ADVENTURE PARK TRAFFIC SNARLS CAUSE SNEERS

Kent Buescher should be a happy man now. The owner of Cypress Gardens Adventure Park can smile as attendance is above expectations, and most reviews have been quite favourable for an attraction that is still working out some hiccups.

But bringing in some traditionally popular talent such as Kenny Rogers, George Jones (tomorrow), Pat Boone, and Les Brown's Band of Renown does cause a problem: On concert days, traffic is a major problem as visitors have to exit onto two lane Helena Road to enter the parking area, causing a snarl that backs up to Cypress Gardens Boulevard. It's not only a discomfort issue for guests, but also a potential public safety problem if emergency vehicles need to get to the park.

As he pledged when purchasing the park, Buescher is paying for a study to determine what needs to be done to improve the situation. He's also working to make parking easier for visitors by expanding the on-site overflow parking and making a deal which allows guests to park two miles away at the State Farm Insurance regional office and taking a shuttle to Cypress Gardens.

It's a good problem to have, at least...