NEWS

Woodville 4th of July plans shrink after flood

Rene Dix

WOODVILLE – Six months of planning for Woodville 4th of July celebration were almost washed away by one day of unrelenting rain. Saturday's downpour caused the Portage River to rise very quickly and flood Trail Marker Park where the annual celebration is held.

The tents went up on Friday and the celebration committee met to begin setting up on Saturday. They decided to hold off on most of the work due to the rain and the possibility of flooding, and concentrated on what could be done on higher ground. That decision paid off as several hours later the park was flooded.

Since the water continued to rise throughout the day Sunday, the committee called an emergency meeting that evening. After assessing the condition of the park, factoring in the upcoming week's weather forecast, and discussing the options, the decision was made to keep the celebration in Trail Marker Park but to make it a smaller, condensed version of the event.

"We're a nonprofit organization. We aren't here to make a profit. We are here to provide a community event for our community," said Lynn Bunn, committee president. "We are not going to let the water defeat us."

The committee contacted food vendors to let them know the park was flooded and that things would be scaled back. All of the vendors said they would still be there.

"My family has been part of the celebration since the 1940s," said the owner of Frank's Fries. "We'll be there."

Although there have been numerous suggestions for alternate locations, the committee decided against moving the celebration out of the park. The logistics of moving all of their equipment on such short notice, as well as the availability and cost of renting another set of tents, was prohibitive. Also, there was not enough time to apply for and receive a new license for the beer tent if it were to be moved away from the park.

Most of the events will continue as scheduled. Front stage entertainment for Friday and Saturday has been canceled due to the new front stage being so close to the new location of the beer tent. The Game Show scheduled for the front stage on Thursday night will now be located on the tennis court. The 5K Race, Car Show, and Grand Parade will go on as originally scheduled although the car show will be moved to College Avenue.

The schedule on the celebration website, www.woodville.net/fourth, will be updated. The most recent updates can be found on the committee's Facebook page, "Woodville 4th of July Celebration."