CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Day 5 of the Clay County Agricultural Fair kicked off with new plans to mitigate some of the challenges faced Sunday.
With heavy rainfall Saturday at the fairgrounds, county leaders said the parking area saw conditions that have not been seen at previous fairs, as many vehicles got stuck in the mud.
“This area held some water,” Chief of Special Operations Jeff Johnson, with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, said. “We pushed a little over 100 cars out yesterday.”
On Sunday Action News Jax told you about the heavy traffic fairgoers witnessed — some waiting for up to four hours.
STORY: Heavy traffic getting into Clay County Fair due to muddy parking lot
Changes have been made for Day 5 of the fair.
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Johnson said. “Within one day, our county government came out and repaired all the parking areas that were flooded at best.”
Clay County spokesperson Annaleasa Winter said the Clay County Public Works Department is currently working to stabilize the lanes and driveways of the parking area with a three-in-one mix of asphalt millings, sand, and dirt, which will be compressed to hold it in place, and will hold up well to traffic and rainfall.
Some fairgoers wondered if the lot would be paved. Action News Jax reporter Kennedy Dendy asked county leaders about this.
“Requirements for a large, impervious, paved parking lot at the fair would include adding additional retention ponds to manage stormwater,” Winter said. “Additional ponds would require space that is needed for parking.”
Johnson said two-lane traffic is introduced when there’s a large influx on State Road 16 to get cars off the highway as quickly as possible.
Fairgoer Elizabeth Lester said this was her daughter’s first time at the Clay County Fair.
“All of us get to go to this as a kid, this is something we always looked to,” Lester said. “I’m excited she gets to be here.”
Lester said the parking process on Monday was smooth.
“This has been fairly easy,” Lester said. “They’re trying to keep you from not parking in the mud and getting stuck in the mud.”
Johnson said more than 20,000 people were either in traffic or at the fairgrounds on Sunday.
“It was a lot of people,” Clay County Fire and Rescue Battalion Chief David Kuykendall said. “We got approximately 60 to 80 calls of service throughout the day transporting people out of here, some pretty critical; fractures, things like this.”
Kuykendall said the most common calls they received were heat-related.
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Another reminder that crews want to express is to be patient and treat workers with respect, after an incident on Sunday.
“The other issue we ran into yesterday is we have a large contingency of explorers,” Johnson said. “These are kids from 14 to 16 years of age. They’re kids, people. All they do is stand there and try to direct traffic and in a professional manner. We had people throwing food at them yelling at them. I promise if we have to address that issue, that fairgoer will exit this very quickly.”
Johnson said more help has been called — in more than 60 members of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.
Leaders say that hydration is key, so if you plan on heading out to the fairgrounds, drink plenty of water. Officials also urge fairgoers not to park on the shoulders of the highway and walk.
Here’s one of the most important things officials ask that you keep in mind.
“Pack your patience,” Johnson said. “Just be patient. I promise you, getting you in and out of the fair safely is our No. 1 priority.”
The Clay County Fair runs until April 10.
You are asked to avoid entering from Springbank Road, which is the exit route for people leaving the fairgrounds.
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