Fair Woes

Toward the end of every summer, I enjoy going to the Iowa State Fair. It doesn't change much from one year to the next, but I still like attending. For the last three years, I have volunteered at the Ark Encounter booth. Due to time requirements for it and my bad pressure sores, I didn't tour the grounds for more an hour or so. This year, I scheduled my volunteer times for the second week of the fair and went up this past Thursday just to have fun.

Parking has regularly been an issue. My van's lift requires a lot of space for me to get out and uneven surfaces are difficult to impossible to use. Fortunately, the fairgrounds has had a few cement parking lots that work well, if you knew about them. However, in this past year, the main parking area has been torn out and replaced with buildings and other features.

I called the designated ADA person at the fairgrounds to ask about handicapped parking. She assured me a different cement lot had been extended and all would be well. I felt reassured and looked forward to my free day.

Arriving to the fairgrounds at 8:30 Thursday morning, the parking attendants directed my van to the regular grass/gravel parking area. We told them I needed cement parking, but I could see the small area and was told it was already full. My assistant followed directions, and we were promptly parked on an oiled gravel lane with grass and directed to park directly beside another vehicle.

Picture from video

The boy directing us (yes, he was around 10, not exaggerating) didn't understand the space requirement as more cars were quickly lined up beside my van. My assistant carefully moved over to have just enough space for her to get out and be able to get me out as well. The gravel was hard to use, but we managed. I then had to take the very rough surface, alongside moving traffic, for quite a distance before finally getting to cement.

I brought my cameras in order to record my day and made sure to document the parking situation. An older lady with walking difficulty parked behind us and said it would not be possible for her to walk over the surface. Thankfully, a golf cart came to bring her to a rented scooter.

On Friday, I again called the ADA officer to advise handicapped parking needs to be adjusted. She returned my call yesterday and said the cement area allows for 58 cars and is more than they are required to have. If none are available, then the gravel/grass area is all they can do. I didn't count, but I would be very surprised if the paved area I saw holds even half that number.

The rest of the day went well and was enjoyable. Getting back in the van was difficult after a quick rain and my wheels left a few ruts in the gravel as I got stuck. With being scheduled to work at the fair two days this week, I'm fearful of what I'll have for parking. Unfortunately, it's part of the quad life.

If changes aren't made, this may be my last year of going to the fair. In any case, I'm thankful I was able to go and mostly enjoy the day. I will do what God allows for this week and continue to adapt as much as possible.