Thursday, June 8, 2006
Westbound Clinton Parkway turned into a parking lot with a tailgate party during the afternoon of the 2006 Wakarusa music festival’s first day. Vehicles jammed the street’s two lanes all the way from Wakarusa Blvd. to the festival’s entrance, taking up to five hours to move through it all.
People stepped out of their cars to pass the time by playing hacky sack, throwing footballs and Frisbees, riding long-boards down the deserted eastbound lane, drinking beer and doing anything else they could to distract them from the trying situation.
Nate Stedman, Overland Park junior, sat on the street’s curb, taking in the hot sun with a cold beer in his hand, something he called a necessity.
“I’m just dealing with it,” he said. “I knew there would be a wait, not this long though.”
Meghan McRilhey from Boulder, Colo., said the traffic made sense based on her previous experiences.
“It’s typical of any festival,” she said. “I have friends who’ve waited up to 32 hours to get in.”
Nearly everyone kept a good attitude, even the ones having extra trouble with the traffic, like Dave Mills from Nederland, Colo. His car stalled at the foot of a hill, so he had to gather the people around him to help push his car whenever the line would move. Mills didn’t complain, except about the heat.
“It’s hot,” he said, “but not too bad.”
Cole Pranger from Fayetteville, Arkansas was one of the people who helped Mills push the car. He said he did it in the spirit of the festival.
“Wakarusa is all about helping people,” he said.
Asher Freeman from Knoxville, Tenn., was stuck in line despite the fact that he planned ahead to prevent it. Shortly after midnight, he arrived at the festival to set up camp, however, he was turned away.
“They denied entrance to hundreds, maybe thousands more,” he said. “But I can’t complain, maybe they had a cut-off.”
Other stories of strife include one from Al Sullivan, a Toledo, Ohio, resident. She was relatively near the front of the line with her friends when their car’s gas gauge passed the empty line. She was forced to walk back with a gas can, filling it up at the station on the corner of Wakarusa Blvd and Clinton Parkway.
“The walk wasn’t too bad,” she said. “At least I’ve got a cigarette, but it’s damn hot out here.”
Although the wait was at least slightly enjoyable for many, it was enduring for Jeff Simcox and his daughter Elise from Lockport, Illinois.
“I demand that your chief of police get fired,” Jeff Simcox said jokingly. “Wrigley Field holds 38,000 people and you can be in and out in 30 minutes. With all the Jayhawk games, this town should be use to crowds like this.”
The two were frustrated with the wait because they arrived at 11 in the morning. They said they thought that would be plenty of time to set up camp and see on of their favorite bands, Wood Box Gang, who took the stage about five and half hours later. They said they weren’t sure whether they would make it.
“Thank God I peed at Wal-Mart before I came,” he said.
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