Yes, we know traffic will be bad
May 30, 2008
A reader response to a story in Friday’s Eagle on security measures being taken at BamaJam read:
“You’ve got to be kidding me...traffic has got to be the biggest concern in my view. Why in the world they chose this site, nothing but two lane roads, is a mystery to me. I predict that this one problem will be the downfall of the entire event. The folks that will be inconvenienced the most is the poor people that live in the area. I know that I won’t be anywhere near there.”
Well, after having been out to the site several times, once from 231, and a coupla times from Enterprise, I recognized something right off. It us, uh, in the COUNTRY! And while there are problems that come along with that, this festival doesn’t need to be anywhere BUT the country.
Will there be traffic problems? Of course there will be traffic problems.
I can’t think of a single large event or festival that does not have a traffic problem. When people come, they drive. Driving means cars. And trucks. And SUVs. And motorcycles.That will be a problem, sure. Locals can recall the first year the National Peanut Festival moved to its current location down 231 South. Cars were backed up to Lowe’s. Lowe’s, I tell you. On the Circle. Miles away.
I’m sure at Northview High School’s graduation this Saturday morning, there will be downtown traffic problems. Peanut Parade? Traffic problems. A Friday afternoon on the Circle in the summer months and in a good economy? Traffic problem. Atlanta? Traffic problem.
Buy some Gov’t Mule and ZZ Top CDs and get excited!
The site, 7 miles north of Enterprise at the intersection of Highway 167 and Boy Scout Road, has 10,050 designated parking spaces and 650 RV campsites, according to a site map displayed in the lobby of Ronnie Gilley Enterprises. Gilley’s vice president of acquisitions and properties, Billy Graham, expects 30,000 tickets to be sold before it’s all said and done, and another 12,000 to be given away.
There will be a lot of people.
And let’s repeat this: DO NOT, DO NOT, PARK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. You will be towed, by order of the Alabama Highway Patrol. It is considered a safety hazard.
There are three entrances to the festival site, two on Boy Scout, including one for entertainment, vendors and RVers. Parking is $10 per vehicle and $20 for VIP.
With a lineup like BamaJam’s, music fans WILL TRAVEL to this festival.
We, the people of the Wiregrass, are lucky to have it in our backyards. Can I go so far as to say privileged? With gas prices what they are, and as we search for more adventures close to home, it was a no-brainer for my husband and me to pull the RV over there and have a weekend. Should something come up, we are close to home.
And by OUR standards, yes ticket prices are not cheap. Drinks and food will not be cheap, but you know what, you have to consider the magnitude of this event, the quality of the music and what you’d spend anyway if you just stayed home --- or went to the beach. That is no longer a cheap trip either.
Traffic sure will be a problem. But I doubt seriously it can be considered the “downfall” of this event, which will open next year at the new Country Crossing development just off U.S. 231 south of Dothan. First weekend in June 2009. I plan on being there too
