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PITTSBURG —
All summer Pittsburg area residents have hoped for rain to come and end the drought.
It finally came, just in time to force some changes in all those carefully made plans for the 2012 Little Balkans Days.
The first casualty, on Friday, was an outdoor showing of the Tallgrass Film Festival Road Show scheduled by the Colonial Fox Theatre Foundation. Second was the baby contest, scheduled at 9 a.m. Saturday on the main stage at Seventh and Broadway.
“We don’t want babies out in weather like this, so the baby contest was canceled,” said Brett Dalton, president of the Little Balkans Festival Association.
That was sad news for Bridgette McReynolds, who came with her family from Joplin so that baby Gabrielle, 8 months, could be in the contest.
“We come to Little Balkans Days every year, and ever since Gabrielle was newborn I was saying that I was going to enter her in the baby contest this year,” McReynolds said. “But she can still be in the contest for a couple of more years.”
She added that the Little Balkans craft show is her family’s favorite event, but that she was afraid it was over, too. Actually, there were some vendors who came despite the weather.
“We had 71 vendors, but people were calling from out-of-state and saying that the rain was too heavy and they couldn’t come,” said Amanda Minton, LBFA vendor chairman. “From 7 to 8 a.m. the winds were too heavy, so we lost vendors. But even with the rain, sales have been good. The people who came out have been buying.”
Kathy Denny, Columbus, brought her Color Me Crazy face-painting booth. She considered moving off the street and under the awning of a vacant shop at 610 N. Broadway.
“I can deal with the rain, it’s the wind that plays havoc with us,” Denny said. “But I’m optimistic. I think the weather will clear up.”
She later moved back onto the street.
“The trailer beside us helps shield us, and the rain is the rain,” Denny said.
Noon Rotary went ahead with its traditional lemonade booth.
“Amazingly, we have had several customers,” member Joe Beauchamp said Saturday morning.
Carey Hedrick of Road Runner Sales also stayed.
“We’re from Newton, and that’s a 4 1/2 hour drive,” she said. “And our items are outdoor yard art, so the rain isn’t going to bother them.”
There was one ray of sunshine during the rainy morning, and that was the Sunshine Express, a two-car train operated by Cheryl and Larry Stolte, Girard. Stolte originally built it for the couple’s four grandchildren, and they later decided to take it to area festivals and fairs.
All summer Pittsburg area residents have hoped for rain to come and end the drought.
It finally came, just in time to force some changes in all those carefully made plans for the 2012 Little Balkans Days.
The first casualty, on Friday, was an outdoor showing of the Tallgrass Film Festival Road Show scheduled by the Colonial Fox Theatre Foundation. Second was the baby contest, scheduled at 9 a.m. Saturday on the main stage at Seventh and Broadway.
“We don’t want babies out in weather like this, so the baby contest was canceled,” said Brett Dalton, president of the Little Balkans Festival Association.
That was sad news for Bridgette McReynolds, who came with her family from Joplin so that baby Gabrielle, 8 months, could be in the contest.
“We come to Little Balkans Days every year, and ever since Gabrielle was newborn I was saying that I was going to enter her in the baby contest this year,” McReynolds said. “But she can still be in the contest for a couple of more years.”
She added that the Little Balkans craft show is her family’s favorite event, but that she was afraid it was over, too. Actually, there were some vendors who came despite the weather.
“We had 71 vendors, but people were calling from out-of-state and saying that the rain was too heavy and they couldn’t come,” said Amanda Minton, LBFA vendor chairman. “From 7 to 8 a.m. the winds were too heavy, so we lost vendors. But even with the rain, sales have been good. The people who came out have been buying.”
Kathy Denny, Columbus, brought her Color Me Crazy face-painting booth. She considered moving off the street and under the awning of a vacant shop at 610 N. Broadway.
“I can deal with the rain, it’s the wind that plays havoc with us,” Denny said. “But I’m optimistic. I think the weather will clear up.”
She later moved back onto the street.
“The trailer beside us helps shield us, and the rain is the rain,” Denny said.
Noon Rotary went ahead with its traditional lemonade booth.
“Amazingly, we have had several customers,” member Joe Beauchamp said Saturday morning.
Carey Hedrick of Road Runner Sales also stayed.
“We’re from Newton, and that’s a 4 1/2 hour drive,” she said. “And our items are outdoor yard art, so the rain isn’t going to bother them.”
There was one ray of sunshine during the rainy morning, and that was the Sunshine Express, a two-car train operated by Cheryl and Larry Stolte, Girard. Stolte originally built it for the couple’s four grandchildren, and they later decided to take it to area festivals and fairs.
“The train is covered, so that helps,” Mrs. Stolte said. “We’ve been getting a lot of passengers.”
The weather did improve later in the afternoon, but not before other cancellations had to be made. That included the 1 p.m. pet contest, and performances by the Pittsburg Family YMCA Academy of Dance and the Dance Pitt.
“The dancers wanted to do it, but we couldn’t bring our sound equipment out in the drizzle and it really wasn’t a safe environment for the dancers,” Dalton said.
The Junior King and Queen Pageant was held, but not on the main stage at Seventh and Broadway. Instead, youngsters and judges took refuge from the rain in the entry of the Finishing Touch shop. King, for the second year, was Landen Ward, and Addison Bennett was chosen queen, with Alexa Salas as first runner-up. The three youngsters are cousins.
The main stage was to have been the site for the Little Balkans street dance, with Area 51 scheduled to play from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., and headline band “Livewire” from 7 to 10 p.m.
Instead, the wet, slippery stage stood unused.
“We moved ‘Area 51’ to 505, and ‘Livewire’ to Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium,” Dalton said.
Less affected was the Little Balkans Folklife Festival at Pritchett Pavilion, hosted by J.T. Knoll. Also, the John Yoger Polka Band was able to play there as planned Saturday night.
The Little Balkans Tennis Tournament was washed out Saturday but rescheduled for today at Four Oaks Tennis Courts. Singles play will start around 8:30 a.m., with doubles starting around 11:30 a.m.
Other activities scheduled today are the Little Balkans Days 3 Person Scramble Golf Tournament at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. at Four Oaks Golf Course, Little Balkans Guild Quilt Show from noon to 4 p.m. on the lower level of Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium, a bocci tournament at 1 p.m. in Lincoln Park and the fishing derby from 6 to 8 p.m. at Lakeside Park.
