A big white tent sits at the centre of Prince Edward Island’s Evangeline region as the community gets set to host the annual Evangeline Agricultural Exhibition and Acadian Festival.
But the current track for Hurricane Earl could change those plans. The eye of the massive storm is expected to pass near, if not over, the site of the agricultural exhibition, which has been held in the Prince County community for the past 108 years.
Jeannette Blacquiere, president of the festival, says they’re monitoring the weather forecasts carefully.
The community’s rink was destroyed by fire in April, which required them to rent the massive white tent.
It should be booming with live music on Saturday afternoon, exactly when the worst of the storm is expected to cross Prince Edward Island.
“We’ll be talking about possible gusts to 100 km-h initially, but I can see that later on being advertised as gusts to 120 km-h so hurricane-forced gusts over the land portions of the Island,” - Meteorologist Chris Fogarty
Organizers have anchored the tent with sandbags but if the winds get too strong the tent will have to be taken down.
“If worse comes to worse, we would cancel Saturday’s activities,” Blacquiere said in an interview Thursday afternoon.
“Some of the events, for example the magician, he’s there on Sunday also.”
By late Thursday, tropical storm watches were issued for all of Prince Edward Island and much of southern Nova Scotia, including Halifax.
Tropical storm watches were also posted for Moncton and area.
