by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
The Georgia-Florida weekend officially kicked off with the opening of RV City across from EverBank Field at 6 a.m. Wednesday, and fans from the University of Georgia were at the head of the line.
Phones were humming after fans found out that L.C. Appling completed his eight-hour drive from Flowery Branch, Ga., and secured the first place in line for entry into RV City at about noon on Friday.
“As soon as people started showing up and found out they weren’t the first in line, they started calling all their friends to let them know people had started lining up,” said Appling. “My wife was already down here, and I was tired of sleeping alone, so I headed down.”
Gayla, Appling’s wife, is in Jacksonville visiting a family member who is receiving treatment at the Mayo Clinic.
The Applings purchased the RV to attend NASCAR races and car shows, but a friend convinced them to attend a Florida-Georgia game about eight years ago.
Since then, they have taken a break from NASCAR every year when the sport visits Atlanta and they travel down to Jacksonville. The couple enjoys the atmosphere of the event and doesn’t plan to go into the stadium.
“The closest beer is right next to me and the closest bathroom is right inside,” said L.C. Appling.
“The weird thing about being out here is the time delay with the TV. You’ll hear a big roar from the stadium and then wait to see the play on TV,” he said.
Though they may have all the comforts of home in their RV, the Applings wait until they enter the city limits to stock up.
“We never know what we are going to be in the mood for, as far as food goes,” said Appling. “So we wait until we get down here and hit a Sam’s Club or Walmart to pick up what we need.”
Other occupants of RV City would like to see the city meet other needs.
“I wouldn’t mind paying extra to be able to pull in on a Sunday, if the Jaguars aren’t in town,” said Rick Sharp of Jacksonville.
“It’s hard to leave your coach in the middle of the street for a couple of days,” said Hugh Cain of Alachua.
When word spread that RVs had started lining up, more of the large vehicles started rolling through Downtown to find a place in line and wait along the sides of Talleyrand Avenue and surrounding streets.
City officials didn’t think that opening up RV City earlier would eliminate the problem.
“As long as you have a first-come first-served policy, you are always going to have people lining up early,” said Sgt. Leonard Propper of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Special Events Division.
“You could open it earlier, but that just means people will start lining up even earlier,” he said.
The City uses the lot for juror parking during the week.
The cost for RV City is $85 per space each day, midnight to midnight, for self-contained RVs. Trash containers, a dump station and security are included. Those towing a car must pay an additional $20 a day.
356-2466