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State Fair Of Texas Open To Everyone, But Leave Selfie Sticks At Home

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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Oh yeah! It's that time of year again! Corny dogs, a giant Ferris Wheel, games in the Midway and some different takes on deep fried food. The State Fair of Texas kicks off this Friday, but while anyone is welcome to attend the annual event organizers are asking that you leave you selfie sticks at home.

Each year, one the highlights for fair visitors is taking a picture with Big Tex. While fair officials have always encouraged taking photos, using selfie sticks will be on the 'no-no' list this year. Officials say the issue is safety.

In addition to possibly obstructing walkways, Senior Vice President of Operation, Rusty Fitzgerald, said in the past people had been taking selfie sticks on the rides. "They'll do that, they won't be holding on, it drops, and you know there's no telling where it can go from that point. So, we had to be really cautious with that."

BigTex.com, the official website for the State Fair of Texas, clearly states -

"Selfie sticks, monopods, and similar items are not allowed inside the fairgrounds. The Fair draws large crowds and in the interest of the overall safety of our guests, we ask that you leave your selfie sticks, monopods, and/or similar items at home or in your vehicle."

Security will be checking bags at Fair Park entrances and selfie sticks will be among the prohibited items guards look for. The item can be confiscated and security has the option of removing the offending individual from the Fair.

State Fair of Texas President Mitchell Glieber said they aren't the first type of entertainment arena to make the move. "We have decided to follow suit with other amusement vendors, such as Disney World and Six Flags, so that we'll no longer have selfie sticks at the State Fair of Texas."

And while you're packing away your selfie stick, you should also put away your drones and quad-copters, since no remote controlled crafts are allowed on the fairgrounds. Registered vendors are allowed to sell remote controlled devices on may sell these types of devices on the fairgrounds, but the items cannot include a battery pack.

The State Fair of Texas opens Friday, September 25 and runs through Sunday, October 18.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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