Gloucester's annual Boat Parade of Lights and Labor Day Weekend fireworks display, scheduled for Saturday night, has been canceled because of the weather forecast and the anticipated effects of Hurricane Earl.
Barry Pett of the Gloucester Fund, the organizer of the annual event, said today that concerns about lingering wind from the storm, now expected to pass Cape Ann late Friday night, and the strain on public safety agencies prompted organizers to put off the parade and fireworks until next year.
The Saturday evening parade and fireworks usually come with a Sunday rain date, but Pett said the forecast made even the rain date problematic.
Pett also said the storm was expected to infringe on boat owner's ability to decorate their boats for the parade.
Gloucester and Cape Ann remain under a Tropical Storm Watch from the National Weather Service, with winds and rain from an offshore pass by Earl expected Friday night through Saturday morning.
The latest cancellations follow on the heels of at least one other casualty of Hurricane Earl before the storm even approaches Cape Ann's shores. The Friday night Downtown Block Party, hosted by a coalition of downtown merchants and businesses, has also been canceled.
The Gloucester Schooner Festival, however, is on, with races and other events planed for Saturday and Sunday, with Monday as a rain date if necessary.
Sunday's "Celebrate Gloucester" concert, the 3-10 p.m. music extravaganza planned for the city's I-4, C-2 site on the waterfront, is also on, featuring Roomful of Blues, Charles Neville, Henri Smith and many other artists.
We will update this story here at gloucestertimes.com as more information becomes available. For full coverage of local storm preparations, look to tomorrow's print and online editions of the Gloucester Daily Times and gloucestertimes.com.
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