About half of the 140 artists participating in the "Wayzata Art Experience" had already set up their booths when the storm hit about 7:30 p.m. (Wayzata is a western suburb of the Twin Cities.) Winds were measured at 60-80 mph and lasted 15 minutes. Trees and powerlines came down, and it is amazing that no artists were hurt when the tents started tumbleweeding down the street. The winds did not discriminate and took out EZ-Ups and more expensive tents. My neighbor had 100 lbs. of Happy Feet on each corner of her tent and although the weights stayed put, her Light Dome frame legs snapped and buckled. Lowering EZ-ups to the lowest profile offered no protection This was one of those storms that there wasn't anything you could do to protect your tent other than take it down before the storm hit. I counted 3 tents still standing when the storm ended; I wish I had examined them closer following the storm to see what advantage they had over the others that were destroyed. Some artists, of course, lost their artwork; there is nothing sadder than seeing someone's beautiful paintings lying in a puddle of water on the pavement. Had the storm happened on Saturday afternoon, I hate to think of what could've happened with a crowd in the area. The show organizers tried to find tents for the artists to rent for the weekend, but early Saturday morning had to cancel the show for many reasons, not the least of which was there were still powerlines down, no traffic lights operating, trees to be cleared from the streets, and more thunderstorms forecast for the rest of the weekend. The show organizers did a great job in a difficult situation, in my opinion, to take care of the artists and protect the public. Some of the artists are asking the show organizers for a refund because the show was cancelled. Other artists disagree, saying that the show organizers held up their end of the bargain by spending registration fees for advertising and promotion, and that they shouldn't be held responsible for a terrible storm. You can see more photos of the damage on my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/media/set/?set=a.596505980371301.1073741829.118024891552748&type=1
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So sorry to hear!
Ouch! What an awful result. Thanks for reporting in.
I saw a picture where a tree fell over onto a booth and demolished it. I learned a long time ago not to put my work up until the morning. Too many things can happen overnight.
What's with the weather, this year? One show I was at, had record low temps on the first day of the show. At another, I packed up after the first day because of the wind and the cold. I had never done that before.
Not to be flippant or disrespectful, but, I wonder what brand of tent survived this?
Is it time for me to do a tent survey? Oh no, the dreaded tent discussion ...
I am happy to hear that no one was injured and that you did not lose your artwork, losing the tent/display is enough heartbreak. I wish you better luck in the future, the weather this years seems to be causing problems all over the country.
So there was no show at all? Wow, everyone is probably still reeling from the effects and the scare.
When did this happen? the day before the show?
That's correct: there was no show at all. The storm happened Friday night, and the show was cancelled early Saturday morning when it became apparent that it was unwise to encourage thousands of customers to come to the show. No power, no traffic lights, and more severe weather forecast. Not to mention half of the artists were now without tents. It was a pretty ugly storm. I read in the newspaper that 600,000 households were without power; as of this morning, 60,000 still waiting to get their electricity back. 400 trees blown down in the area. As an artist, I've gritted my teeth through a lot of thunderstorms on show weekends, but this one was far from typical.
OMG, so sorry for all of the artists, this is always my worst fear! I hope that you were able to save your artwork.
I was one of the lucky ones, Jacquelyn, as I only lost my tent. I never put my artwork in my tent at night because of my concerns about severe weather. Had I lost my artwork, I would be an emotional (and financial) mess right now. It really does amaze me, though, that no one was injured.