Rain brings early end to fi rst day of ComFest
Heavy rain and winds forced ComFest to close early Friday afternoon, hours after opening for the weekend.
The three-day festival shut down at 1 p.m. in an effort to protect the Goodale Park grounds from damage, according to its website. It had been scheduled to run until 11 p.m.
“I think it’s a penance for last year since it didn’t rain at all,” said Katya Philmore, who was setting up her vintage clothing booth, Splendor Revival.
Organizers and volunteers blamed rain from Tropical Storm Cindy coming through the Midwest as the cause of closing. The Columbus area was expected to receive 2 to 3 inches of rain Friday, said James Gibson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wilmington.
The weather service issued flash flood warnings for 29 counties in Ohio, including Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Franklin, Licking, Madison, Pickaway and Union counties through late Friday.
Longtime volunteer Kim Russell, along with her brother, Steve, and nieces, Katie and Mimi, braved the elements to work as street
fair volunteers. She said the weather wouldn’t stop them from volunteering.
“It makes it more personal, more than just a beer and boobs festival,” she said.
Frank Tennyson, a Columbus native and 15-year ComFest attendee, said wet conditions could never stop him from coming out.
“There’s more peace and love here per square inch than anywhere else in the world.”
This isn’t the first time rain has washed out the yearly community festival. Relentless rain caused organizers to shut down the festival in 2014 and 2015.
ComFest will reopen Saturday morning.
Friday’s rain also forced the postponement of a play and two concerts, but another was expected to proceed as planned.
The Actors’ Theatre of Columbus’ Friday presentation of Pride & Prejudice at Schiller Park in German Village was canceled. Saturday and Sunday presentations are expected to go on as scheduled.
The Friday performance by Lil Wayne, an outdoor show scheduled for Express Live, was postponed.
The concert has been rescheduled for July 7 at Express Live. Tickets purchased for the Friday show will be honored at that date.
Friday night’s Rhythm on the River concert on the Scioto Mile featuring the Fabulous Thunderbirds also was canceled.
However, the Picnic With the Pops concert taking place on Friday at John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons was expected to take place. On Friday morning, Rolanda Copley, a spokeswoman for the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts, said that chances of cancellation were “very slim.”
Saturday and Sunday are expected to be dry, with highs of 80 on Saturday and 77 on Sunday.