(It went from dry to wet quite quickly at the Downtown Market Fair Saturday.  Photos 250 News)

Prince George, B.C. – Perhaps it was the fact some people turned the pre-Canada Day celebration into an extra-long weekend, perhaps it was the World Cup in Brasil, or maybe it was the downpour of rain that blanketed the area.

Whatever the reason(s), the visitors were relatively few and the stays quite short at the two market locations in the City Hall area Saturday.  Umbrellas were the order of the day for those attending the Downtown Market Fair on the City Hall steps and front lawn.  Patrons had an opportunity to sample various ethnic foods and look over arts and crafts from locations around the globe.  There were also items from local home-based businesses and local musicians and performers.

Two more Downtown Market Fairs are planned this summer, on July 26th and August 23rd, again in front of City Hall.

Once dodging the raindrops had lost its lustre, the Prince George Farmers’ Market just across the way on 6th Avenue offered a dry environment and plenty of locally-grown, baked and made products.  There were some on hand wanting to know if the market outside the courthouse at 3rd and George is still operating, but it is not.  Not long ago members of the PG Farmers Market Association decided to have all of the vendors in one location at the 6th Avenue site.  That followed comments from customers that they wanted everything in one spot.  So now they have it.

The only thing was, due to the weather or weekend plans, the number of vendors was down considerably, as was the volume of traffic searching for a sale on water wings.  In fact, it was quite quiet at many of the more popular weekend locations around town.

Rain seemed to put a damper on visitors to the just re-opened Cottonwood Island Park, but there was some traffic at the Prince George Railway Forestry Museum which, by the way, has teamed up with Branch 43 of the Royal Canadian Legion for a Legion Week family fun event from 11 am to 3pm today.  A donation to the Salvation Army Food Bank gains entry to the museum. Kids get to ride on the Cottonwood Express Minirail and there will be hamburgers, hot dogs, ice cream, games and other activities.

Yes it could have been a much more hospitable day weather wise on Saturday, although this deer didn’t seem to mind the rain as it grazed on the weeds along River Road.  No umbrella needed.

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Editor's Note:  A correction to the above story.  A decision has been made to amalgamate the market at the courthouse with the year-round market, with both to be located at the 6th and George location.  However, the date for  joining the two at the year-round market has not been set.