(Posted July 7, 2017)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Fair organizers are making it easier for senior citizens to get from their parked cars to the heart of the fairgrounds and back again.
For the first time, the senior fair board is officially offering golf cart rides to elderly fairgoers and visitors with mobility issues. Pick-up spots are located near parking areas. Drop-off spots are dotted throughout the grounds.
“Last year, while I was on the run doing things around the grounds, I would see older couples walking and would stop and pick them up,” said Bob Richardson, fairgrounds manager. “I got half a dozen letters afterwards thanking me for the rides. It showed a need.”
The free service runs Sunday through Saturday during fair week. The fair board partnered with a Columbus-based cart company to outfit the service with three six-person golf carts. The same company provides the carts the board members use during fair week.
For manpower, the board contracted with the Madison County Shrine Club. Shrine members are serving as cart drivers; payment from the board goes toward the club’s philanthropic pursuits.
The Shriners’ main fundraiser each year is the sale of tabloids with proceeds going to the Cincinnati Burn Center, one of many Shriner-sponsored children’s hospitals around the country. The club also conducts smaller fundraisers to benefit a variety of local causes. Proceeds from the golf cart gig will go toward those local efforts.
Last year, the club donated money to fix sewing machines used by inmates at London Correctional Institution to make bags for children. The club also regularly donates to Christmas toy collections organized by the London and Jefferson Township fire departments.
The Madison Shrine Club is an affiliate of the Aladdin Shrine in Grove City. Members are part of the Masonic Lodge. They meet the second Wednesday of the month, throughout most of the year. Currently, the membership numbers between 15 and 20.
For the Senior Community Members who attend The Madison County Fair, providing Golf Carts will make their visits very enjoyable. The same goes for those with Mobility Issues too.