Many Harrisonburg High School sports teams and clubs rely on different fundraising opportunities to increase their financial backing. The girls’ cross country team is no exception. On top of holding a summer car wash and bake sale, the team also worked at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds on August 18 and 19. Because of the numbers of cars traveling through the fairgrounds, much help is needed to accommodate the parking needs.

“We basically just wave people past the lots that are full so they don’t park in them,” sophomore Ellie Pruett-Fiederlein said.

Four of the team members worked two-hour shifts, each performing the same job of keeping cars from driving into the lots that had reached capacity. However, the drivers were not always willing to cooperate with the workers.

“It’s frustrating when you’re standing in the middle of the road to keep people from coming into the parking lot and they still try to get in and almost run you over,” junior Taylor McDonnell said.

Despite the sometimes trying nature of the job, the girls do agree that their profits will be appreciated when the cross country team needs extra funding.

This is part of a series on the Rockingham County Fair. For more, click here.