MONCTON – The Moncton West and Riverview Rotary Club came up short of their financial goal after post-tropical storm Arthur meant they had to cancel some of their weekend event.
Ribfest was successful on Friday and Sunday, but the food portion had to be cancelled Saturday because of the storm. Organizers confirmed they’ve come up short of their financial goal. The money was meant to go to charities across the city.
And the storm has left other event organizers worried about their own upcoming events.
Final preparations are underway for the Shediac Lobster Festival, which begins Wednesday in Shediac, N.B.
“If you talk Lobster Fest in Shediac, this is what sticks out,” said Danny Pellerin, the Director of Economic Development & Tourism in Shediac. “Entertainment, music, family, lobster-eating contest, children’s parade.”
But like many outdoor events that draw thousands of people to the province, the success of the festival depends on the weather. This means, a rainy day can have a big impact.
“The weather is going to be playing a key factor for us here,” Pellerin said. “Shediac, being a resort town, is very well known for our pristine beach and tourism. The sun is a huge factor.”
This is also the case for the Atlantic Nationals auto show, which gets underway in Moncton on Thursday. Last year, more than 100,000 people attended the festival’s four days and organizers are expecting just as many people this year.
“If we were to have a complete rain out some year, we would be in a very tough strait to try and put the show together,” said Atlantic Nationals chair Bill Doherty. “If you’re local and you look out the window and it looks really crummy out, maybe I won’t go out today. Maybe I’ll try tomorrow.”
Atlantic Nationals is a not-for-profit and uses the money from registrations to pay for the activities during the festival. Money that is raised during the festival itself is donated to charity.
So fingers are crossed the weather won’t dampen spirits of this week’s big events.
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