Hanna washes out Orange Street Festival

By Allison Brophy Champion

Published: September 6, 2008

The Orange County Chamber of Commerce held out hope to the very last minute that its 34th Annual Street Festival would go on as planned.

And though the phone message at the chamber office Saturday afternoon said “rain or shine” Tropical Storm Hanna shut down the event that usually attracts thousands of people.

An indoor book sale at the back of the James Madison Museum at 129 Caroline St., however, was open and attracting customers. The sale offers new and used books at discounted prices and also runs Sunday from noon to 5. All proceeds benefit the history museum.

Museum volunteers at the book sale said street festival vendors decided early Saturday, when rain was heaviest, that there was no point in setting up and that they knew of no plans to reschedule.

Outside around 1 p.m., light rain fell in Orange County, but overnight and into the morning heavy rains doused the area as Hanna made her way swiftly up the East Coast. The rain tapered off by 2 p.m. Saturday, replaced by gusty winds and cooler temperatures in the 70s.

Main Street in downtown Orange was open to moderate traffic Saturday afternoon, replacing the 160 vendors that had planned to sell their wares on the main thoroughfare. A few pedestrians walked around, huddled under umbrellas tugged by the wind.

The National Weather Service posted a flash flood warning for most of the area Saturday, including Orange County, until 5 p.m. A wind advisory was also in effect until 11 p.m. with forecasted wind gusts up to 45 miles per hour, expecting to diminsh after 8 p.m. The NWS urged extra caution when driving in the gusty winds and warned of possible minor property damage because of them.