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Traffic hassles may unite rock fans, beachgoers
By MAUREEN BYRNE © St. Petersburg Times, published March 18, 2000 CLEARWATER -- Mix folks going to a concert in Coachman Park and spring breakers heading to Clearwater Beach and there's bound to be a traffic jam today in downtown Clearwater. "Prepare for a bit of a wait," advised Clearwater police spokesman Wayne Shelor. Which is really what's expected this time of year, he said. Bumper-to-bumper traffic on Cleveland Street is nothing unusual on a sunny Saturday in March, he said. "We're not expecting any crowds that we can't handle or any situation other than a lot of traffic which we deal with seasonally every year anyway," Shelor said. An estimated 6,000 people are expected to converge at the waterfront park for VetRock 2000, a daylong concert featuring 1960s and '70s bands The Guess Who; Iron Butterfly; Blood, Sweat and Tears; and Steppenwolf. Tickets are $25 at the gate and gates open at 10 a.m. The music will run from noon to 10 p.m. The concert will kick off a national tour, with half the proceeds from ticket sales earmarked for veterans-related programs. People attending the concert can park on side streets and in city garages, said Terry Schmidt, the city's special events director. Those hoping to work on their tans have three options to get to the beach: Sit in traffic in their own cars, sit in traffic on a free shuttle bus or ride a free ferry from downtown to Clearwater Beach Marina. Two buses will pick up passengers on the hour at the municipal garage on Pierce Street between East and Garden avenues. The shuttle will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Beachgoers can catch the ferry at the docks on Drew Street west of Coachman Park. City officials say the bus and ferry service will be offered for the next six weekends. The possibility of rain Saturday may keep some people away from the beach. But showers won't cancel the concert, Schmidt said. "We might break for a half hour, but we won't stop," he said.
 © St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved. 
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