By Logan Wells, News Director | Logan@kymnradio.net
While the Defeat of Jesse James Days offers several fun events throughout the weekend, officials are reminding everyone to have a plan to get home safely during the celebration.
On Friday and Saturday night of the celebration, the JOYRIDE program will once again be offered. JOYRIDE offers free rides to anywhere in the City of Northfield. A shuttle will pick people up at The Entertainment Center at 5th and Water Street and will clearly market JOYRIDE. Tickets are free and used solely to give the driver your address. Tickets can be picked up at The Entertainment Center and most bars and restaurants downtown. The JOYRIDE Shuttle will run from 10pm to 2am, Friday and Saturday.
The JOYRIDE has been a successful partnership for four years between the Rice County Safe Roads Coalition, the Northfield Police Department, College City Beverage, and the Defeat of Jesse James Days Committee.
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For people living outside of town, the First Choice Shuttle will be available. The First Choice Shuttle offers rides within Northfield for $10, with an additional $2 charge for each mile outside the town limits. The shuttle will be available between 7:00am to 1:00am during the celebration. The pickup location for the First Choice Shuttle will be the Forget Me Not Flowers Parking lot.
Additionally, Northfield Police Chief Jeff Schropfer stated that one of his major concerns during the celebration was drivers’ speed, and he encouraged everyone to remain alert and drive below the speed limit:
“And what I mean by slowing down there is just because the speed limit may be 30 where you’re at doesn’t mean you have to drive 30. Put the devices down, wear your seat belts even though you’re in town as well. There’s a lot of movement of moving parts, whether it’s people and vehicles and just barricades and road clothes that you don’t know or not expecting to come across.” – Jeff Schropfer, Northfield Police Chief, KYMN News Interview
Schropfer stated that for the celebration, it is an “all hands on deck” event with the department using all of its officers and reserves, as well as relying on help from other cities:
“And then we have to lean on outside resources as well, whether it’s a sheriff’s office or other police departments to give us staffing, specifically the reserves, community service officers. We reach out to a bunch of different cities that have reserve programs, all the way up to places like South St Paul Police Department will send people down.” – Jeff Schropfer, Northfield Police Chief, KYMN News Interview
While Schropfer reminded everyone to be safe during the celebration, he also shared that he was excited to experience DJJD for the first time.
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