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This is a copy of the emails sent to all 2023 Attendees concerning arrival at the Fairgrounds, especially on Friday.  

These details are absolutely critical for you to understand....

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  1. This year we attempted to make the registration process easier for those who wanted to arrive earlier.  In the past, if you wanted to arrive early, you had to coordinate with the fairgrounds to pay for the extra days leading up to the event.  This year, we bundled those days into the registration itself, but with it came unforeseen consequences.  Last year, the busiest arrival day was Sunday, with 289 RV arrivals.  This meant we had a few days to prepare, train volunteers, and “get into the swing of things” before the bulk of the arrivals.  This was a new record – 289 arrivals in one day, btw.

    This year, due to the changes in the ticketing process, we have roughly 420 arrivals for FRIDAY – this means that in addition to setting up the actual event itself, we now have roughly 170% of the previous record number of RV’s arriving ON THE FIRST DAY.  This was something that we did not foresee, but did not want to go back on our word to support. In order to support this rate of arrival, we are going to be implementing the following guidance:

    1. Keep in mind that nearly everyone you bump into is a volunteer.  We aren’t employees of Grand Design (although we will have their direct support), and we are all working our hardest to make sure this process is as smooth as possible.  There will always be hiccups – but know we will do everything in our power to make things as smooth as possible (the best hiccups are the ones you never knew happened).

    2. Arriving early will not guarantee a better spot – you will be parked “nomad style” – each section has a start point, and RV’s are parked off of that start point based on the order in which you arrive,  Since your ticket is for a specific area, and not a specific site, this is not a problem since all sites in each area are equipped the same.

    3. We are letting you know in advance that despite literally throwing every volunteer at the process, we expect an arrival rate higher than we can process quickly.  We will have almost 70 volunteers working as fast as they can simply on the check in and parking process. If you are unable, or unwilling, to be patient with this process, then don’t come on Friday – plan on a Saturday or Sunday arrival.  This is not meant to be harsh, this is intended to underline the importance of a smooth processing of our attendees.  We want you to have as much of an enjoyable experience as possible, and if your schedule allows it, then arriving during a less congested time will be a better way to kick off the rally experience. The actual rally doesn’t start until Monday, so you are not missing out on anything of substance.

    4. We can support roughly 70 RV’s staged in the Gate 7 entrance road, but we cannot allow Rt 34 to be blocked by folks waiting to come into the gate.  We have a designated overflow area to allow for a few more once inside the gate, but it is imperative that Rt 34 is not blocked due to the need for emergency services to get through to the surrounding area (not even just the fairgrounds). If you arrive, and CR 34 is blocked by RV’s wanting to pull into the gate, be prepared to be waved past and to turn around.  This is NOT the answer I am sure you want to hear, but if this is a particular problem, you are advised to come on Saturday or Sunday.  You should look at a map of the area and be prepared to find a “holding” location, off the main road, until there is space for you to enter Gate 7.  There is no way for us to notify you that there is room at the Gate, and PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE FAIRGROUNDS OFFICE, they will have no way of knowing the status of Gate 7 either.

    5. We have already been told that many folks are planning on coming early, and even waiting in the line from the night before.  While this is OK, we will not be able to park anyone before Friday morning, and we cannot allow folks to park their RV and then walk into the fairgrounds for security reasons.  If you decide you want to arrive that early, understand that the fairgrounds are NOT open to guests until after check in starts Friday morning.  There are no services(water/electric) from the entrance to Gate 7 until the check in station.   You must be completely self-sufficient.  If you are planning to arrive the night before, and the holding area from the check-in station out to the entrance to Gate 7 is already full, you will have to make other plans, there are no other locations on or near the fairgrounds for you so simply pull in and boondock.  You may not overnight in any area on the fairgrounds property other than the Gate 7 road – anyone found in any other area will be instructed to move on potentially by the local police department, as this is not permitted regardless of any event in the fairgrounds, and they regularly patrol the area.

    6. Once you have entered the Gate 7 road, you must stay with your RV – you cannot drop your trailer and leave.  In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary to move vehicles so if you are in a position to need to drop your trailer and return at a late time, you may not enter Gate 7 to do so.

    7. If you have a toy hauler – you will not be able to unload your toys at your site as most sites do not have the room to drop the gate, and you will not be able to block the parking process by doing this in your area just before backing in.  Please stay in the left lane of the entrance road, and at the top of the Gate 7 road where the road turns to the right, there will be an area you will continue straight to stop and unload.  Please be aware that we will not have Gubers running, so you will need to come back to pick up your toy if there is no one with you who can drive it behind your RV through the parking process.

    8. Ensure that you arrive with empty tanks (as empty as possible).  Unlike previous years, due to the number of arriving RV’s, you will not be able to stop at the dump station on the way in. To help with this, the honey wagons will be available on Monday morning as the first available dump, instead of later in the week as in previous years.  If you are not able to wait until Monday, then don’t come on Friday (not to be too frank), but plan to arrive on Saturday or Sunday. Once you are parked, you may not move your RV for any reason other than to depart for safety reasons.

