Republican & Herald

(AP) When the 162nd Bloomsburg Fair opens next month, Nazi flags will not be among the items on display to the public, according to organizers.Whether Confederate merchandise will be available, however, remains to be seen. Last September, the fair found itself embroiled in controversy after a vendor who turned out to be a registered sex offender displayed a swastika flag alongside a banner supporting Donald Trump's presidential bid.Confronted with a social media firestorm, organizers ejected the vendor, whose wares included what he described as "German history flags" as well as Confederate battle flags and other controversial materials.William Barratt, superintendent of police and parking, said he does not anticipate a repeat of that episode at this year's fair. Barratt said he is still reviewing the fair's roughly 1,200 vendors, who are required to submit information about what they plan to sell.To ensure vendors are selling what they said they w ould, the fair will have officers patrolling the grounds and checking the stands and merchandise, he said. "This is private property, and we can control what's on our fairgrounds," Barratt said.As of Monday, the fair had already identified several vendors who were trying to sell unauthorized items, which include weapons such as throwing stars and stun guns, he said. Nazi memorabilia is also definitely off-limits.Fair officials have yet to decide if Confederate merchandise will join the banned list. "We haven't decided on that yet," Barratt said.The question takes on increased significance after white nationalist demonstrators clashed with counter protestors earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia.In the aftermath of that clash - in which a woman was killed when a car plowed into a group opposing the presence of the white supremacists - Confederate monuments have been removed from sites across the country, from San Diego to Baltimore.The backlash has also reached closer to home, with organizers of the West End Fair in Monroe County telling vendors last week they could still sell the battle flag but could not put it on display, according to a report on WBRE-TV.Barratt said that he was not sure Monday whether any vendors plan to sell Confederate memorabilia at this year's fair. If any do, the board will have to decide whether to permit it, he said. "I'll be checking into that before the fair starts too, if they're going to allow it or not," Barratt said.The fair starts Sept. 22.