Will it rain on your Labor Day Parade? Events, forecast, closings for the weekend.
ASHEVILLE - Labor Day weekend is gearing up to be a wet one, according to the National Weather Service, with rainfall escalating over the next several days and into next week.
But weather service meteorologist Harry Gerapetritis said though rain is expected every day, it is mostly showers, with a few embedded storms, anticipated only to be a "marginal" risk of excessive rainfall, at the lower end of the spectrum.
It isn't necessarily a deal breaker for those planning to head out to the Apple Festival, parades or numerous other Labor Day celebrations in the Asheville area, and roads likely won't be too treacherous to travel initially, but rain could accumulate over the weekend.
“The bad news is it’s looking like we’ll get rained on at times," Gerapetritis said.
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"It’s going to be one of those things where it’s not constant. ... I think it will have an afternoon and evening peak, maybe there will be a little bit of a lull overnight, but those showers could become a little bit heavy at times."
The forecast is a result of a southerly flow across the mountains bringing moisture from the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico, he said, an uptick from the scattered showers of the last days and weeks.
On Sept. 2, Hurricane Danielle became the first Atlantic Hurricane of the season, but Gerapetritis said it is forecast to remain over the Atlantic Ocean, well away from the East Coast, and is not contributing to this weekend's weather or likely to impact the Carolinas.
The National Weather Service forecast shows a 40% chance of precipitation Sept. 3 and a high of 83 degrees with chance of rain climbing to 70% Sept 4, with thunderstorms likely, and 80% on Labor Day.
Cloud cover means lower temps, said Gerapetritis, who said the Sept. 4 and Sept. 5 will sit in the upper 70s.
With rainfall forecast to increase each day, he said the weather service will wait and see how it accumulates over time.
“It’s something we’ll want to watch, and each day assess again and see how the numbers grow,” Gerapetritis said.
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Looking for Labor Day weekend events?
Rain or shine, Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers said the town's 114th Labor Day Festival will be back for the first time since 2019.
The festival spans Sept. 4 and Sept. 5 and includes the town's historic parade, what Smathers said is the oldest Labor Day celebration in the state and likely the entire South.
The festival was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and in 2021 because of Tropical Depression Fred, which dropped roughly 14 inches of rain on Haywood County as it passed through Western North Carolina Aug. 16-17.
According to Allison Richmond, spokesperson for the county’s emergency services department, more than 450 homes and businesses were damaged and six people died.
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“Though we’ve been celebrating this for over 114 years now, this one means a little bit more. That we are here, and we’ve survived," Smathers said.
"Though all of us have taken a tremendous amount of losses, whether it be COVID or the floods, part of getting through hardships like that is when the moments come along where you can smile and you can enjoy each other’s company, you need to take it.”
Featuring music, food, a WNC handcraft expo and car show, he encouraged people to come out to the festival. Diamond Rio is headlining and will be playing at 8 p.m. Sept. 4.
"“Hopefully this weekend, as long as a locust swarm doesn’t hit, we’ll be able to have (it)," Smathers said. "We’ve had floods, we’ve had pandemics, but it seems we are good to go.”
The parade runs from Blackwell Drive through Downtown Canton, a stretch of town that Smathers said was a "war zone" this time last year.
BearWaters Brewing Company, which sits along the bank of Pigeon River, was underwater. A year ago, "it didn't exist," Smathers said.
Now, it's open again.
“As much as I say thank you, I encourage people to come out," he said. "Let me show you what we’ve done with your prayers and your resources. I think you’ll be proud.”
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Other weekend festivals:
North Carolina Apple Festival
Held in downtown Hendersonville from Sept. 2-5, the Apple Festival is celebrating its 76th year, and includes a street fair, arts and crafts, live music and entertainment, children’s activities and rides, parade, food and more. Learn more at ncapplefestival.org
Goombay Festival
Goombay Festival runs from Sept. 2-4, over the Labor Day weekend, at Pack Square Park in downtown Asheville. The hours are 5-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday.
The African-Caribbean festival, presented by the YMI Cultural Center, will showcase Black and Caribbean music, food, dances and local Black-owned businesses.
Labor Day closures?
City of Asheville
In observance of Labor Day, city offices will be closed Sept. 5, according to a Aug. 30 news release. Here's a look at how services will be affected:
Asheville Rides Transit buses will operate on a holiday schedule, which is the same as its Sunday bus schedule.
The sanitation office will be closed. Sanitation collections will operate Tuesday through Friday instead. The collection day for all customers, except for those in the Central Business District, will be one day later this week. The CBD will be serviced on their regular Wednesday schedule.
All Asheville Parks and Recreation Department community centers will be closed.
Recreation Park Pool will be open for its last days from noon to 6 p.m., Sept. 3 to Sept. 5.
All city parks, Asheville Municipal Golf Course, Asheville Skate Park, Aston Park Tennis Center, the WNC Nature Center and Riverside Cemetery will be open.
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Buncombe County
All Buncombe County government offices will be closed Sept. 5, according to an Aug. 25 news release.
Buncombe County Courthouse will be closed.
Buncombe County Sheriff's Office front desk will be closed Sept. 5, all other operations will be on a normal schedule.
The Family Justice Center will be closed on Monday, Sept. 5. You can find 24-hour hotline information on its website.
Emergency Services administrative offices will be closed Monday, Sept. 5. EMS and 911 maintain normal operations.
All Buncombe County Public Libraries are regularly closed on Mondays.
The Buncombe County Landfill and Transfer Station will be closed on Monday, Sept.5.
The Buncombe County Register of Deeds will be closed Sept. 5. Online services will remain available.
Mountain mobility will only be offering ADA Complementary Paratransit on Sept. 5. It will be in accordance with ART’s holiday schedule.
Parks and Recreation administration offices will be closed Sept. 5. All parks and facilities in the Buncombe County system are open regular hours except the Dog Park at Buncombe County Sports Park which is closed on Mondays. Erwin Pool will close for the year at 5:30 p.m. on Labor Day.
Buncombe County Health and Human Services will be closed.
Waste Pro trash and recycling collection services will not be provided. Monday pickup will happen on Tuesday. Tuesday pickup will be on Wednesday, Wednesday on Thursday, Thursday on Friday and Friday on Saturday.
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Increasingly wet weekend might spell trouble for some Labor Day plans
