Tracy residents should consider themselves fortunate their weekend didn’t start out quite as washed out as in other areas.
While Marshall landed smack dab in the bullseye of Friday night’s large storm system with 7 inches of rain — 9 was reported in some areas of town — Tracy received just 1.4 inches. Some places near Milroy had more than 4 inches of rain.
In Walnut Grove, where about 4 inches fell, the “Fragments of a Dream” Pageant was shut down well before intermission. It was the fifth time in the pageant’s 48-year history that the show didn’t go on.
“At almost 11 o’clock, four of us were in the ticket booth draining ourselves of water, and this couldn’t see a damn thing,” said Richards, who noted his normal five-minute drive home took about one-half hour. “At 20 miles an hour, I was hydroplaning, even in my truck. Then we spent about five hours (Saturday) powerwashing, moving mud.”
Richards said the only living creatures that stayed at the pageant site were the horses used in the performances.
“We would’ve made room for them in the barn, but we were told they don’t go in the barn with that weather, they feel too confined,” Richards said. “That was the most important thing the next day — seeing if the horses were OK.”
With lightning and thunder becoming more prominent, Friday’s performance was eventually cut short after only four scenes, so there was little chance Act I could be completed. That, despite the fact that most people assumed the storm would stay to the north of Walnut.
“We had everyone up there looking at the app saying, ‘This is gonna miss us,’ and (Director) Erin (Richards) was looking at the clouds saying, ‘It’s green, we’re done,’” Richards said. “So she shut the lights off in the middle of the scene. Everyone went to their cars and 10 minutes later, the rain blasted us. The apps are close, but they’re not always accurate.”
After a mini-heat wave earlier this week, more rain fell Wednesday and rain is predicted for today (July 24). We’ll heat up again this weekend, likely hitting 90 degrees.
