Rain could affect weekend events
Published 9:48 am Friday, June 7, 2019
Though the weekend weather forecast is ominous, the Beer Cheese Festival, Rock the Block and the Big Cheesy 5K are all still moving forward.
Main Street Winchester director Rachel Alexander said Saturday’s Beer Cheese Festival will happen rain or shine. If it rains Saturday, it would be the first time in the festival’s history, she said. Twice it rained early festival morning, but it stopped before vendors arrived to set up their booths, she said.
“Hopefully the weather will clear and all this will be moot,” Alexander said.
In the event of severe weather, the festival would be canceled and would not be rescheduled, she said.
“With a festival this size with this many moving parts, (rescheduling) is not logistically possible,” Alexander said. “It will be a historic event if it does rain.”
Weather could play a factor in Friday night’s events as well. The Weather Channel is projecting an 80 percent chance of thunderstorms today and Saturday.
If rain threatens, Rock the Block with One Way Street would be called off and hopefully rescheduled, Alexander said. Last year, two Rock the Block concerts were rained out, but only one could be rescheduled, she said.
Alexander said a decision would be made around mid-day today about Rock the Block.
Friday’s other event, the Big Cheesy 5K will happen as well, unless there is extreme weather at the start, Clark County Homeless Coalition director Terry Davidson said.
“Our plan is to do it no matter what,” Davidson said. “If there’s a deluge or lightning at race time, we’ll call it.”
The race in downtown Winchester is a fundraiser for the homeless coalition.
All events are moving ahead as scheduled. Alexander said two more professional beer cheese vendors have signed up, including one Thursday morning, bringing the total to 13. Festival-goers will purchase beer cheese bucks which allow them to taste several kinds of beer cheese and vote for the people’s choice award.