PORT CLINTON, Ohio — The flood waters from Friday's severe weather put a damper on the annual Walleye Festival in Port Clinton.
It's now rescheduled to next Thursday to Sunday, but there's still a lot to clean up.
"Not having the festival last year impacted the city so much," Main Street Port Clinton president Nicole Kochensparger said, "and to go through this again."
Kochensparger is shocked like everyone else by the damage of Friday's weather.
"The water breached the walls and just kept rushing in," she said, "and I don't think there's anything anybody could have done or to prepare for this."
Mayor Mike Snider was out near Waterworks Park when the flooding began and says it took mere minutes to overtake it.
"The water came up so fast and in places I had never seen," he said. "Many of the old timers said they've never seen it like this."
The festival will now run next week. Advance tickets for the rides will be honored and all vendors are welcome to come back.
But what can't be changed is the damage suffered by vendors.
"It was kind of like living in the middle of a hurricane," Brett Minton said.
Kenneth Tuttle from Michigan described it as "Niagara falls coming over top at you."
Both men are just two of dozens of vendors affected by the flooding. All of the vendors are supposed to have insurance, but Tuttle says most don't cover flooding.
"There should be some kind of government assistance because this is not controlled by us," he added.
They risked electric shock by stepping into the water while the power was still on inside the park and lines were downed, but Minton described the harsh reality they faced.
"It was pretty cold when we were in there walking," he said, "but it's like you either save your merchandise or lose thousands of dollars."
Snider did declare a state of emergency which should open the door to some state funds to help those affected, but there's still much to be done before the show can go on next week.
You can follow Main Street Port Clinton's Facebook page for updates on the festival, and stay tuned on air, online and on our free WTOL 11 News app for more.
