Are Curfew Hours Going To Stick Around At The Sioux Empire Fair?

It's official! The 82nd Annual Sioux Empire Fair has come to an end.  It was another successful week of great grandstand entertainment, fun carnival rides, greasy however delicious fair food, and creating lasting memories with the family.

Bringing families together at the Sioux Empire Fair was a huge reason why fair officials decided to implement curfew hours for any fair attendee that was under 17-years-old.

Due to the fact there were new curfew hours instituted during the 82nd Annual Sioux Empire Fair, I’m sure individuals are wondering about the success of this change. Will these curfew hours be permanent? Based on responses from fairgoers, it appears that these new hours will likely be enforced in the future.

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Fair officials told our news partners at Dakota News Now that "the problem of having too many unaccompanied minors at night is not just a Sioux Falls problem, other fairs they reached out to have had similar issues."  These new curfew hours are tackling this problem head-on.  Since the curfew hours began last week, security personnel and police officers have noticed that there were fewer "unaccompanied minors" and more families attending the fair.

President and CEO of the Sioux Empire Fair, Scott Wick, explained to Dakota News Now, "The carnival operator came and said you know what we’ve been doing this for 55 years this is the most families together we’ve seen in a long time, so that was refreshing to see that.” Sheriff Adam Zishka of the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Commander indicated families have told him they are happy that the fair finally imposed these curfew hours.

Overall, Scott Wick believes these new curfew hours positively affected the Sioux Empire Fair.  Future fairgoers who are under 17-years-old can expect curfew hours and regulations to become a permanent component of this annual event.