How was your fair experience?

[magillapd]

Now this is funny. Of course I took the picture posted above that day at the fair. I happened to be a guy that was wearing a gray underarmour type shirt with a glock hat. If that "guy" you saw was with his wife and 2 older ladies, then I'd have to say that you spotted me!! haha. If so, you would have been right had my IWB holster come in on time. I wore my glock hat to at least bring some type of gun to the fair!!!

If that was you, then I passed you while you were standing by the Cotton Bowl near a set of steps. I was wearing a green shirt, khaki pants and my IDPA hat that has the logo with a gun prominently on the front. I nodded to you as I passed. There wasn't anyone else around you at the time.

If either of you saw a fit young man, wearing a loose fitting guayabera shirt, cargo shorts with a something bulging in the left front pocket a bit (maybe a revolver?), flip-flop sandals, and a beach-comber hat.....

....that wasn't me.

[Scott]

Went with the wife, kids, and MIL this past Monday. Entered at Gate 9 around 11:00am. The guy wanded me all over including my CCW. So, the wand was constantly beeping. I'm thinking... Are you going to ask me about this? He never asked. However, I had a backpack on and he asked to look in it. Opened the backpack which only contained water. He looked at me and said okay and was on to the person behind me.

Overall, a pleasant Fair experience. Lots of Police inside the grounds. Didn't see much of a presence in the parking lot though. Saw one cop sleeping in his tower. I was so temped to shake it as I walked by. WAKE UP!!!

Just one of the reasons to CC. Who can you really count on but yourself?

Scott

[mikeintexas]

Now this is funny. Of course I took the picture posted above that day at the fair. I happened to be a guy that was wearing a gray underarmour type shirt with a glock hat. If that "guy" you saw was with his wife and 2 older ladies, then I'd have to say that you spotted me!! haha. If so, you would have been right had my IWB holster come in on time. I wore my glock hat to at least bring some type of gun to the fair!!!

If that was you, then I passed you while you were standing by the Cotton Bowl near a set of steps. I was wearing a green shirt, khaki pants and my IDPA hat that has the logo with a gun prominently on the front. I nodded to you as I passed. There wasn't anyone else around you at the time.

If either of you saw a fit young man, wearing a loose fitting guayabera shirt, cargo shorts with a something bulging in the left front pocket a bit (maybe a revolver?), flip-flop sandals, and a beach-comber hat.....

....that wasn't me.

I've met TAM. That wasn't himself he was describing. But then, it wasn't me either! I'm not fit...or young!

[Tahoe132]

Finally a good experience!!! Where I got off the DART train there was a DPD booth INFRONT of the... brilliant minded security guards. I walked up, showed him my licenses, he inspected them, and then waved me and my fiance on after telling me where I was not aloud to go. Also, when I had to show ID to the sheriff that was at the Chevy test drive, he didn't give me a hard time either.


Last year, the security guard that I showed my license to was new or something, so they showed it to the security guard next to them. Apparently this guard was anti-gun. She started yelling, and I do mean raised voice, "You don't need no gun in there, you should just leave it out hear...." etc. And was still carrying on after I left. Of course I was outraged, but, being the maturer and "taking the high route" CHLer that I am, quickly walked off.

Was I suppose to leave it in the bushes per her request?!? HA!

And the year before that at the Chevy test drive, the sheriff decided to announce it to everyone, including scaring half to death the lady that worked there. After him trying to talk her out of letting me drive, he informed me to be careful and reminded me that he shoots back...

So needles to say, I was VERY relived for the no-CHL hassle day that I had.

[drjoker]

Lots of CHL'ers today at the fair. I think it's become the new "Wally Walk". I saw a lady with a big square shaped fanny pack worn on the right hip that had a major 1911 print. It looked kinda like a Wilderness Tactical Safecarry Holster but it wasn't because hers was home-made of leather (good job! like the lone star concho!) instead of nylon. I also saw a mama with an oversized baby sling. The sling's tail end hid a 1911 that flashed when she turned around. She kinda reminded me of the youtube lady (maybe she IS the youtube lady): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJriDAhIIQs . The guy in front of me in line to get in had a huge fanny pack with a zipper that wound 270 degrees around the pack (non-gun packs have zippers that are straight and only extend across the pack, not wind around). He had his CHL plastic in his hand and was waiting for the wanders to find his piece, but they didn't so he walked right in. I was wearing a NRA members' baseball cap and the world's biggest Hawaii shirt so the wander couldn't miss me. I showed him my plastic and the wander discreetly guided me to the policewomen chattering behind the entrance gate. She took a peek and grunted, "O.K." "Have a nice day," I replied. These are just the obvious ones that I recognized. Concealed is concealed so I'm sure that most CHL'ers were not recognized. I think it is because of the stink we made with letters and phone calls last year that resulted in the improvement in this year's policy towards CHL'ers. Thanks, y'all, for being persistent. A steady pressure of stubborn persistence is what wins civil rights. We make a big stink so that future Americans could carry on....

