Texas State Fair 2012

[C-dub]

I am very happy at how well this has gone for everyone this year. Your experience sounds like the worst so far Jim. Hopefully, yours will be the exception and everyone else will have as good an experience as I did through the last week of the fair until it ends on the 21st. Good luck everyone and be polite. Remember, you are a reflection of all of us. Let them know that we are not who they need to be worried about and kill them with kindness.

[ChIck3n]

Yep, had no trouble when I went this last weekend. Showed my DL and CHL to the security attendant and was waved through with simply a nod and an "Ok, go on".

[knotquiteawake]

We are finally going today, going to head over with the wife, baby, and inlaws. Both my father in law and I will be carrying but of course he gets to just flash his badge (he is LEO), i'll have to "check-in" I guess.

I am so looking forward to going on a weekday! Every other year (in the 3 years I've lived here) we've gone on a weekend and it was packed. Prayers that the baby (8 months old and teething hardcore) will not the entire time. that will be no fun.

[knotquiteawake]

My experience was poor.
I showed the CHL and DL to the wander by holding them up, then she directed me to her supervisor. I held them up again for the supervisor and she suddenly reaches out and attempts to grab them from my hand. This caught me off guard as I was not offering them to her, so I instinctively yanked them back. She about threw a fit, she was being all sassy about it, sayin' I was throwin' them all up in her face (she was a person of a minority ethnicity, ok? Maybe I'm just not understanding or something. maybe her hair was weaved too tight, she had a really bad attitude about it) and what do I expect her to do. I just calmly told her "Ma'am you tried to grab them from my hands, I was not expecting that." didn't matter, she escorted me to the DPD officer still going on about it "under her breath" loudly, kind of acting a little crazy moving around a bunch. Right in front of the officer, so I said again "ma'am, you tried to take the cards out of my hands, and I was not expecting that" still didn't matter. I looked at the officer and told him "I'm not sure what her problem is" He just rolled his eyes, handed me back my cards, and said "there you go, have a nice day." Never said anything about Old Mill or Cotton Bowl.

My father in law of course had no issue, waved his badge and walked right in.

[Rrash]

Had a great time. No problems whatsoever.

I think its good to share success stories like this so that other events like this can be encouraged to welcome CHL's.

[FuziDave]

i went to the fair today. no prob. when i got to the wanding girl, i said 'chl'. she said go talk to the police officer. handed him my info. was told to stay out of the Cotton Bowl and the Old Mill Inn (51% thing). that was that. pretty easy.

it just occurred to me, i never got wanded or searched, and i did have a backpack. (i was volunteered to set up a team building activity for our company that day, so i had some stuff for that in my backpack.)

was about to ask the LEO why i can't go into the Cotton Bowl, since there wasn't a game, but then thot best to let it go.

[TexDotCom]

My wife and I went weekend before last (got to see Big Tex one more time) and the "security" folks wanded me. At my 3 o'clock, the metal detecting wand signaled that it found metal. That's where I had my SA XD .45. She just looked over my shoulder at the next person in line and told me to go on through. My wife wasn't even checked, nor was her purse. As we were leaving later, we also saw a DPD office asleep in the booth behind the entrance/exit. This was only the second time my wife has..reluctantly...allowed me carry around her and I got my CHL a couple of years ago. After seeing the "security theater" there, though, she understood a little better why I talk about being responsible for my own safety.

[C-dub]

i went to the fair today. no prob. when i got to the wanding girl, i said 'chl'. she said go talk to the police officer. handed him my info. was told to stay out of the Cotton Bowl and the Old Mill Inn (51% thing). that was that. pretty easy.

it just occurred to me, i never got wanded or searched, and i did have a backpack. (i was volunteered to set up a team building activity for our company that day, so i had some stuff for that in my backpack.)

was about to ask the LEO why i can't go into the Cotton Bowl, since there wasn't a game, but then thot best to let it go.

I had e-mailed with them prior to the fair opening and was told that they do not let people into the Cotton Bowl unless there is a game. So, it's really a moot point then. I thought there would be tours or something, but was informed otherwise.

[gemini]

I am very glad to hear that things have turned around for the better at the Fair concerning CHL's.
My work schedule prevented me from attending this year.

Several members of this forum were extremely instrumental in making the changes at the State Fair
a reality. Once the ball got rolling; individual, legal and political pressure, old CHL policy started to
diminish quickly. Too many joined the fight to thank them all, but, they KNOW who they are and
what the members here accomplished. Surely, "a force to be reckoned with"!