Crowds defy rain Sunday at the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival
LAFAYETTE (KPIX) -- The return of the Lafayette Art and Wine Festival over the weekend came after a pandemic delay and rain on Sunday kept some activities from taking place as planned.
"People want to get out, they want to enjoy the outdoors," said Jay Lifson, the Layafette Chamber of Commerce executive director. "Absolutely there's concerns. Whenever safety is involved there's concerns so we have been monitoring it all week long."
The event which features live music, arts and crafts as well as beer and wine tasting has drawn as many as 65,000 people in one weekend. Some vendors did not return this year because of the rain but most did show up Sunday.
"No question that the forecast for rain kept a lot of people away today," said Ignacio Vega with Village Associates Real Estate. "Because of the weather app that tells you it's going to rain between certain hours, people have planned and now know, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., there's a little window."
Live music stages had rain gear and performers stopped during the rain as a precaution. Among vendors at the annual street fair were local nonprofits trying to raise awareness for their causes.
"The weather has been a challenge. We were out here yesterday too and we had a lot more foot traffic," said Awais Mughal with the Park Theater Trust
Volunteers play a crucial role making the event a success each year. Some high school water polo players were part of the team this weekend who helped keep vendors dry with tents.
"We're part of the community and we want to give back during our water polo season," said Ana Pieper, who volunteered with her teammates.
Family activities like a large slide had to close on Sunday due to safety concerns but other attractions like a petting zoo entertained people of all ages.
"We worked really hard as a chamber of commerce to make sure the businesses were going to be successful and stay open," Lifson told KPIX. "Our motto here is 'when it rains, we pour!'"