If things go the way Harold Carlisle plans, new rides at the Georgia State Fair such as the Wind Sheer, which swings passengers upside down on two pendulums, will continue to put attendance on the upswing.

"We just feel like this is going to get the public down here and put us back where we were during some of the glory years," said Carlisle, the fair's executive director. "If we have good weather, I'm sure we'll top last year's attendance."

For the past two years, the fair has received a boost in attendance after moving to September from October, when it competed more directly with the Georgia National Fair, Carlisle said. Since the change, the Georgia State Fair's attendance has risen by about 20 percent, he said. Last year, 89,372 people attended, he said. Last year, the Georgia National Fair had an attendance of 384,206, according to its Web site.

Carlisle said there are other forces, aside from the schedule change, working to increase attendance.

The new carnival company, Midwest Midway, replaces the company used for the past 42 years and has 51 rides as opposed to the 40 of the previous company. Included in that total is 15 "spectacular rides"; the previous carnival company had just five.

Spectacular rides, he said, "are really thrilling rides."

"You almost have to be a daredevil to ride these," said Carlisle, who believes the main draws of the fair are the rides and the food.

Those daredevil rides include the Ring of Fire, a large ring standing on end that turns passengers upside down. The fair also will offer an old favorite, The Gravitron, a ride that spins passengers to the point where they can barely move, he said.

The fair moved from October three years ago because there was a conflict with the previous carnival company, Amusement of America, Carlisle said.

But even by moving it to September, the company had a conflict and some of the rides weren't ready on opening day for two years in a row.

This year the fair board isn't taking any chances. A $100,000 bond was put up by the new company in case they are not ready opening day, Carlisle said.

For the past week, Midwest Midway has been setting up its rides and getting them inspected.

Carlisle said there are other improvements. The carnival will be set up on the grass and not the dirt track areas as in the past. The carnival company also has tents that spray a fine mist of water onto fair-goers.

For the past five years, he said, there has been a zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol. "It was never allowed, but it happened. Now we have more diligence," he said.

As always, there be about 25 deputies and 18 police officers at the fair, in addition to the fair's own security force.

Michelle Treptow, director of public relations of the Georgia National Fair, said she would not comment on competition between the two fairs. The Georgia National Fair has increased in attendance gradually since 1990. She said the state fair's move didn't affect attendance.

Ray Sanford, a consultant for Midwest Midway, said crews are working late to "make sure that everything is fair, safe and clean and to do our best to make everyone enjoys themselves."