April showers brought trouble to a Niagara-on-the-Lake tulip farm’s May flowers, as their opening weekend devolved into a muddy, gridlocked headache for its staff and many, many visitors.
A five-hour traffic jam stretching 2.6 kilometres along Line 3 Road paralyzed access to the TASC Tulip Pick Farm on Saturday.
The traffic situation worsened after heavy rain flooded TASC’s 20-acre grass parking lot, stranding over 50 vehicles in mud and forcing TASC to close the parking lot completely.
Cars sat bumper-to-bumper on May 3 from Concession 2 to Four Mile Creek Road after the farm closed its waterlogged lot at 2:30 p.m., despite forecasts predicting rain would stop by 11 a.m.
Staff barricaded entrances, shouting “We’re closed!” to confused drivers, several of whom demanded refunds. Staff explained to drivers being turned away that their pre-purchased tickets would be valid until May 11 and refunds would be given.
TASC kept the event itself open until about 5:30 p.m. without access to the parking lot, leading people to illegally park on both sides of Line 3, congesting traffic even more as determined pedestrians walked along the road.
“We relied on a forecast that said rain would end at 11 a.m., but it never stopped,” said Jill McCourt, wife of owner Frank Boendermaker. “We painstakingly tried to make this a great event for everybody, and unfortunately, the rain was something we couldn’t control.”
The misfortune escalated as parked vehicles spun tires in mud, some buried axle-deep.
Evan Agnew-Stewart, an attendee unaffiliated with TASC, used a personal truck to rescue cars.
“The only reason I came out here was to get my girlfriend, but why not help a couple people out, right?” Agnew-Stewart said.
Agnew-Stewart, whose girlfriend Jessica Lear worked parking duty, got down in the mud to attach his tow strap and got his own truck stuck a few times, to help a few grateful people — one of them thanked him with a tip.
TASC deployed their tractors to tow stranded cars so residents wouldn’t have to rely on tow trucks.
“We don’t want anyone to have to pay for a tow truck, so we’re pulling out the tractors as fast as we can,” said Lear.
Keegan Hill-Brown, who was exiting the event after TASC announced they were closing the parking lot at 2:30 p.m., wished TASC had made the call sooner.
“They could have announced it a bit earlier, just because a lot of friends are having a hard time getting out. Hopefully, we’re not one of them,” Hill-Brown said.
Despite frustrations, many attendees embraced the pandemonium. Local Josy D’Amico, who visited Friday, praised TASC’s setup.
“They had umbrellas, boots, food — it was wonderful. People need to make the best of it and welcome this to the area,” said D’Amico.
TASC closed Sunday to address the crisis, investing $30,000 in hay and mulch to stabilize the grass parking lot.
Owner Frank Boendermaker declined to comment on Saturday, but he met with Line 3 neighbours Monday, pledging improved drainage and traffic management.
Residents who attended the meeting say Boendermaker is committed to being a part of the community and listened to residents’ suggestions about improving the traffic and parking to prevent similar situations from happening again.
One local farmer who attended the meeting acknowledged that the land the parking lot is situated on has about one foot of topsoil, then two layers of clay, making drainage difficult.
The farm reopened Monday with drier conditions.
McCourt emphasized tickets remain valid through May 11, with fall events planned for sunflowers and dahlias. For now, Niagara’s tulip fever continues — rain or shine.
“Mother Nature brought the tulips, and Mother Nature brought the mess,” said McCourt.
