Rain results in quiet start to Old Home Week

It's not exactly the beginning of Old Home Week that organizers were hoping for as heavy rain fell for much of Saturday in Charlottetown.

The rain left large puddles forming in the tent where barn animals are on display, also soakingthe racetrack where harness racing takes place andleft some rides on the midway unused.

• Old Home Week unveils activities lineup, ambassadors for 2017
• Mayor's BBQ kicks off Old Home Week

"We can control a lot of things, Mother Nature's not one of them, but the show goes on," saidSandraHodder-Acorn, general manager of Old Home Week.

Hodder saidso far, activities and events are still scheduled as planned.

Cody Thompson,one of the vendors at the fair, said it's been a quiet start to the weeklong festivities.

"Attendance has been a little bit slow this year in comparison to last year, but it's a long show," he said."I think it's just because of the rain.It kindascares people away."

'We're just trying to stay inside'

The wet weather didn'tscareeveryone away Saturday, but some attendees saidthey were hoping for a better outcome.

"We're just trying to stay inside. Wish we could go out to the rides," said Kelly MacDougall, who's visiting P.E.I. with her family from Nova Scotia. "It's a pretty good day so far, but it would be better if it wasn't raining."

Margaret Cameronsaid she didn't mind the weather so much.

"If it wasn't raining, I think we would be sitting on the beach instead of coming here, so the rain kind of brought us here," she said.

Her son, Lauchlin, wasn't a fan of the rain.

"It wouldn't be so difficult to navigate through the puddles," said the eight-year-old.

• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |Acadian Day celebrations for 'all Islanders'
• MORE P.E.I. NEWS |'A promise kept': Big Swim participant makes good on pledge to donors