INSURING FAIR MEANS BIG BUCKS

As head of the SEMO District Fair's insurance committee, Pete Poe doesn't stroll down the midway.

He searches it.

"See this? That would be tough on some barefoot kid," he said, picking up a stray curtain hook.

It was about noon on Tuesday, and Poe had collected a dart and a few more dangerous items before heading back to his office.

He also checked the plethora of water hoses and bulky electrical cords temporarily running across Arena Park, making sure they were grouped together as much as possible.

Maybe Poe wants to maintain the fair's almost-spotless safety record. In his 12 years planning the fair, he remembers only two notable accidents: a woman who stepped in a hole and sprained her ankle and a woman who was hit in the eye by a flying piece of ice.

But just in case, the fair board carries several thousand dollars' worth of insurance. Although Poe prefers not to get specific, he said insurance was the board's second-largest expense after entertainment.

There is general liability insurance, property insurance, theft insurance and workers' compensation insurance, all carried through different companies. Individual events like the demolition derby and the tractor pull must be insured separately.

And each food salesman at the fair, whether he sells cotton candy or fish, must present proof of insurance to Poe before setting up shop.

"The fair is a business any way you look at it, and prudent business people try to cover themselves in any eventuality," Poe said.

Although the fair extends for only three weeks -- one to set up, one for business and one to clean up -- it is insured year-round because of fair-related buildings on the grounds.

The city of Cape Girardeau carries general liability on all its parks, but Parks Director Dan Muser said his department drops most of its responsibility for Arena Park once the fair moves in. Their job is to make the park as clean and safe as possible prior to the fair's arrival.

Astro Amusements, too, does its part to insure its rides and games and make them safe. Tom Thebault, general manager, said each foreman is responsible for checking his own ride daily, and then Astro's safety coordinator does the double-checking.

"There will always be problems and repairs, but the idea is to reduce the possibility of anyone being hurt," Thebault said.

Poe said anyone who is hurt needs to report to the first-aid tent and then notify him.

"We want to assure the injured party that we care and that there is a face to deal with," he said. "I'm that face at this point."