Indiana State Fair Remembers Stage Collapse One Year Later
Tonight, at 8:46 pm, the Indiana State Fair will come to a grinding halt to remember the 7 people who died when the main stage collapsed.
The executive director of the fair, Cindy Hoye, says the entire site will pause in remembrance at the moment the first call came in to 911 for emergency crews to rush to the scene. “We‘re going to stop the carnival rides, the shuttle buses and we‘re going to pause as a family.”, she told Indiana Public Media.
The stage collapsed when rigging was knocked down by extremely strong gusts of wind as a large thunderstorm approached the fairgrounds. Hundreds of people had gathered at the main stage that night for a concert by the country power group Sugarland. Seven people were killed in the collapse.
The collapse at the fairgrounds was one of several last summer but this one in particular seemed to be a catalyst for changing the way outdoor concerts are conducted. For example, at the Indiana State Fair this year there aren’t any performances on a temporary stage in front of the grandstand.
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