WEG Info Released!
The leadership over at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) headquarters have finally let loose with some information for how to negotiate your way around the event as it unfolds at the Kentucky Horse Park for 16 days beginning late September. It’s officially entitled “Spectator Guide”.
I love attending an event where I need a 27 page handbook to help me get to where I’m going, don’t you? I’ve gone through it and have found some highlights:
Page 10: “Restricted Items and Activities: (note: they don’t say NO, so if English is your second or third language you may not understand what ‘restricted’ means. They didn’t include the red circle “NO” graphic anywhere on the list either.
• Bags larger than 12 x 12 x 18 (No saddle or boot buying will be allowed apparently – or at least no returning them)
• Fireworks and pyrotechnics (whew!)
• Frisbees, balls, cowbells, etc (what? No cowbells? Wait a second, this isn’t the World Bovine Games?)Page 13: “Kentucky Ale, the official beer of the 2010 Games (…) must be consumed in designated areas.”
Don’t even think of not finishing your glass, amigo.
Page 14: “It is recommended that visitors become current with all necessary vaccinations prior to your arrival in Kentucky.” So, um, there’s a vaccination needed for visiting Kentucky? To inoculate against, oh, I don’t know, sloppy English?
Page 20: “There will be no currency conversion in Lexington“. Yep. Uh huh. You betcha. ‘Cause this is really the American Equestrian Games, then, is it? The world can buck up so to speak? No, no, I’m being mean they do say you can exchange your funny money at your international point of arrival – one even being Louisville, but you better be prepared to pronounce that right or we’re only gonna give you improperly rolled quarters.
Page 21: “The United States does not have an official language…”. Hey I never thought of it that way. Seriously? That’s kind of forward thinking of us rednecks isn’t it. Cool.
Page 22: “Most major credit cards are accepted at retailers and vendors throughout Kentucky….”. Except in the WEG parking lot that’s a cash-only deal. Oh no, I don’t see any problems with that. Until the poor German with nothing but Euros and expensive tickets in his pocket trying to see his equestrian freestyle dressage finals ties up the parking line for a half an hour doing his best to absorb this inconvenient truth.
Also on Page 22: “Kentucky water is considered safe to drink straight from the tap.”. That’s your opinion. And you know what? Folks in Papua New Guinea would say the same about their water. So would Guatemalans, and Tongans, etc.
Page 23: “For a poison control emergency call…..” Wait, what? First of all what is a poison control emergency? Second, is Kentucky Ale that bad? No wait, they mean the tap water.
on Pages 24 and 25 they’ve given us a whole bunch of definitions for dirty rotten scams that dirty rotten scoundrels may try to pull off ostensibly to warn us off of scammers misusing the the 2010 Games for their benefit – except our dear authors don’t really let on that’s what they saying. They just list ’em all and let us connect the dots on this one. Just plain weird. I think they were running out of steam and tired of proofing this crazy thing.
They finish up with a bunch of emergency numbers, bless their thoughtful little hearts.
Oh I know, I’m being mean. But some of this stuff truly is funny. And I hope the word gets out about needing American dinero for parking your rented car on the Horse Park Grounds. That detail is beyond nutty to me.
Click on the link below for your very own copy!
WegWag 
August 5, 2010 at 3:50 pm
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by WegWag, Liz Ireland. Liz Ireland said: Not being mean at ALL. No currency exchange in Lex is WACKO. RT @WegWag: WEG Info Released!: http://wp.me/pvfuG-7d […]
August 5, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Too funny !! I don’t plan on coming anyway. The last Rolex did it for me. I was parked so far away I didn’t think I’d ever find my car. Give me the old Horse park where you could reach out and touch the dressage horses if you wanted to. Now you need binos to see them. Some things just can get too big for me.
August 6, 2010 at 9:46 am
So, what happened to that parking shuttle I read about earlier this year? We’re all going to converge on the Horse Park? That’s the impression the new visitor’s guide gives me. Or take the Lex-Tran bus from that bastion of generous parking – downtown Lexington?
Can you say “bottleneck?”
I’m glad I only bought tickets to one event, even though I’ll be there for a week. I can already see that we’ll need to be there 2-1/2 hours before it starts. Like having tickets to see the Space Shuttle launch where you have to be on the grounds almost a day before the launch.
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m starting to dread the Games.
August 6, 2010 at 10:04 am
I heard somewhere that parking was going to be near the Park and would cost $20. A rip off . No wonder ticket sales are down.
August 6, 2010 at 10:27 am
There will be parking ‘on site’ if you consider a couple of miles hike to be on site (mind you, that’s for the later arrivals). $20 AMERICAN CASH only. No ‘in/out’. The parking shuttle will be available for the needy only, whoever they define that to be.
There are some shuttles being scheduled between the hotels but I’m guessing those are going to be rather ‘popular’. Don’t know the price on those. Rhonda you make a good point about the local bus service – if they are planning throwing a couple buses on that special route, again, I think those will be ‘popular’ – especially at the end of the day. I
think the best bet is be ready to walk some mileage on the days you plan to attend the Official WEG site. This could bode quite well for the downtown Lexington alternate events and the one in Georgetown too.
August 29, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Wait! You forgot some of the lesser known evils that we spectators may bring in. Like…….food. Don’t you dare bring in a peanut butter sandwhich! Or, heaven forbid…celery sticks!
The organizers of this thing have worked their peabrains to death trying to get every last frigging penny out of the spectator. No beverages in glass bottles. No food. (“there will be food available, to include “””healthy snacks””). No cameras. No tripods. Nothing to sit on but your own fanny. No shirts with advertising. What happens when I show up with my Epipen (for wasp stings)…am I going to have to go through a vet check??
You know what all this sums up to be? Monumental greed. We are all suckers, to be sucked bone dry of every shekel in our pockets. There’s a reason FEI resisted allowing KY to host the Games. It’s because they know it would be no different than the Olympics-that being, merely a greedy bunch of shysters a killing.
Let’s also worry about the events themselves. It’s going to be crazy. My veterinarian went to the rehearsal for endurance last fall. He said, and I quote, “it was total chaos.” They wanted him to vet for FREE.
I don’t know if you have noticed, but the big names in dressage, i.e. Anky et al, are NOT attending. They saw the writing on the wall.