Ivan threat cancels Lakefest

The county's final official party of the season has been canceled, and Hurricane Ivan is to blame.

Calling it "Ivan the Terrible,'' Stacie Adkins, Columbia County's special-events coordinator, said the hurricane and the rain and winds it might bring to the county forced officials Tuesday to call off the county's first Wildwood Lakefest, which had been set for 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday.

"It's going to be rescheduled sometime in the spring,'' she said. "But we don't know when.''

The event would have offered everything from children's rides to a boat parade and a fireworks display.

The event wasn't created just to give residents a final festival at the lake this year. It also was set up to help showcase Wildwood Park, Adkins said, adding that a lot of people never have visited the park.

Originally, the event had been scheduled for Labor Day. However, because of scheduling concerns, it was moved to Saturday.

On Tuesday, the event was delayed again as the county's emergency services department issued a statement on the possibility that the remnants of Hurricane Ivan could bring high wind gusts and heavy rain to the county by this weekend.

The emergency services department also stated that, based on current projected paths, Columbia County would be on the side of the storm where isolated tornadoes could occur.