North Texas Fair & Rodeo delaying opening time due to extreme heat

DENTON, Texas – The excessive heat forced some safety changes at the North Texas Fair and Rodeo, which opened Friday evening in Denton.

Event organizers are delaying opening some parts of the fair to avoid the hottest temperatures of the day.

The North Texas Fair and Rodeo says it has 100,000 square feet of shade and two air-conditioned buildings for people. There are more than 700 volunteers driving carts around on the grounds. They all have a cooler with free water. 

Fair Executive Director Glenn Carlton says there are double the amount of EMTs on the grounds this year compared to last year. This is in case of any heat-related illness. 

“We’ll take them into the nearest building and get them cooled off,” he said.

The biggest change is for carnival rides. 

A notice in front of the carnival area says because of the heat the rides will not start until 7 p.m. daily. Typically, the rides start at 1 p.m. on the weekends. 

“It’s just too hot to ride, and we want everyone to be comfortable and safe when they come out,” Carlton said.

Inside the livestock barns, there are fans on every stall. Owners wash down the animals to keep them cool. 

The pigs are in a separate air-conditioned trailer. 

“We’re an august event. We’ve always been a night-time event. Our biggest crowds always come at night, so it’s nothing new,” Carlton said.

For fairgoers like Robert Furgang, the key to staying cool is hydration and stay in the shade until the sun goes down. 

 “Drink lots of water,” he said. “But it’s better than getting blazed on with the sun. Yeah, it’s still warm, but it’s not as bad when the sun goes down.”

The North Texas Fair and Rodeo goes until Aug. 26.