Published: July 15, 2008 07:00 am         

Trial smoking ban a good idea

The trial one-day smoking ban at the Elkhart County 4-H Fair seems like a good idea.

Fairgoers are used to being able to smoke while strolling along the midway. Instituting a total ban would only make people angry. And the fair board relies on the goodwill of the public to make the fair a success each year.

At first glance it would seem unnecessary to ban smoking at the fair. After all, fairs are outside. And outside is where office and factory workers all over Goshen are sent to smoke.

Also, smoking is banned in the buildings at the fairgrounds.

But what is forgotten is the risk to others. There are many barns at the fair and each one contains a large amount of combustible hay and straw. Those barns are next to heavily traveled walkways and roads. It would only take one careless smoker passing by to start a conflagration.

Another problem with smokers at the fair is that even though fairgoers can be outside on the midway, the big crowds can push smokers into non-smokers. Non-smokers don’t want to breathe cigarette smoke no matter where they are. And we are sure smokers don’t want to inadvertently touch someone with the hot tip of a cigarette.

It is time for the fair board members to begin thinking about more restrictions on smoking at future fairs. Total bans may never come about, but consideration should be given to making the crowded areas off limits to people who are smoking. Such a limitation would seem to be a reasonable compromise.