Outdoor event organizers ‘glad it’s not a heat wave’ ahead of possibly stormy weekend
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With a severe weather warning in effect this weekend in the Portland metro area, local events aren’t slowing down one bit.
Rain or shine, people organizing outdoor events are still keeping their doors open and they’re expecting a lot of people to come.
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Warm sunny skies may soon transform into cloudy ones with rain in a mere 24 hours. However, that is not stopping outdoor events like Multnomah Days from putting on a good show.
“Any well-run outdoor event has a plan A, and a plan B, and sometimes a Plan C,” said Peter-Tolin Baker, the president and board of directors for Multnomah Days. “We’re just glad it’s not a heat wave because frankly, a little cloud and maybe a little rain is a lot easier for our local folks than heat over 90 degrees, which becomes a little more of a challenge.”
The Multnomah Neighborhood’s street fair runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. Organizers said they’ll be tracking the forecast and may ask vendors to close up shop early if things get too blustery.
Even so, “We just really welcome everybody in the Portland metro area to come and enjoy,” Baker said.
Meanwhile, at the Lan Su Chinese Garden in Old Town, their Summer Night’s Garden is still on the calendar. Despite the potential for rough weather, organizers said people will still be able to enjoy the live music and iconic glowing lanterns.
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Saturday will include Qixi Festival celebrations, colloquially known in the west as Chinese Valentine’s Day. The mythology involves two lovers, normally separated by a river of stars, who can only meet once per year.
“No matter rain or shower, you’re not going to separate the lovers,” said Katrina Sullivan, a spokesperson for Lan Su Chinese Garden.
Sullivan said in order to not get guests wet, they will have a lot of cover over most of the open-air spaces.
“We can totally move things slightly indoors, and then people can still kind of walk through this place, like freely and enjoy everything we have planned,” she said.
KOIN 6 News also spoke with people running the Beaverton Night Market who told us they’ll have an emergency manager on site, keeping an eye on the weather Saturday. They said if lightning approaches, the emcees will let people know to go inside or even go home if it persists. They’ll also be giving out ponchos to people, just in case.
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