Food school helps make fare safe, Oklahoma officials say
Food school helps make fare safe, Oklahoma officials say

By Michael Kimball

Published: September 11, 2008

Corn dogs, funnel cakes, fried pies, cotton candy, turkey legs and more. The Oklahoma State Fair begins today and that means fair food — tasty and mostly deep-fried.

And it all should be safe, thanks to strict guidelines enforced by the Oklahoma City-County Health Department and taught to the fair's food service workers in classes this week. But Tonya Moore, the department's education coordinator, jokes that it doesn't mean no one will get sick after eating fair food.

Gorgers and gluttons beware.

"If you eat a lot of food and then ride the big rides, or maybe have a few too many beers, that might happen,” Moore said.

Moore said food service guidelines are stricter for fair food stands than for restaurants. Restaurant workers can handle food bare-handed as long as they're using a cooking or serving utensil, but workers at the fair must use gloves at all times, utensil or not.

That was one of the many rules taught to hundreds of food service workers during "food school” lectures this week at State Fair Park.

Moore outlined all the regulations, and she and other Health Department officials will thoroughly check each stand before the fair opens today.

Then there will be random inspections until the last fried pickle is wolfed down.

"Our stance is always the same: We can't take any chances on having an outbreak,” Moore said. "That's why we have the classes. It's good to get everybody some basic education so they can get a safe product out.”

The fair ends Sept. 21, and Glenda Rikard will be tired.

The Wellston woman is back for her third year serving Indian tacos.

"I just like coming down here, working and seeing the people,” said Rikard, 63. "I'm tired when I leave though. It gets so busy.”

"It's going to be really shaky,” National Weather Service forecaster Daryl Williams said. "Chances of rain are better than 50 percent through the weekend. It looks like it's going to be a wet start.

"Kind of the wild card in the deck is what (Hurricane) Ike is going to do. Whether it will affect us specifically is yet to be seen.”

The Oklahoma City area can expect to see 4 to 6 inches of rain, Williams said.

Flooding also is likely. A flood watch is effective through Sunday morning for 48 counties in the state including Oklahoma County.

Temperatures today, Friday and Saturday are expected to be in the lower to mid-80s before falling into the mid-70s on Sunday.

•For more information, call State Fair Park's administration office at 948-6700. Relay calls for the hearing impaired can be accepted at the administration office, 602-3391, and at Jim Norick State Fair Arena, 948-6704.

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