Tulare County Fair organizers enhance security following Gilroy festival shooting

TULARE COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- After the tragic Gilroy Garlic Festival shooting, event organizers across the nation are looking at ways to enhance security.

Celebrating their centennial year, the Tulare County Fair is making big changes and not just when it comes to attractions.

"As soon as the Gilroy incident happened, we gathered our security team and asked what can we do to enhance it," said fair CEO Pamela Fyock.

Fairgoers will need to pass through a metal detector before entering the grounds.

Fyock said in addition to law enforcement and private security patrolling during fair hours, the enhancement is to give people peace of mind.

"We want to make sure our guests today have the same great time they did 100 years ago," she said. "We want to take every precaution with safety to re-ensure the public that its a safe place to be."

The metal detector rentals and additional employees to monitor them will cost the fair roughly $25,000.

"It's a big undertaking, but it's well worth it and cost does not come before safety," Fyock said.

Through the five days of the fair, more than 125,000 people are expected to attend.

To mitigate wait times while going through security, the fair is adding an additional entry as well as more ticket booths.

The Tulare County Fair runs September 11th through September 15th.