Telegraph Staff Writer
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS—Some motors seeking to park at the Clay County Fair Sunday afternoon abandoned their cars on the shoulder of State Road 16 in favor of waiting to get into the event’s facilities.
The sheriff’s office and fire rescue said the parking lots at the fairgrounds were full and urged motorists to stay in their vehicles until fair officials could find additional parking.
The sheriff’s office also rebutted rumors that the wait time in cars on State Road 16 was between three and four hours.
Fair board member Bruce Butler said the organization ran six-seat trams and four-seat golf carts transporting patrons from parking lots to the front gate. “It was like drinking from a large firehose on a hot day,” he said of the event’s transportation operations. “It was a record-breaking day.”
Even before the week-and-a-half fair began, officials warned of long lines of cars on State Road 16 and asked motorists to be patient.
“I will tell you right now that traffic will be slow on 16, but we will keep traffic moving,” Sheriff Michelle Cook said in a news conference before the fair opened. “This is an 11-day event, and we are going to have estimates of over 120,000 people coming through the gates over the next 11 days.”
The sheriff was joined by Emergency Manager John Ward and Fair Manager Tasha Hyder in the news briefing to discuss the March 30 through April 9 event.
Cook said officials have extensively prepared for the fair. “We’ve trained for everything from injuries to missing people and everything in between,” the sheriff said. “So, we are prepared when it comes to your safety and security.
Cook asked residents to download the agency’s Safer Watch phone app to get traffic and other updates. She also advised parents to take a photo of their children before entering the gates, so that if a child gets lost, officials can easier locate the missing person with the photo.
