Storm left 1 injured, art damaged at Ann Arbor Art Fair

Jul. 21--ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- One person was injured and some artists had their work damaged when a severe thunderstorm pummeled the Ann Arbor Art Fair on Friday night.

The art fair closed early, about 8 p.m., on July 19 after receiving notice of the incoming storm, said Karen Delhey, fair spokeswoman and executive director of The Guild of Artists and Artisans.

Many artists were able to close up shop, Delhey said, but the storm hit quickly, turning a portion of the art fair on William Street into a sort of wind tunnel.

One person was taken to the University of Michigan hospital in stable condition after being struck with flying debris, said Matt Rose of Huron Valley Ambulance.

Delhey and an artist on William said it's believed the injured person was an artist who either tripped over a tent weight or had one strike her foot or leg.

Artists had a few minutes of warning before the winds "just went crazy," said Ed Kidera, a metal sculptor from Maryland. His booth is on William at Maynard Street.

"Almost instantly there were several tents down this way that took off flying and tearing up stuff, destroying things, so quite a few things got hurt," he said.

Kidera had decent weights to secure his tent, but others weren't so lucky, he said.

"I had a few things get bent and one thing get broken, but fortunately I can repair my stuff," he said.

Maggie McGuinness of the Grand Rapids-based Maggie Ann Soap Co. estimated she lost about $300 worth of her stock during the storm.

On top of that, her sales, as of midday Saturday, hadn't reached the $800 that having her booth costs, she said. She speculated the lower sales may be because of the heat and rain on Friday.

Artists had been taking cover as rain fell off and on, but the evening storm came so quickly, some artists didn't stand a chance, McGuinness said.

"Some (tents) were not weighted properly and they just started blowing and then it kind of cascaded," she said. "... I ran for cover, because it's just dangerous."

McGuinness planned to leave the art fair early Saturday, at 3 p.m., to avoid another possible storm.

Some artists lost everything, she said.

The loss of work is a tough blow to artists' livelihoods, Delhey said. It's also all the more reason for area residents to attend the fair and support the artists.

Delhey said fair workers and fellow artists alike were working to support the impacted artists on Saturday. Many of the artists travel frequently to various outdoor fairs and know the hazards that come with it, she said.

"The wind can be an artist's greatest enemy at these events," she said, noting the propensity for falling tents and shifting shelves to damage ceramics and glass.

Fair organizers are in touch with county officials and the National Weather Service to monitor possible storms on Saturday evening, she said. They'll work to give artists a heads up on bad weather as soon as possible.

Should the fair need to close, organizers hope to reopen as soon as any weather passes, Delhey said.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect until 10 p.m.

The Friday storm left thousands of DTE Energy customers still without power on Saturday evening.

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