Long wait, no admission was Hagley Car Show experience for some. Museum to issue refunds
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If you were among those who experienced long waits only to be turned away from Hagley's Car Show on Sunday, organizers say they will provide reimbursements.
"Hagley is absolutely issuing refunds in full for any guests who pre-purchased tickets but were unable to access the Car Show on Sunday," said Mike Adams, Hagley's museum and audience engagement director. "All refunds will be processed this week."
This year's event, which featured more than 500 cars from the early 1900s through the late 1990s, got more than 4,000 attendees — the most since 2019, according to the museum's Facebook page.
Adams said the interest in the event, which began in 1996, exceeded their lots' capacity.
"Because our historic site poses limitations in traffic patterns through the property, guests did experience longer-than-usual delays in getting from the main entrance to the car show parking area," he said. "A late-in-the-day rainstorm resulted in show cars departing early and the show did, unfortunately, have to end ahead of schedule."
Stuck
Eric Hudson of Newark was one of those who hoped to attend the car show and arrived on the property about 12:15 p.m. — a little over two hours after the event began.
"After waiting for 10 to 15 minutes just to pull in, the traffic was at a crawl for the next 90 minutes and then it just stopped," Hudson said. "So we sat there for another 60 minutes, basically not moving."
After a while, Hudson said it started to rain, causing some who had already entered the car show to leave. It also caused some show cars to leave.
"Eventually the food and beverage stands were closed and nobody else was admitted," he said, adding that waiting vehicles were forced to turn around on the one-lane road and exit onto Barley Mill Road. "Over three hours on premise, no car show, no press release, no refund, no nothing."
Hudson learned on Thursday he would receive a refund.
Next time
The show's organizers said on Facebook they are exploring options to make arriving and departing the event run more smoothly in 2024 and beyond.
This could include:
Limiting the number of admissions.
Offering timed tickets.
Requiring advance registration.
When the changes occur, they will be explained on the Hagley Car Show webpage, Facebook event page and other methods.
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.
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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Hagley Car Show to issue refunds for ticket buyers rejected entry
