DENTON, Texas – With the hottest days of the year expected this weekend, some local events are changing their plans.
Friday was the opening day of the North Texas Fair and Rodeo in Denton.
Organizers say they are deploying additional paramedics and postponing some events as temperatures are expected to rise to 43 degrees.
An extreme heat warning came into effect on Friday and was extended through Saturday.
The rodeo participants were prepared.
Carolyn Rath of Coppell brought her cousins from South Carolina with fans around their necks.
“We bought these before we came. We were warned,” Rath explained.
The exhibition center opened on Friday and is open for 10 days every August.
Adjustments due to the heat have become common practice for trade fair organizers.
“You can’t change the event if the weather doesn’t cooperate. We’ve been preparing for over a month,” said Glenn Carlton, executive director of the North Texas Fair and Rodeo.
Carlton says the fairgrounds have been expanded this year, but the rides will be postponed due to triple-digit temperatures this weekend.
Operations start at 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
Organizers announced that the scorching hot surfaces of the rides would not be safe for the next two days.
“We normally open at 1 p.m. Everything else is open, all the other attractions, community events, shopping. We’re all open. Only the rides are open until 6 p.m. That’s the only difference,” Carlton explained.
In case of heat-related emergencies, Carlton is doubling the number of paramedics.
Volunteers will be driving golf carts and distributing free water.
The fair’s regular features, such as rodeo competitions, bull riding and live music, are expected to continue as planned.
“Texas is special. This stuff is special. Of course you brave the heat. I do gardening in this stuff,” said fair visitor Jo Janssen.
This year the rodeo runs until August 25th.
This year, for the first time, the fair will take place over two full weekends, making it a 10-day fair.
The organizers state that the times of the rides are rescheduled from day to day.
