Bloomfield Fall Fest a success despite weather

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- Before the first police car reached the Stoddard County Justice Center, rain began to fall on the Bloomfield Fall Fest Parade.

Despite the weather, the crowd of several hundred mostly stayed for the parade and the festivities that followed.

Bands marched on and convertibles quickly raised their tops as spectators looked for nearby shelter while the first shower moved through.

"All in all, it went fantastic," said Sue Tippen, president of the Bloomfield Lion's Club that organizes the event.

After the parade, the attention was shifted to the property of the Bloomfield R-XIV School District. The remaining festivities were set out along the edges of the street, which cuts through the property.

Tippen said the organization originally had 37 booths sold--a record number. However, due to the weather a few did not make it out for the event.

Some of the musical performances were cancelled due to the threat of rain and lightning. A violin performance, however, did go on as scheduled.

At 1:30 p.m., Tippen checked the weather radar on her phone and decided to suggest to those operating booths that they go ahead and pack up to avoid the impending weather.

Everything was cleaned up and finished before the heaviest of the rains arrived.

Tippen said she feels the decision to have the event on Saturday made a big difference this year in terms of booth rentals and attendance.

"It was the right call," Tippen said. "I think this is something we will keep in mind as we move forward and host events."

Had the weather not eventually drawn the festival to a close, she said she thinks people would have stayed much later in the afternoon.

"Attendance was good throughout the day even with the occasional showers.

Bloomfield Fall Festival and Parade are held annually on the first weekend in October in conjunction with the beauty pageants hosted separately by the Bloomfield Women's Club.