At every county fair, there’s a specific moment when the overhead lights come on right before dusk, the aroma of fried dough permeates the middle, and the sound of a Ferris wheel starting up is audible. Every summer, that moment comes with a certain dependable electricity at the Sioux Empire Fair in Sioux Falls. However, there’s a process that most people are unaware of, hidden behind the cacophony, neon, and lines of children crammed up against bike racks. Until they began doing so this summer.
For fifteen years, Scott Wick has been in charge of the Sioux Empire Fair. That equates to fifteen summers, fifteen opening days, fifteen inspection rounds, signage, curfews, and paperwork that the majority of fairgoers will never see. In August of last year, Hannah Ekwall of Dakota News Now sat down with him and asked him a question that is typically reserved for when something goes wrong: just how safe are these rides? Wick remained unflinching.
He discussed the daily safety checks that take place before the gates open, the ride inspectors who record every stage of the assembly process, and the inspection reports that are kept in his office. Then he said something that stopped people in their tracks: there had never been a single ride-related injury in fifteen fairs. He claimed that in order to know what to tell people, he used to ride them himself.
It’s difficult not to find that picture captivating. A just CEO putting himself on a carnival ride—not for fun, but to improve his performance. Depending on who you ask, that may or may not be interpreted as a sign of devotion or mild eccentricity, but either way, it reveals something about the culture Wick has created around the event.
Here, the larger context is important. The 2016 Kansas water slide tragedy sparked a national discussion about how inconsistent amusement ride regulations are nationwide. No federal supervision. Three different South Dakota agencies reportedly declined to claim state laws that cover carnival rides but leave water slides in a gray area. For its part, the Sioux Empire Fair goes above and beyond what is strictly required by state law by combining in-house inspectors with third-party reviews and daily documented checks. It’s important to focus on the difference between what a well-run business actually accomplishes and the legal minimum.
Walking through Sioux Falls’ fairgrounds gives one the impression that safety has evolved beyond mere compliance. The signs requesting that people put their phones in their pockets before boarding are not new, nor are the bike racks that corral lines glamorous. However, they are present on every ride, every day. Some larger venues might be envious of how consistently the 9 p.m. curfew for unaccompanied minors under 18 is enforced.
Additionally, Wick reported that he has been finding cars in the parking lot the morning after hectic nights—cars left by people who opted to call a rideshare rather than drive. He referred to it as “doing the right thing.” That might just be a pleasant observation. It might also reveal something genuine about the number of people the fair has attracted over the years.
The largest fair in South Dakota, the Sioux Empire Fair attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each season. There is weight on that scale. The question of who is actually watching becomes more than rhetorical when the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions estimates that 300 million people visit carnival rides annually, peaking every summer. At the very least, South Dakota has procedures that are documented. It might not apply to other states, locations, or water parks that operate outside of city limits and outside of anyone’s inspection radius.
It wasn’t a crisis that caused this specific safety check to land differently this summer. There were no accidents, injuries, or near-misses to anchor the narrative. It was a straightforward question, and the response was more nuanced than anticipated. Sometimes that’s how the most helpful stories function—not because something broke, but rather because someone finally took a close enough look to realize how much work goes into keeping things running.
