Some Deschutes County Fair concert, rodeo attendees encounter opening-night parking issues
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Viewer footage shared with NewsChannel 21 showed some parking troubles at the Deschutes County fairgrounds Wednesday night.
Deschutes county Fair attendee Kevin Carder said parking at the fair Wednesday night was messy.
“Good luck getting your car out,” Carter can be heard saying in the video he took, showing a parking lane where some cars were triple-parked.
Geoff Hinds, director of of the Deschutes County Fairgrounds and Expo Center, said parking issues like that can happen when no parking attendant is guiding visitors to spots.
“We allow guests to park themselves, assuming they’ll find an available parking spot and use it correctly,“ Hinds said Thursday.
Hinds added that can sometimes lead to parking mishaps.
“Sometimes, some of our guests who are in a hurry don’t tend to follow the directions, or tend to park in places that aren’t assigned,” Hinds said.
Hinds said new parking and traffic control plans are being implemented this year to help address parking and entrance concerns.
Coordination between several agencies have a created a traffic control plan that will help visitors safely enter and leave the fairgrounds.
“As we get busier and into the afternoons and evenings, we bring on a parking staff who will direct traffic as they arrive down specific lanes and into parking spots,” Hinds said.
Fair attendee Shauna Coverdale said she has been coming to the fair for years, and plans her visits carefully to avoid heavy traffic.
“We got here at 9 (a.m.) to watch our friend show her goats and it was smooth sailing in the parking lot,” Coverdale said.
Coverdale added she’s never experienced parking issues.
“I’ve never come for any of the concerts because I’ve heard that it’s just such a pain to park. So that’s the reason we don’t come in the evening,” Coverdale said.
Hinds wants to remind those attending the fair to mind where they park.
“Remember to follow the directions of the traffic crew both coming and going. Their designed to get you her and parked, and then back on the road and home,” Hinds said.
