Events cancelled, rescheduled in hurricane’s wake
Published 9:27 pm Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Hurricane Matthew has left a series of cancelled events in its wake.
As cleanup continues and local waterways rise as Matthew’s torrential rain makes its way downstream, organizers are finding dates to reschedule some major events, including a political candidate forum, a visit from the Elizabeth II and a spectator favorite at Smoke on the Water: dragon boat races.
The Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce and the Washington Daily News canceled the joint forum that was to be held on Tuesday night at Beaufort County Community College. The event, featuring political candidates in both local and state races has been rescheduled for next Tuesday at 6 p.m. in BCCC’s Building 8 auditorium.
Sound Rivers officials said too many factors were working against its dragon boat races, which have been a crowd-pleaser at the last two years of Smoke on the Water, Washington’s waterfront barbecue festival.
“There were a couple of issues. We had fewer confirmed teams than we had hoped; a number of those were recreation and parks in Kinston and first responders here in Beaufort County,” said Harrison Marks, executive director of Sound Rivers. “This was not a week that we could call those people and say, ‘We need your commitment.’”
Smoke on the Water is scheduled for Oct. 22, but even 10 days out, water quality was also taken into consideration in the decision to cancel, as participants could be exposed to contaminants washed into the river by floodwaters.
“There certainly are concerns of what’s going to be in the river,” Marks said. “We also have everybody we’ve got working and focusing on what’s going with the rivers. … It’s not a good thing. We’re not real happy about it, needless to say, and I wish we were in a different position.”
At Arts of the Pamlico, the 52nd-annual Fine Arts Show has been rescheduled to Nov. 3 and artists are being given an extra submission date for work on Oct. 31, in addition to the original date of Oct. 16. An opening reception will be held on Nov. 2 for AOP members, artists and invited guests.
“We added a day and scooted the whole show back,” said Debra Torrence, executive director of Arts of the Pamlico. “We lost our juror because the dates didn’t work out, so we’re reaching to the North Carolina Arts Council to find a new juror.”
Torrence also said that two movies first scheduled for Saturday, and cancelled because of Matthew’s approach, will be rescheduled. “Hocus Pocus” will now play Saturday at 4 p.m. and “Jaws” — in which Washington native Murray Hamilton played a major role — will play Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Beaufort County Police Activities League’s annual dinner/dance originally scheduled for Saturday has been postponed to Dec. 3. The venue will change from Washington Civic Center to the Washington Yacht & Country Club.
“PAL’s tradition of providing fine food at our annual dinner/dance will continue with the restaurant facilities that the country club is providing: a full-course meal,” said Al Powell, president of BCPAL.
In Bath, the historic replica ship Elizabeth II was scheduled this week to be docked on the creek, as a guest of Historic Bath State Historic Site. However, due to the hurricane and subsequent flooding, the ship was unable to sail from its home port of Roanoke Island. According to historic interpreter Elizabeth Midyette, the historic site hopes to reschedule the visit in November.