A guide on where to park for Cazenovia’s first night football game

BY Jason Emerson

editor

The Cazenovia school district and police department officials are expecting a large crowd of spectators at the Sept. 23 Friday Night Lights Cazenovia home football game, and are asking people planning to attend to walk if they are local, or arrive early and park somewhere near the high school stadium and walk a few blocks to help alleviate traffic pressures.

“I encourage people from Cazenovia to think ahead and walk, or park elsewhere downtown and help make it as friendly as possible for out of town guests,” said Police Chief Mike Hayes.

In addition to normal athletic event parking available in the school parking lots, middle school bus loop and on Emory Avenue and Green Street, extra parking will be opened up at Lakeside Park, in the St. James Church parking lot and on the grass by stadium’s north gate off Forman Street. The public parking lot on Riverside Drive behind the Cazenovia Public Library will also be open.

Hayes said there will also be places where parking is not allowed on Friday night for the game, and he asks people to respect the prohibition. No parking will be allowed on Hickory Street, on the Forman Street shoulder bordering the high school west parking lot, or on the village green/parade ground grassy area between Emory Avenue and Green Street. Any parking violators on the village green especially will be ticketed and towed, Hayes said.

“The school district, village board and village police are all working together to get the word out about parking so we’ll have no issues,” Hayes said. “We don’t want to ticket or tow anybody if we don’t have to.”

Hayes and Cazenovia Central School District Athletic Director Michael Byrnes also said the high school’s west parking lot on Forman Street is where they encourage handicapped and elderly people needing assistance to park. If there are no spots available those needing assistance can be dropped off there. There will be attendants and police officers at the lot to help, Hayes said.

This special event – for one game only this season – will be Cazenovia’s first nighttime football game. Since the football stadium has not lights, lights will be rented for the event.

The game, which will be against Camden, will begin at 7 p.m., with the gates opening and tickets going on sale at 6 p.m. Ticket prices will remain the same as usual: $2 for adults and $1 for students.

Byrnes said that because of the expected crowd size, advance sale tickets will be available from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, Sept. 19 through 23, in the middle school office. He encourages people to buy advance tickets or to arrive at the stadium early Friday night to purchase tickets. This will not only help keep lines under control, but people who arrive late may be turned away from entry if tickets sell out, he said.

A typical Saturday afternoon football game for Cazenovia sees an average of 750 attendees. The district estimates that entry will be limited to 2,000 people, Byrnes said.

Byrnes said that in addition to the bleachers, the grass hill beyond the bleachers will be open to attendees. People may bring blankets to sit on for the hill area, but folding chairs are prohibited. Also, backpacks will not be allowed into the stadium on game night. As with every home football game, attendees will not be allowed to sit or stand on the track or on the main field area.

Byrnes also said the district asks that all parents be responsible for their children and not let them roam alone. The middle school playground and tennis courts will not be directly illuminated during the event and there is expected to be a large crowd.