Many folks have expressed irritation regarding the gate at Waukau Avenue. All outbound pedestrians were told they could not pass through the "vehicle gate" on Waukau (guard post "B"), and were being redirected to Museum Road. Please see below.
The real problem appears not to be a matter of allowing folks to use a “vehicle gate”, but rather an attempt to reduce pedestrian traffic past the four ‘holdout” homes on Waukau. All the homes rent camp space, entertainment space, and host vendors.
About 11:30 AM on Monday I stood and watched a gate guard at “A” redirecting eastbound pedestrians from both Waukau Ave and the Waukau gravel walking path to Museum Rd, even going so far as to run them down mid-block and send them south across the grass.
As for a “vehicle gate” and westbound pedestrians leaving the official grounds, the really silly point is that Waukau, inside the grounds, is a huge pedestrian artery....always has been. It was the center of the show starting with the 1970 Convention, and remains the most direct route to the bus park, the north part of Scholler, Sleepy Hollow, SOS, and the various private parking areas.
I spent some time talking to a nice lady who owns one of the four houses. Her family has been there a long time. They love EAA'ers, but recent EAA management not so much. She said in the old days someone from EAA always came around before the convention, told them about all plans, and answered any questions. Not so in recent times, and there has apparently been some discussion about the legality of blocking access to their part of Waukau with a private security force.
BTW, that block of Waukau has a pedestrian sidewalk on the house side, and the gravel path in the grass on the south side. If vehicle traffic is a problem, why not funnel folks to the sidewalk, and why no gate opening for the existing gravel path?
On a personal note, I had no poor experiences anywhere, including gates...except at this area.
Dan Horton
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