The first act had barely taken the stage before severe weather wreaked havoc on the concert. See letter on Page 4A. No refunds will be given for Saturday’s Peach Beach concert, which was washed out after a severe thunderstorm raged through the Lake Whelchel area.

The Coconut Grove Band was several songs into the night’s first set when powerful wind gusts ripped the roof off the stage at about 7:30 p.m. Rain poured down onto the band’s rented sound equipment and forced the Peach Festival to end the show.

The Entertainers and The Fantastic Shakers were never able to take the stage.

Festival board members have received several angry phone calls and letters regarding the decision to not provide ticket refunds for the Peach Beach concert. Tickets were $10 in advance and $15 at the gate.

Mother Nature is a force festival officials must contend with throughout the year-long process involved in putting together festival events. Artists are booked months in advance with the promise of a paycheck, not perfect weather.

“We have tried indoor concerts with the Peach Ball the last couple of years and have lost money on these events. People have made it quite clear they wanted to attend the concert outdoors,” board chairman Bobby Beattie said. “There is always a risk when you have an outdoor concert. Mother Nature is one of those things you can’t control.”

The Peach Beach concert was the only event requiring a ticket during the South Carolina Peach Festival weekend. The festival spent an estimated $30,000 on the Peach Beach concert production and already had more than 1,000 in paid attendance when the concert began.

“This was shaping up to be the best Peach Beach concert event we’ve had in terms of attendance. The storm came up so quickly we didn’t have time to react,” Beattie said. “We wish we could have gone ahead with the Peach Beach concert. With the lightning and rain, it wasn’t safe to continue with the show.”

While most events were free to the public, Beattie noted the festival still spent money last weekend to bring in entertainment such as Kenneth Wright for Friday’s barbecue competition. Beattie said the festival chose not to charge for parking and arm bands for beverages as part of its effort to make the Peach Beach concert more affordable for families.

“The festival gave away as much as it could give away without losing money on the event,” Beattie said.