43
Carnival returns to Southern Park Mall
BOARDMAN
After a year’s hiatus, organizers of a carnival set to begin Monday say they have taken precautions to keep the event safe and family-friendly.
Bates Brothers Carnival will feature rides and food vendors in the parking lot of Southern Park Mall. The carnival runs 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and next Saturday and May 20 1 to 10 p.m.
Sheryl Raulin, mall marketing director, said the carnival is one way the mall promotes family entertainment.
“We want to make sure everyone has an enjoyable experience. [Bates] has an excellent reputation,” she said.
Eric Bates, co-owner of Bates Brothers Amusement Co., said although there is no admission cost, carnival attendees will have to pay for ride tickets. The ride tickets will be discounted from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday for “Kids Days.”
“We’ll have Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds and some high-stress thrill rides for the wilder kids,” he said.
Raulin said mall security will be present, and Bates said uniformed security guards paid by his company will patrol the carnival.
“We provide security. That’s all I’m going to touch on. We’re required to provide uniformed security,” he said, adding that his company cooperates with local law enforcement during events.
Boardman Police Chief Jack Nichols says he still has concerns based on fights that have broken out at this carnival and similar festivals in the past.
In June 2010, the carnival closed an hour early on its last weekend after fights among 100 and 200 people broke out. Police were called out on overtime to subdue the brawl and at least one arrest was made, according to Vindicator files.
Five years ago, police were called to a fight at the St. Charles Church Festival where one 16-year-old boy had a gun.
The problems largely were solved by fencing in the festival and charging a small admission fee, Nichols said.
Usually a voucher for food or rides was given when attendees purchased admission, he said.
In 2010, the carnival at the mall charged $5, but lowered it to $2 on Saturday which was the day the fight occurred, the chief said.
Bates said the decision not to charge admission this year was based on sales.
“We were trying to [charge] at a spring venue, and that just didn’t work. A lot of people going to the shopping complex want to jump over to get a box of popcorn and leave. It’s not like a fair where you spend the day,” Bates said.
But without an admission price, Nichols said crowds are more likely to gather and linger.
“The problem is the incidences at the mall and St. Charles involve guns and crowds. You can’t arrest your way out of a large-scale fight, when it’s in progress,” Nichols said.
For every arrest made, one officer is taken off the road to complete the booking process, he said.
“It really is a difficult situation to put our department in,” Nichols said.
Nichols said he is not planning to schedule additional officers but will have patrols near the mall and will call out officers if needed.
Bates did apply for and received a permit for the event from the township zoning office. The township’s land use laws permit circuses, fairs, carnivals and similar uses in a commercial district.
, and the mall is in a commercial district.