BatFest carries on in the rain
When organizers of various Batavia events welcomed the addition of the bandshell at the Peg Bond Center on the city's Riverwalk, they knew there'd be days like Saturday.
The bandshell allowed people to stay out of the rain to announce winners and hand out awards early Saturday morning when the 10th annual BatFest kicked off with its second running of the ‘Bat'avia 5K Run and Walk.
The weather couldn't have been better for the runners at the 8 a.m. start, but by 9 a.m. Mother Nature pulled some Halloween-type black magic by producing the first significant rainfall in weeks – but at least waiting until most participants had finished.
A raindrop never hit Ed Burnal of North Aurora, the first runner to cross the finish line at 17:50.
“I'm actually a cyclist and I just do these types of runs in the late fall and winter,” said Burnal. “These types of 5k events, like this one or area Turkey Trots, are perfect for me.”
The first female to finish was Sanya Syerstad of Glen Ellyn, who crossed at 18:56.
“The weather was really nice,” she said. “I'm a marathon runner, so these short distances are good as part of my training.”
The Batavia United Way, which organized and was benefited by the 5K, saw the event grow to 337 runners this year, up from the year's first race with 70 participants.
The steady rain dampened the start of other BatFest activities, though youngsters in Halloween costumes were making their way through downtown Batavia for trick-or-treats – with parents armed with umbrellas.
The popular pumpkin roll down Houston Street didn't have many takers during the rain, but Boy Scout Troop 6 leaders from Bethany Lutheran Church in charge of the event, Rhonda Schlicher and Eric Berggren, were hoping for more contestants as the skies began to brighten a bit after noon.
“The Boy Scouts are used to dealing with all kinds of weather for fundraising events,” Schlicher said.
Britta McKenna of Batavia Main Street, the event's organizer in conjunction with several other Batavia groups, said the weather hadn't canceled any events during the first half of the day.
“We had a few vendors decide not to set up, but otherwise everything is going as planned,” McKenna said.
Other facets of the BatFest celebration won't be affected by the weather, as an evening show of “The Haunting” was to take place Saturday night at the Batavia Dance Academy, and the Batavia Library is hosting its Library Links miniature golf course from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Kids in Halloween costumes also were on hand Saturday. Their costumes ran the gamut from witches to Ninja turtles, to cowboys, to monsters. But one stood out as rather interesting – a young girl dressed as the “Twister” game that became popular in the 1960s. Hard to envision, but true.