You know the saying: when it rains, it pours. And it certainly poured Thursday in Neosho.
Summer showers kept the Newton County Fair from reaching its full potential, forcing the cancellation of the rides and festivities at the carnival, as well as preventing two music groups from holding concerts.
Chris Wolf, employee of Pride Amusements, said light rain wouldn’t have pushed the company to close, but there were periods of downpours that made riding too dangerous.
“I heard thunder,” he said. “Didn’t see any lightning.”
Though the farm animal shows continued into the evening, the decision not to open the amusement rides was made at 6 p.m. Neosho was under a flash flood advisory, which expired this morning.
“Hopefully, it (the carnival) reopen tomorrow,” Wolf said.
Two music groups — Folk & Roll and Shades of Blue — also could not perform. This decision was made around 7:30 p.m., half an hour before Folk & Roll was set to take the stage.
“We just didn’t want to do it in the rain, and with the ground being wet and the stage being wet, (there was) a higher cause for possible shock,” said Merisa King, entertainment chair.
The stage was located under some trees and without a roof. King briefly considered having one group play in a pavilion, but they ultimately decided it was unsafe.
“Even if it quits raining, they’re still concerned about (getting moisture on) electrical equipment,” she said. “We don’t want anyone getting hurt.”
Tonight, the Mark Chapman Band and Georgia Overdrive are scheduled to perform at 8 p.m., unless rain sets in again.
