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Will this year’s Chesapeake Jubilee be a washout?

Posted at 7:03 PM, May 15, 2014
and last updated 2014-05-15 19:03:01-04

Chesapeake, Va. - The rides are ready and vendors are setting up for the 31st annual Chesapeake Jubilee.

This is in celebration of the city's 51st birthday.

But the party, which lasts all weekend, could be a washout with the threat of storms headed this way until Saturday.

Gray skies were already looming above this afternoon, and vendors like Margie Pendergrass whose entire livelihood relies on outdoor events, are worried the weather will keep people away.

“We’ve had rain off the last two years. I know it's not only hurt the vendors, it's hurt the jubilee itself because if we aren't making money, they aren't making money so everybody gets hurt,” says Pendergrass.

But the event's executive director, Dorothy Kowalski, is keeping an eye on the weather. She’s ready to cancel or postpone any activity if it’s unsafe. She says staff will be updating the jubilee's website and Facebook page with any changes due to weather.

“We try to stay open as much as we can in the event there is an emergency or a real public safety. We will probably do something more drastic. It may change our timing, but we would like for you to stay with our website,” says Kowalski.

But until the storms roll in she says the party will go on.