The Arlington County Fair says it will find a way to remove or cover an image that at least one fairgoer decried as “racist.”
The fairgoer tweeted an image painted on the “Monkey Maze” fun house that depicts a monkey with braids putting on lipstick.
“This is not OK at our county fair,” the man said in a tweet. “Racist caricatures don’t represent our values.”
Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol agreed.
“This is awful,” Cristol tweeted in response. “We’ll connect with the Arlington Fair Board about this vendor.”
Around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, the fair followed up with a pledge to take action.
“We appreciate you reaching out us,” the fair said via Twitter. “We are working with our ride vendor to ensure the image is no longer visible.”
@DaveMRosenblatt, we appreciate you reaching out us. We are working with our ride vendor to ensure the image is no longer visible.
— Arlington Co. Fair (@arlingtoncofair) August 16, 2018
Monkey Maze fun houses are used by other traveling carnival companies, though photos posted online show different illustrations on the front of the trailer. A Google search did not turn up any other references to the Monkey Maze and accusations of racism.
The fair runs through Sunday on the grounds of the Thomas Jefferson Community Center (125 S. Old Glebe Road).
Photos courtesy David Rosenblatt (photo illustration by ARLnow.com)