Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival begins Saturday with safety in place for fair-goers
HARTSBURG, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival had its opening day on Saturday, and the event coordinator of the festival said staff are prepared for the estimated 40,000 people who will head to the festival over the weekend.
Jeri Cooper, the Vice President and event coordinator of the festival, said the Boone County Sheriff’s Department and the Southern Boone Fire Protection District are working closely with the festival.
There is between 40 to 50 volunteers and staff on site on the festival grounds each day, according to Cooper.
From 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Route A is closed off to the public, and Cooper said Sheriffs are located along the road to reroute and guide people towards parking and accessible roads.
“Sheriff’s Department is at the top of the hill that will reroute you down south Mt. Pleasant Road, the back way into the festival, and then we just have some of the roads are one-way at certain times, whenever there’s so many people coming in,” Cooper said.
There are multiple parking lots available for festival-goers, including a large corn field that is used for parking, and all are equipped with handicap parking, according to Cooper. She adds there is transportation available, including golf carts and trams that will take folks around the festival and to and from parking lots.
“We have golf carts and gators and trams for people that will help take elderly, sick individuals, people that are having difficulty getting back out to their car,” Cooper said. “As we’re coming back up, if there’s somebody needing help to get up, we also do that as well.
Cooper said not only is the festival feeling warmer than in past years, but the staff are all in agreement that the attendance for the festival feels larger than in the past.
“Generally, it’s about 40,000 for the weekend,” Cooper said. “But, seems to be a lot bigger crowd today than normal.”
The Southern Boone County Fire Protection District responded to three heat-related illness calls for Saturday.
For the heat, the church on the fairgrounds does a “samaritan station” where any festival-goer can go inside for air conditioning, seating, and receive free water to take a break from the heat, according to Cooper.
The festival will continue on Sunday, starting with a church service at 9 a.m. The festival will end at 5 p.m., and entry is free for attendees.
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