P.S. If you haven't carried to the fair yet, do so tomorrow. That's the last day of the fair. Make it your "Wally Walk". It's a painless experience. They were discreet and the process took all of 10 seconds. The funny thing was, I went on the first day of the fair after retaining the services of an attorney and even wore an AV wire because I was expecting them to use the Gestapo tactics that they used last year (info gathering), but they did NOT do it this year, thankfully. C'mon y'all, let's do a "Fair Walk" tomorrow!

P.P.S. My wife commented, "hey, how come there's so many people with guns at the Fair? Why do you need one?" "They're carrying guns because they can't carry a cop," I replied (I read this snappy answer on the forum. Thanks, guys!). I could see the deep thought going through her mind afterward. When I told her about the mama with a baby flashing the 1911, she didn't believe me, so I pointed it out to her, she flashed again and my wife saw it, too. "Isn't it dangerous if you mix kids and guns?" she asked. "No, as long as you educate them and lock up your guns when adults aren't around. Notice how the gun is on the opposite side of her body from the baby, she had a holster with thumb-break, and her 1911 has a safety?" "Oh," she replied. Again, I could see her in deep thought. It was a great educational experience for my wife. Please continue to flash, print, and wear NRA baseball caps tomorrow. We're going again tomorrow and it really helps my wife to see normal people carrying guns with zero incident. I'll see y'all again tomorrow!

[Dragonfighter]

Lots of CHL'ers today at the fair. I think it's become the new "Wally Walk". ...

Did you vote already? If so I'll figure this one in as a "escorted to dpd" when I compile everything.

[drjoker]

Yes, I voted. I entered through the MLK entrance across the street from Minyard's/Walgreens. I showed them my CHL and they walked me to the policewoman who verified my CHL before letting me in.

Anyways, I went to the fair again today and the blonde whom I showed my CHL to still searched me. I asked why she would search me if I have a CHL? She said because I might be hiding a knife! The nice black lady who was her coworker said, "Baby, let him in." The blonde replied, "But I have to..." "Let him in," her co-worker said. The blonde reluctantly let me in after she peeked in my bag. "Is it in your bag?" I ignored her and walked inside towards the police officer. The police officer smiled and waved me in. The blonde was obviously anti-gun, but her co-workers stepped in and set her straight.

I had a nice day at the fair and I saw two people wearing NRA gear (hat and T-shirt). I said, "Hi," to them and they greeted me back. One nice lady saw my NRA hat and said to me, "You're in the NRA. I am too. Here's 2 free tickets. Enjoy the fair." She was leaving the fair and had 2 leftover tickets. Cool.

[TrueFlog]

I couldn't figure out how to vote (maybe voting is closed), but the short story is that I went directly to a DPD officer, showed my CHL, and was waved in. No muss, no fuss. This was Saturday, around noon, at the DART's Fair Park stop.

I resent having to show my CHL at all, but otherwise it went about as smoothly as I could have hoped. We got off the DART rail at the Fair Park exit and entered the fair there. As we approached the grounds, I saw a sign hanging on the fence that said (and I'm paraphrsing), "Weapons of any kind are not permitted in Fair Park. Persons licensed by the state of Texas (or a reciprocating state) to carry a handgun should proceed to the security desk for futher instructions." As we walked up to the wanders, there was no line, so I didn't have much time to plan or think. My friends walked right on up, and I glanced around for a supervisor. I didn't see one, but there was a large booth marked "Police" and manned by two DPD officers. I walked over to them, held up my CHL, and asked who I needed to see in order to gain admission. The officer looked closely at the license and asked if I still live in Plano. I answered in the affirmative, and he motioned for me to go on in. As I walked past the wanders, I heard him call out to her, "I took care of him. He's good to go." All in all, a good experience - and my friends were none the wiser.

