Memorial Day has come and gone, ushering in the start of the summer season for us here at Metro Parks. The weekend was a good one, with little to no rain, even if the weathermen had called for it. Instead, Sunday and Monday were beautiful days and a ton of people came out to the Metro Parks.
Battelle Darby Creek led the way for holiday weekend attendance (Sat-Mon) with 28,918 visitors. Highbanks was second in attendance 17,113 visitors and Blacklick Woods was third in attendance with 14,445 visitors. Total attendance for the entire park district was 161,113, which was up from 156,923 in 2016.
As for incidents, considering the number of people coming to the parks over the three days, the number of incidents or issues was relatively low. A visitor was issued a ticket for violating rule 6.1: Orders by Employees and Failure to Obey. The visitor was riding a motorized mini-bike on the Alum Creek Trail and was told not to do so. After he continued to ride the mini-bike on the trail he was issued the citation. Rangers at Prairie Oaks issued citations for Rule 4.1: Use of Intoxicants and 6.1: Orders by Employees and Failure to Obey. After confronting a visitor with alcohol, the visitor ran from the ranger in attempts to get away. Rangers eventually caught the individual and issued the citation. Rangers at Three Creeks conducted a traffic stop for rule 18.5: Operation [of a motor vehicle] in Willful Disregard of Safety. The occupants of the car did not have licenses nor could they contact the owner of the vehicle. The car was not reported stolen, however, it was towed for the owners to retrieve after providing proof of ownership. Finally, Rangers at Battelle Darby Creek assisted with a visitor having chest pains.
Rangers and staff thank all of our visitors for coming out to the parks in a safe, fun, family friendly celebration of Memorial Day. Most of all, we thank those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country and our freedom.