Trolley and Lyft available for ROMP

Up to 12,000 bluegrass fans are expected to pour into Yellow Creek Park at Thruston on Saturday, June 30, for the final day of the 15th annual ROMP Fest.

The big draw is both Alison Krauss and Sam Bush performing in the festival’s final hours.

Parking could be a little tight.

But Dave Kirk, destination management director for the Owensboro-Daviess County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said people who want to avoid traffic have a couple of options.

The CVB will be using the city’s trolley to shuttle people between downtown and Yellow Creek Park.

It’s mostly designed to bring people from the festival to downtown, he said.

But it can ferry people to the park as well, Kirk said.

The trolley will leave the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame & Museum at 11 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:20 p.m., 2 p.m., 2:50 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4:20 p.m.

But it won’t be running after that, Kirk said.

People can ride to the park at those times, he said, but if they want to return after the festival, they’ll need to take Lyft.

“We had seven or eight drivers last night,” Kirk said. “My recommendation is to take the trolley out and Lyft back.”

The trolley is free.

Kirk said the cost of Lyft depends on where the person is going and whether it’s during a “surge” time.

He said at 6 p.m. Thursday, the cost of a Lyft trip to downtown was $15.83.

At 10:45 a.m. Friday, it was $16.91.

“Last night was the largest Thursday night crowed I’ve ever seen out here,” Kirk said. “If the trend continues, Saturday’s crowd will be pretty large.”

He said he’s met three fans from Japan and one fan from Australia so far.

“There are a lot from Michigan and Minnesota,” Kirk said. “That surprised me.”

O.Z. Tyler Distillery, he said, is making a ROMP bourbon that will be aged for a year and day and will be available at next year’s festival.

Messenger-Inquirer article written by Keith Lawrence, 270-691-7301, [email protected]