It's worth noting that the officer didn't ask for my DL, nor did he ask if/what/where I was carrying. He also didn't tell me about any area being off limits or remind me to keep it concealed. My friends later mentioned that the wander pretty much ignored them and didn't ask to search their purses. In retrospect, I probably could have gotten in without being wanded or showing my CHL, but I didn't want to take a chance on being outed in front of my friends. Lastly, during the DART ride, there was a gal on the train wearing a Bullet Trap shirt and a Beretta cap. I wondered if she was carrying, but if she was, it wasn't obvious.

Thanks to those of you who had gone earlier and posted your experiences. I'm glad I knew what to expect and was able to formulate a gameplan.

[i8godzilla]

My wife and I attended on Saturday. We entered the gate by the DART rail station. There was a DPD Officer in elevated stand that we handed our CHL to. He asked if we still lived in _____? (The city on the license.) We responded, "Yes". To which he replied, "You cannot go in to the Old Mill. There is a bar in there." We said thank-you and walked right passed the wanders.

There was one exhibit building that was interesting. I wish I knew the building. As you went in there was a stand that was only selling beer. This stand had a "51%" sign behind the serving table. The way the sign was posted it could have been interpreted to mean the whole building as it was facing the entrance and was the first vendor by the door. We went in anyway as there were other vendors in the builder selling everything you would expect at the fair.

[Dragonfighter]

I will be going through the posts and votes and try to make some sense of the data and see if we can get something to hang our collective hats on. Unless there is something I don't know, you can still vote, barring that just post your experience. It'll be a couple of days before I crunch it up.

[pcernuch]

we took the boy last saturday. i flashed the wanding security lady my CHL and she told me to go stand over by a fence and a supervisor/DPD would be over shortly. the wife and son went o go get our tickets. after they stood in line and got them i was still waiting. the wander was at this point overwhelmed with people. being the impatient man i am i just walked in.

god bless.

[The Annoyed Man]

I think that once the Fair security people calmed down and started treating CHLers with common courtesy, they must have been struck by the fact that we were A) "regular" folks, B) moderate in our behavior, C) respectful and courteous to the security staff and the police, and D) pretty obviously mild mannered and not "criminal" types. And I think that, for the most part, that must have affected our individual experiences with them. The only hint of discord when my wife and I went through security was between the wander and her supervisor, and that was fairly mild. The wander hollered over at another guy, "Hey, can you watch my station? I gotta walk these folks in." Her supervisor, who was right nearby anyway, stepped up and said sotto voce, "No. I'm supposed to walk them in," which she proceeded to do. There was no real argument between them, just a reminder of who was supposed to do what. And both of them were pleasant with us. In fact, I think the supervisor - who was a young woman appearing to be in her early to mid 20s - was kind of in awe that an "elderly" couple who looked so normal would both be carrying guns, and that it wasn't obvious where the guns were stashed. She couldn't stop smiling at us. So we smiled back.

I think this stuff is kind of a two-way street. Granted, they started the unpleasantries in previous years by being overbearing and disrespectful, and by failing to respect the confidentiality of our being armed. But, I think that this year was a turning point, and I believe that their staff will remember next year that, as a group, we were non-threatening and willing to cooperate with their security mandate this year. I think that most will remember that we were, as a group, more trustworthy and calm in our demeanor and bearing than a lot of their other patrons, and they will carry that memory forward into next year. For our part, it is incumbent upon us not to alter their perceptions for the worse the next time we visit the fair.

[just kidding]
Maybe next year, they'll have a CHL entrance like at the Capitol.
[/just kidding]

[Dragonfighter]

[just kidding]
Maybe next year, they'll have a CHL entrance like at the Capitol.
[/just kidding]

I would LOVE to see that line.

[mikeintexas]

Great idea, TAM!

[Lonest4r]

[just kidding]
Maybe next year, they'll have a CHL entrance like at the Capitol.
[/just kidding]

I would LOVE to see that line.

It should have a giant flashing sign with "got guns?" In huge 7 in tall lettering. Then they should have a chl camera man who pans the crowd waiting for people to broadcast to a giant bigscreen tv in the center of the fair. Lastly, they should give out large pins that say "I'm armed" to anyone who uses the entrance, just in case it wasn't clear by that point.