Fox Valley's folk festival falls victim to flooding

Fox River flooding has silenced the annual Fox Valley Folk Music and Storytelling Festival.

Festival organizers canceled the Labor Day weekend event Friday morning.

"We're calling it off. We can't find an alternate spot," said Juel Ulven, founder of the 31-year-old festival. "We explored all the options that we could."

The festival's venue, Island Park in Geneva, is flooded. Even if the water recedes, the ground would be too soggy to accommodate the crowds, as well as the tents, stages, golf carts and other items used to put on the two-day event.

Some of the festival equipment, including most of the electrical power panels, wiring, tents and staging pallets, are stored in the pavilion building at the park -- which is taking in water. Ulven doesn't know if the equipment would be usable even if he could reach it.

"This would have been our 31st year. We have never even been close (to being canceled)," he said.

Organizers discussed moving it to Wheeler Park at Route 31 and Stevens Street, but park officials said that would still be wet from the rains. And parking is limited. At Island Park, festival visitors can park at the nearby Kane County Government Center and the downtown Geneva Metra station lots.

Ulven and volunteers spent Friday calling vendors to cancel golf cart and sound system equipment rentals and notifying artists.

"We'll be there next year," Ulven said.