if they get separated. Children can also ask a fair staff member wearing a fair T-shirt or anyone with a radio for help.
“If they see anybody, any staff member that has a fair T-shirt on that says, ‘How can I help,’ on the back, or if you see somebody with a radio on, go up to one of those people,” Roberts said. “They’ll take you down to lost children as well and make sure you guys get reunited.”
For families needing a break from the crowds, the fair also has a quiet room in Building One, along with a mother’s nursing station.
“We also have a mother’s nursing station in there where you can kind of go in there, decompress a little bit, and just kind of relax before going out and enjoying the fair a little more,” Roberts said.
Roberts also encouraged families to stay hydrated while spending time at the fair.
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