avoided

Bob Sloan

Editor

The show must go on.

Despite the day-long showers, occasional thunder and a hour-long power outage, the show did in fact go on.

This year's Spring Festival did not get pulled off without a hitch, but the mere fact that the event even took place is a true credit to organizers, emergency personnel, vendors and participants. Oh yes, and all those brave souls who weathered the storm to watch, buy, eat and have fun.

The rain was expected. Maybe not so much, but expected nevertheless. Vendors still set up shop, Confederate re-enactors still set up camp and the cooks at First UMC still set up the kitchen.

Yes, many of the entertainment events did not take place. No, this year's Spring Festival was not the biggest and best ever.

It was, however, far from the worst.

It came close.

Shortly after noon, a large tree fell and struck a major transformer, cutting off electricity to much of the town - including all off downtown. Emergency personnel quickly manned intersections to direct traffic and eliminate the chance of wrecks. CP&L workers had power restored within an hour.

The combination of pouring rain and no power could very well have been a recipe for disaster. Instead, a quick, composed reaction by many helped restore order in a short amount time.

A tip of the hat goes to all those who stepped up when it counted.

As for the Spring Festival - there's always next year.