Strawberry Festival Jammed Up, Again
Sheriff Cook And Festival Organizers Trade Blame Online
A Strawberry Festival was held at the Clay County Fairgrounds this past weekend. Word began to spread on social media of parking and traffic issues coming in and out of the festival on Saturday.
Some people complained of wait times of three hours on the roads leading into the fairgrounds. Others told how the wait times to leave the fairgrounds caused them to worry they would run out of gas.
The complaints led to a rare public admonishment by Sheriff Cook, who blamed the festival organizers for not properly planning and staffing their event. The post states the Sheriff shut down the festival entrance and would not support the event in the future.
Local strawberry festivals are a relatively recent phenomenon in Florida. The original Strawberry Festival started in Plant City in the 1930’s. Initially, it began as a way to promote strawberries grown in Florida. It was an event known for selling the best, freshest strawberries. Over time, it grew to a fair that rivals the official Florida State Fair. Think of it as a county fair on steroids. In the mid to late 90s, the Plant City Strawberry Festival drew big-name performers like Garth Brooks and George Strait.
Despite the similar name, local Strawberry festivals usually fall short compared to the original. The Clay County Strawberry Festival is no exception. I attended the event last year with my family, and it was underwhelming. There wasn’t much to do, and the strawberries themselves weren’t any better than what you can buy from Publix.
But despite the admonishment from the Sheriff, the organizer, Richard Buckler, of Clay’s festival spoke to News4Jax to say he complied with all requests from the county when getting the permits and approvals needed for the event.
“It did seem to kind of infer that it was all planning on our part. We don’t actually draw up the MOG or designs for traffic. We submitted an event permit request, then they take over from there. They asked us how many people we expect, the days, what are your hours? And they decided how the traffic flow should go,” Buckler told News4Jax.
It’s unclear if Sheriff Cook knew the county created the traffic plan before blaming the organizers. Ultimately, she edited her statement to soften her accusations and add that roads leading into and out of the fairgrounds were a significant part of the issues. She took the blame herself for the traffic issues surrounding the event.
Cook also talked about the upcoming Clay County fair, attempting to assure the public that CCSO would be up to the challenge of funneling people into and out of the fair.
Last year, Clay News & Views posted a story highlighting how fair organizers received feedback similar to the complaints about the Strawberry Festival. While the fair is stellar, getting in and out can be a real pain.
Fair Board member Bob Olson reported to the Board of County Commissioners the following analysis:
“While our record attendance may seem incredibly positive… fair attendance is reaching a point where overall fair operations and attendee experience are beginning to be hindered by the fairgrounds layout and the condition of the fairgrounds,”
While the Strawberry Festival may need to beef up staffing, it’s unfair to blame the organizers for the traffic jams when the official Clay County Fair has the same issues and attributes them, at least partially, to the fairgrounds themselves.
Everyone loves the fair. For it to continue to be a success, the county will have to address the facilities, roadway, and logistical issues of the fairgrounds themselves.