Seniors take advantage of shuttle

The shuttle isn't available on weekends.
By MATT BIXENSTINE
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- Pauline Oswald felt slightly overwhelmed Wednesday when she arrived at the fair for the first time in her 82 years.
The vast parking lots, the plethora of people and the rows of buildings and tents were quite a site for the Aurora resident to behold -- even when she's used to having Six Flags World of Adventure in her hometown.
But rather than asking herself, "Where to start?" or "Where to escape the 85-degree heat?" Oswald made both decisions easy. She hopped the fair's Senior Citizen Shuttle Service and was soon touring the fairgrounds effortlessly.
"It's a big place and I could get lost around here," she said. "This way I see all the things without having to walk. Walking is not my specialty."
Seniors, others
Escorting fairgoers is the specialty of the shuttle service. The free rides are intended for senior citizens, but other riders, especially those with children in strollers, are encouraged to ride when there's room on the wagons -- the same ones used earlier in the summer at the Ohio State Fair.
The shuttle service started about 20 years ago when fairgoers were getting stuck in wet, muddy parking lots, said shuttle driver Jim Rice.
"I remember being covered in mud from head-to-toe," Rice said. "It became a real problem."
Several local farmers offered the services of their tractors, and the fair hitched wagons to them to establish a shuttle service from the parking lots to the gates, Rice said. The service has since evolved into a 12-stop tour that travels the outskirts of the fair in a half-hour.
About a dozen scouts from the Whispering Pines District of the Boy Scouts of America's Greater Western Reserve Council act as wagon tour guides, district commissioner George Grim said.
"We've been doing this for a number of years for senior citizens," he said. "The scouts have a responsibility at the fair as people-movers."
Troop 71 scout Josh Bodnar of Berlin Center was tour guide when Oswald boarded. He had a map to help explain each destination but, contrary to Oswald, he didn't need it.
"I've been to this fair since I was a little kid," Bodnar said. "I've camped out here the last couple years [for scouting]. I know pretty much where everything is."
While Oswald had established a meeting place with her daughter, rider Richard Roberts, 58, of Warren, had no such intentions. His purpose in boarding the shuttle was purely relaxation.
"I think this is the best idea," he said. "Every year you just sit here and watch everything."
Rice guided the tractor at slow speeds, avoiding the obstacles in his path and stopping between the predetermined destinations to allow more riders to board. Later in the week, however, crowds will increase and his task will no longer be feasible.
The reason
"On the weekends, with all the people, there's just no way you can have this" shuttle service, Roberts said. "It's a shame for the older people."
Still, Roberts sees offering the shuttle service, even for two weekdays -- Wednesday and Friday -- each year at the fair, as an asset to fairgoers.
"If you had to walk every aisle here, there's no way you could do it," he said. "This way you get a quick peek at everything."
mbixenstine@vindy.com