Hilliard, Ohio: In response to the recent tragedy at the Ohio State Fair, the Hilliard Civic Association began to receive questions from the public regarding Old Hilliardfest 2017 and safety concerns related to the mechanical rides that we've enjoyed at the festival in recent years. The civic association felt it was prudent to respond to these concerns swiftly and publicly.
The cause of the Ohio State Fair incident remains uncertain and in due time an investigation will reach a conclusion as to why the ride malfunctioned. While it's important to determine why the incident occurred, it's also important not to jump to conclusions. Furthermore, we should acknowledge that thousands of events take place in Ohio each year that use these rides without incident.
Festivalgoer, volunteer, and staff safety are of prime importance to the civic association. In 30+ years of its existence, including a couple years where very inclement weather rolled in, there's never been a notable injury at the festival. We go to great lengths to maintain this excellent safety record, including fully vetting the vendors we select to provide amusements, tents, electric, and so on.
This year the civic association and the Old Hilliardfest Planning Committee decided to make a shift from mechanical rides to all inflatables. The Pediatric Physicians Kid's Fair at Old Hilliardfest 2017 will include a handful of inflatable activities, including an obstacle course, bounce houses, inflatable carnival games, and more. We have carefully chosen a local Hilliard business, Hilliard Inflatables, who specializes in providing inflatable activities to schools and churches for their field day events.
If you have any questions about Old Hilliardfest or the amusements at the festival, please contact info@oldhilliardfest.org.
Old Hilliardfest staff looks forward to a fun, safe, and sunny festival - We'll see you September 9th!