Wind Wrecks Booth At Fall Fest
Author: MT43 News Staff Reporter
Wind Wrecks Booth at Fall Fest
MT43 News Staff Reporter
Charlie and Michelle Hatley of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho finished setting up their booth at Fall Fest Friday night with earrings and trinkets Friday night, satisfied it would be a good selling weekend for them. They returned Saturday morning to find their tent completely wrecked and their goods nowhere to be seen. The high wind alert hit somewhere between 10:00 pm and midnight. Then again in the middle of the night.
According to Rotarian Phil Knaub, the high wind hit about 10:00 pm. It had been forecast in a high wind alert from the weather station. He said he waited it out so he could empty the garbage cans from that evening. "I knew if I left them unemptied, garbage would be all over the place and I would be stuck picking up garbage at 11:o'clock at night so I just waited," he said.
Charlie and Michelle didn’t know where to begin. Much of their stock was lost, and their tent wrecked, but folks in neighboring booths pitched right in one lady came up with another tent. People spent time tracking down earring sets and cutting boards. “One lady even brought Michelle sandwiches and a drink, so she could settle down a little,” Charlie laughed.
Aimie Spivak of Bozeman, whose permanent jewelry booth was right next to Charlie and Michelle, said she also set up Friday night, then panicked all night about whether her tent would hold. Sure enough, the Hatley’s tent collapsed onto hers. “Fortunately, I had an extra tent in my car, so I could set up again,” she said.
According to Rotarian and event organizer Laura Obert, other tents were torn down during the second heavy wind but were quickly replaced with help from neighbors. Obert said this year’s booths numbered 117. The Sheriff’s Department reported between 8,000 and 10,000 attendees enjoyed the event.
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks, MT43News Photographer
Image 1 Caption: Permanent Jewelry Booth owner Aimee Spivak of Bozeman.
Nancy Marks, MT43News Photographer
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Image 2 Caption: Charlie and Michelle Hatley were all smiles Saturday after they were able to rebuild their booth.
Nancy Marks, MT43News Photographer
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Image 3 Caption: Airbrush face painting was all the rage as children and parents waited in line.
Nancy Marks, MT43News Photographer
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Image 4 Caption: Cliff and Connie Preston trip the light fantastic to the country music.
Nancy Marks, MT43News Photographer
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Image 5 Caption: Rotarian Linda Cousineau grills some of the 1,000s of brats served. The kitchen crew ran out of food late Sunday afternoon.
Nancy Marks, MT43News Photographer
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