BUFFALO, N.Y. — Those seeking to board the tall ships in Buffalo can expect to undergo security screening and need to know about a host of prohibited items.
Organizers of the Buffalo Tall Ships Festival are reminding those planning on boarding the vessels starting Friday and throughout the coming weekend that airport-like security measures will be in place for visitors.
“Blame the terrorists for these kind of security measures,” event organizer Mike Vogel said.
“This is a federally designated marine event of national significance, a ‘MENS’ designation," Vogel said. “It’s actually one level of security higher than the christening event for the LCS Little Rock a few years ago."
“It’s primarily due to the size and scope of the event,” added Brian Roche, who heads the security committee for the festival. “We’re estimating 125,000 people over three days.”
Roche, who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard after serving for 36 years, said an event of this size tied to celebrating the birth of the United States makes it “an opportunity for somebody to do something if they want to, so we're gonna make it so they can't."
The most noticeable security measures are the hundreds of yards of chain-link fencing, which is being erected to create secure zones around the areas where the ships will be docked.
Visitors will need a ticket to enter those areas and can expect to be subject to security screening.
“You’ll have to go through a shoot, your camera bags and purses will be checked, and you’ll be wanded to make sure you aren’t carrying anything you shouldn’t be. There can also be no back packs or things of that nature," Roche said.
Liquids, including beverages, will also not be allowed past the checkpoints where umbrellas and selfie sticks are also among the prohibited items.
Water will be available for purchase inside the secure zones for $2 a bottle, according to event organizers.
“It's like going on an airplane, so you have to think about it like that," said Roche. “But this will be a lot more fun than an airport I guarantee.”
If you want to walk around the inner harbor and view the ships but not tour them, you can still do that and not be subject to the security restrictions.
Although getting there will be half the battle, with many streets in the inner harbor core off limits to traffic, according to Kim Reynolds, who chairs the transportation committee for the event.
“So we’re encouraging folks to park in the ramps and parking lots along Main Street,” Reynolds said. “We’ve identified 17 of those within one block of an NFTA station. So park there, jump on the metro rail, and come in that way to avoid any traffic jams, because if you try and enter the center core around the harbor, you’ll get caught in traffic and just be miserable."
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