Drinking at Dane Fest? Hitch a free ride with the county
Dane Fest will be held this weekend in the Town of Dane in the northern part of the county, and the Dane County Sheriff's Office wants you to know there is no excuse for driving home drunk from the popular event.
The Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday that
it has scored a special grant from the State Department of
Transportation and is using that money to hire First Student bus
service of DeForest to give rides home to anyone who may have had
too much of Wisconsin's best product in the festival's beer
tent.
The office, "in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the Dane Fire Department, will be offering festival goers a free ride home this weekend," Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Elise Schaffer said.
While part of the grant from the DOT goes to pay for those free rides, part of it will also pay the cost of additional enforcement in the area by the Sheriff's Department.
Sheriff's Office Patrol Sgt. R.J. Lurquin said a large banner and a very visible bus will be near the beer tent at the annual festival, which is sponsored by the Village of Dane Volunteer Fire Department.
Lurquin is also working on similar grants which may allow for the same operation at other community festivals in Dane County this summer.
Many of those festivals already have safe rider programs in place, Schaffer said, and festival goers should make use of them.
"Community Festivals are a great Wisconsin summertime tradition and the Sheriff's Office encourages everyone to support their local communities and enjoy the festivities," Schaffer said. "But when the party is over, don't drink and drive."
That won't be necessary in Dane, and if you take the chance, extra patrols will be in the area to catch you.
"The Sheriff's Office along with other local law enforcement will be providing an increased presence in the Dane area this weekend and at other community events throughout the summer," Schaffer said.
The free rides from Danefest will be given from 10 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. both Friday and Saturday.
