BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — With hundreds of thousands of people expected to walk through the Kern County Fair this year, getting separated from your group is easier than you might think — but organizers have simple tools in place to help.
If a child gets lost, they can follow the duck feet painted on the pavement. The painted footprints lead to the Lost Children Area, where Bakersfield Police have a substation set up to help reunite families.
Chelsey Roberts, marketing director for the Kern County Fair, said the area is designed to comfort children while staff works to contact their families.
"Because it does happen, and luckily parents do tell their kids upon arrival about it, and so kids are able to use it, and you know, rightfully so, they're scared when they show up. And so we have this area where we can kind of calm them down and let them know, hey, don't worry. We're gonna contact your family. We're gonna get you guys together soon, and so it's a nice thing to have because our fairgrounds is also very, very large," Roberts said.
There is also a way to help kids get back to their families before they even get lost. Bakersfield Police Department volunteers have a pop-up tent near the main entrance where they can write a parent's phone number directly on a child's wristband.
"Sometimes, depending on how old those kids are, they might not know your phone number. They might forget it because they're so scared and panicked. And so it's nice to be able to have that contact information directly on them," Roberts said.
With temperatures still running high, fairgoers are also reminded to stay hydrated. Water is available at concession stands throughout the fairgrounds, and visitors are allowed to bring in 1 factory-sealed water bottle.
For lost items, a Lost and Found station is located at the main gates. Visitors can also scan the QR code in the fair's program and fill out a form with details about a missing item.
"And so that when we get items returned to us, we can go through that data and see if there is anything that lines up and hopefully get your item back to you," Roberts said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