    9. On Friday morning, we are scheduled to open registration at 9am, and we commit to opening no later than that.  However, we will do everything in our power to open earlier, SO BE PREPARED TO MOVE NO LATER THAN 7:30AM IF YOU CAME IN THE NIGHT BEFORE.  This is absolutely critical. ‘Be ready to move’ means prepared to pull your vehicle through the gate, not get up at 7:30.  If you are not prepared, and we open registration, you will be holding up the line, and causing a traffic jam for everyone behind you.  The entrance road between Gate 7 and the check in station is 2 lanes wide, and 2 lanes wide only (in most of the road, there is little to no shoulder) so we will not be able to route people around you.

    10. If there is another group that you would like to be parked next to, you must be directly BEHIND each other in the SAME LANE when you arrive at the check in station.  We will not be able to accommodate your request unless you are one right after the other, in the same lane.

    11. As you progress up the Gate 7 road towards the check in station, please be sure to stay close to the vehicle in front of you so that we can get as many vehicles off Rt 34 as possible. 

    12. We will work as hard as we can to get as many folks in as we can, but we will not, under any circumstances, allow RVs to be parked in low-light conditions.  This means that any vehicle who enters Gate 7 after 7:00PM will NOT be processed on Friday night.  This is for the safety of you and the others at the event, and will be a hard cut-off.

    13. Once you have arrived at the check in station, you will be greeted by volunteers who will provide you with a number of things.  You will receive your swag bag, welcome packet, and paperwork necessary to process you through the check in station:

      1. A yellow dash sheet that is needed by the parking team to identify where you will be going to be parked (which area).  This is determined by the ticket you purchased, and you will be parked in the order in which you arrive. 

      2. A RV identification sheet that will be hung from the hitch of your RV once you have parked, that is used by the parts and service team to locate your RV once you are parked in your respective area.

      3. A small identification tag that must be hung from the rear view mirror of your tow vehicle to help in the event that we need to identify the owner in the event we need to have the vehicle moved, etc.

      4. A Release of Liability Waiver that must be signed by each adult in your group, including guests.  You will have one per registered adult in your paperwork, and will sign those at the check in station and return them to the volunteer.  The details of the liability form will be available on the website soon so that you can read them in advance if you wish.

      5. If you have rented a golf cart, a golf cart placard will also be included in your paperwork.  It is necessary for you to have this placard in order to pick up your golf cart (the golf carts become available on Saturday – please refer to the event schedule for details).

      6. Important: If you need any assistance with anything other than the parking process, please come to the Operations Center AFTER you have parked your rig.  To speed the check in process, the folks at the check in station will not have the ability to deviate from that process.

    14. Once you have received your paperwork and completed your waivers, you will place the yellow sheet on your dash and follow the directions of the check in team to stage where the escorts will pick you up and escort you to your area

      1. Depending on the amount of traffic ahead of you, you may need to wait a few minutes, despite the presence of available escorts.  In order to prevent chaos, there are certain routes that need to be followed when escorting rigs to specific areas, and we will have a team of rovers monitoring the overall traffic flow inside the fairgrounds.  To prevent unsafe conditions and traffic jams, the flow into the fairgrounds will be metered.

    15. Once the escort has indicated that you are ready to be parked, you will follow them to the area in which you are registered.  They will guide you to a pre-determined spot, where you will be handed off to the parking volunteer in that area.  In order to parked, it is necessary for the parking attendant to be given both the yellow dash sheet as well as the RV Identification sheet so that your site number can be recorded.  Once your site has been designated, you will be give back the RV ID sheet for you to hang on your hitch.

    16. The parking volunteer will tell you where to park.  Unfortunately we cannot accommodate specific site requests as the size of your RV, arrival time, and proximity to others will dictate where you are instructed to park.  The parking volunteer will lay out yellow guide ropes for you to use as visual guides.  Under no circumstances will a parking volunteer be allowed to operate your vehicle on your behalf!

    17. Once you have parked – congrats!  The hard part is done 😊 If you have any questions, or need assistance, please see your Area Host, or visit the Operations Center which can be located on your map (inside your Welcome Packet in your swag bag).  The Operations Center will be open daily from 9-5, and open late on Friday night as well.

 

If, after reading this, you decide to change your arrival date from Friday to Saturday or Sunday, please go to this page on the website and fill out the form with your information, and we will update your registration accordingly.

It is super important that everyone realize that arriving early is not a way to get a better site, nor is it a way to avoid having to get a campsite on Thursday night.

  1. Gate 7 will be physically CLOSED to all traffic until 10pm Thursday night.  The Gate 7 staging road is NOT meant to be a campsite replacement lane. Don’t make plans to come and stay in the staging lane instead of getting a campsite out of convenience, because it is likely that road will also back up. We are opening the staging road Thursday night as a courtesy to those who will be arriving late, but it is not intended to replace the need for a campsite in the area. 

  2. The other areas of the fairgrounds that are accessible from CR 34 are not available for use before the opening of Gate 7.  You may not wait in any of the other gates, and may not stage in the parking area between gates 2 and 3.

  3. The staging lane is quite literally a dirt road entering the fairgrounds.  There are no facilities on this road, so you will need to be completely self-sufficient.

 

I completely appreciate that folks are excited to attend the rally, and that many are travelling long distances to get here. If you decide to change your arrival date from Friday to Saturday or Sunday, please go to this page on the website and fill out the form with your information, and we will update your registration accordingly.

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