KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Municipal workers are gearing up for what officials expect will be the largest free party in the city’s history.
Preparations have started earlier compared to the Royals World Series celebration of four years ago. At 2 p.m. Tuesday police will begin ticketing and towing vehicles parked along the parade route on Grand Boulevard to get ready for a mass of humanity expected to descend upon downtown.
During the Royals parade, police say there were 100 children reported lost by their parents.
That’s why this time, police are setting up six child reunification centers along the parade route and urging parents to take cellphone photos of their children in the clothing they will be wearing on Wednesday, to make them easier to find.
“If you become separated from your child you can’t count on mobile service being active,” said Major Chip Huth of the KCPD. “You might not be able to use your cellphone given the size of the crowd. Steps you take ahead of time will be very important to get them back to you.”
Roving Emergency Medical Service crews will be holding up bright green flags so if fans need medical assistance, they should be able to spot them in the crowd.
Four years ago, organizers had only 200 portable toilets set up along the parade route. Wednesday there will be 700, the most for any event in the city’s history, according to Kathy Nelson, president of the Greater Kansas City Sports Commission.
Six LED big screens will be operating so fans can view the rally near the National World War One Museum.
Shuttle buses will start earlier this time too, with the first buses leaving five different locations beginning at 7 a.m. Although the Area Transportation Authority says it shuttled about 300,000 people to the parade in 2015, park-and-ride sites were overwhelmed and many fans never made it downtown. The ATA claims this time it will have more than 425 buses assigned to the task, including school buses.