BridgeFest 2012 was a big washout Saturday.
The rain was so unrelenting at the Flats Saturday morning officials were forced to cancel the day-long festival of music and activities for the first time in the event's four-year history.
"Heartbreaking" was the word Battleford mayor Chris Odishaw used to describe the decision. But they really had no other choice, he said.
A steady pelting of rain, which started overnight Friday and continued most of Saturday, turned the Battleford Flats into a swamp. That was especially true in the food venue area, where the grounds were turned completely to mud.
The forecast had not been encouraging in the days leading to the event. Rainy and windy conditions were predicted, but organizers had expected conditions would improve by the afternoon.
However, it was clear Saturday morning the miserable weather was going to last throughout most of the afternoon, and it was already wreaking havoc on the grounds at the Flats. The rain made it difficult for people to get around the grounds in vehicles. "People were getting stuck," said Odishaw.
With the promise of a miserable rain-soaked day to come, organizers made the difficult decision to cancel the entire day of entertainment and events at 9 a.m.
Odishaw called the decision to cancel the "hardest call of our four-year BridgeFest committee. It was a tough call."
Among the musical acts falling by the wayside was the headliner Big Wreck - an unfortunately apt title, as Odishaw noted.
"It was a wreck of a day - a big wreck," said Odishaw.
Among the factors behind the decision to cancel the event was concern about liability issues, with people possibly getting stuck or into accidents.
"That location was not the greatest location when it is raining," admitted Odishaw.
As well, Odishaw noted it would have been a miserable day for volunteers at the event, and that volunteers could not be expected to stand in the rain and mud.
Another factor was the dangers associated with concerts playing in bad weather - a legitimate fear, given the widely-reported stage collapses and fatalities that happened at other outdoor events, such as the 2009 Big Valley Jamboree in Alberta.
While he didn't particularly mention those incidents, Odishaw did point to the danger of having artists play in bad weather. The contract with the main band had a clause where the artists would not play in inclement weather, he noted.
"The stage and the equipment getting rained on is not good," said Odishaw.
The rain eventually stopped late Saturday afternoon, but the condition of the grounds was poor long afterwards. Water and mud covered a good portion of the Flats grounds and parking lot as late as Sunday.
Odishaw noted that if they tried to go on with the event, the beer gardens and the parking lot would have been "ripped to shreds."
Postponing BridgeFest to another date was not possible, Odishaw said, due to the difficulties associated with booking entertainment for a particular day.
The organizing committee went into immediate cost-recovery mode as soon as the cancellation took effect. While the event itself was cancelled, some food vendors did open for business on the BridgeFest site Sunday.
Western Development Museum moved their annual pancake breakfast to Sunday morning at the Flats grounds and a number of food booths were open that afternoon as well.
Those venues attracted a number of customers Sunday, one of them remarking that despite the rain the party must still go on.
Still, it was a quiet day, with the Flats grounds looking more like a ghost town with empty stands and beer gardens seating still in place.
While most musical acts fell by the wayside at least one scheduled act, Thick as Thieves, announced they would move their show to the Windsor Hotel Saturday night.
As for the headliner Big Wreck, they were met at the Saskatoon airport and re-routed out within an hour and a half of their arrival.
What was most unfortunate was that the rain happened to fall on that one particular day. BridgeFest could have proceeded given Friday's conditions, and the weather on Sunday and Monday turned out to be beautiful.
"It's one day in the seven-day calendar," Odishaw lamented.
The organizing committee was scheduled to meet again Monday to plan next steps, which may include plans for what to do with the fireworks that were supposed to light up the valley skies Saturday.
