Torrential morning rain and a power outage that swept through downtown Fort Langley wasn’t enough to keep people away from the 21st annual Cranberry Festival.
The celebration of the tart red berry saw a section of Glover Road closed to traffic to accommodate the vendors who set up in the middle for the road, while Mary Avenue was also pedestrian only, to allow visitors to check out the food trucks parked along that street.
By late morning, the landscape was thick with tents and umbrellas.
Ocean Spray cranberries were bagged by volunteers and sold to visitors near the Fort Langley Community Hall.
(Read more below)
And, north of the festival in the Fraser River, the Cranberry Regatta, hosted by the Fort Langley Canoe Club, went on as scheduled.
Teams tested their paddling skills aboard voyageur canoes.
The power was out for a couple of hours in the morning, noted festival coordinator Meghan Neufeld.
“We had a backup generator that we used to power the stage,” Neufeld said. “It saved the entertainment, absolutely.”
Neufeld said considering there was a weather warning throughout the Fraser Valley, “we were very surprised at the number of people who came out and very happy with the number of people who come out.”
Neufeld estimated that between 25,000 and 30,000 people took in the festival.
Some vendors didn’t come due to the weather, but those who did brave the conditions were pleased, Neufeld said.
“I spoke to one returning vendor who said sales were only down 10 percent from last year and that was midday,” she added. “Everybody seemed to be in pretty good spirits.”
• Click here for more photos from the festival
