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Evelyn Brown thoroughly enjoyed cotton candy and carnival rides at RidgeFest. See more RidgeFest photos and a follow-up story
2022
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Oak Ridge Town Park | Sept. 8,9
Record-setting crowds on Thursday and Friday evenings; Saturday activities cancelled due to weather
by PATTI STOKES OAK RIDGE – The weather was beautiful last Thursday and Friday evenings, and record crowds came to Oak Ridge Town Park to enjoy the 14th annual RidgeFest, an event held in partnership with Merchants of Oak Ridge (MOR) and the Town of Oak Ridge. According to MOR member/volunteer Randy Floss, who has organized the event the last 14 years, ticket sales for carnival rides on Thursday evening were almost 50% more than on Thursday of last year’s RidgeFest. That number soared on Friday evening, when sales almost doubled what they were on the Friday of RidgeFest 2021.
Unfortunately, the weather forecast for Saturday called for rain all day and through the evening, and all activities for what was to be the final day of RidgeFest were cancelled – including the fireworks show.
Floss said the crowds on Thursday and Friday evenings – and especially Friday – presented a great problem. On the one hand, it was rewarding to see so many kids and families drawn to the park to enjoy food, music, rides and a sense of community.
The lines for food and rides on Thursday were expected and very manageable, he said. The long lines on Friday, however, presented challenges.
“Most people didn’t arrive until after 6 or 6:30 p.m., and the rides were only open until 9:30 p.m., so that only gave us a window of three hours,” Floss noted. “We had added two more carnival rides, and some of the rides held a lot more people than before. Still, the lines were really long. I think a lot more people came on Friday because they thought, ‘Hey, it’s going to rain on Saturday, so we better go tonight.’
Floss also had more volunteers helping with parking this year, which was a good thing because on Friday evening the grassy field designated for parking was almost overflowing.
While at the park Saturday morning helping take things down before the rain set in, Floss’s mind was already whirling with ideas for how to better accommodate the crowds at next year’s RidgeFest. Maybe he’ll see if the amusement company can add even more carnival rides… and some “really cool” businesssponsored kids’ activities, possibly on the football field where there’s room to spread out… and it could be time to consider satellite parking with shuttle buses…
“It’s a great event, and in many years, we’ve just made a few tweaks and adjustments,” he said. “Now, I think it’s time to reassess and make some bigger changes.” Writer’s note: regarding the fireworks that were cancelled Saturday night because of the weather, the Town of Oak Ridge hopes to tie them in with another community event later this year.
were cancelled Saturday night because of the
Younger kids especially loved this ride that allowed them to be in the driver’s seat.
Oak Ridge firefighter Brad Hill was all smiles when he finally got his funnel cake after a long wait in line Friday evening. Stokesdale resident Tom Macherosky enjoyed sharing stories of his ’67 Corvette at Friday evening’s cruise-in, which drew owners of classic cars from far and wide.
