Maybe the only tough thing about GrassRoots is transportation to and from.
Parking is easy enough, and free, at the big lot on Agard Road, with free bus service to the Fairgrounds. Sometimes the wait for the bus can be long, though (they break down occasionally), and even crazy long, as is sometimes the case after the last big performance of each night. The lot can also be problematic with mud, after big rainfalls. The memorable deluge of Friday night, 2006, left many wheels interred, and people stranded.
Public transportation would be great, particularly with the price of gas these days, which makes a round-trip from Ithaca to T-burg about a $5 proposition. TCAT's Route 21 bus to T-burg is only 50 cents at off-peak times, and on weekends, in July. But the service stops early in the evening.
Public transportation would also be a great societal and personal boon in the cases of those who consume alcohol at the fest, then have to get home. Get caught over the limit, and you will bring misery upon yourself (hopefully, no one else). Police scrutiny on the roads to and from the fest seems to intensify each year. Fair game for those who drink and drive, we guess, but there are also people getting expensive tickets for going 5 miles over the speed limit, cracked tail lights, and other minor infractions, as the local cops increasingly seem to regard festival goers as cash cow driving ducks.
Taxi service seems out of the question unaffordable (although a lot cheaper than a DWI, of course). It is also probably pretty hard to access. We are not aware of a cab company in T-burg, so it would be a cab coming out there from Ithaca, then trying to find you.
A stop-gap solution might be ride-sharing. Ride sharing is economical and, lately, even trendy. But how does one find or arrange it?
Ithaca Blog will hereby get on board, as the (unofficial) ride board for the festival. If you have car space to offer (for financial recompense, we presume and/or suggest), or have need of a ride or rides, post here at Ithaca Blog, or drop us a line at sworldmu@twcny.rr.com, or phone us at Small World Music: 256-0428. We'll see what happens, and let yous know.
Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog
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