On Sept. 11th landrush was held and approx 500 RV's rush into the campgrounds to pick their spots, before another 500 RV's would arrive. The rains came and dropped 8" plus, all over southern Kansas, and the Walnut river began to rise. The City of Winfield ordered an evacuation(1st time for WVA festival) and for a day bulldozers, tractors, and people's power pushed, shoved, and pulled campers out of the fairgrounds. WVA Crews and vendors were also pulling all of their equipment out, a lot of work, and amazingly it all went very smoothly. It was good that things were going well, for very quickly the fairgrounds were completely covered with rushing flood waters.
All the campers scurried off to the Winfield Lake, Winfield Sale Barn, Walmart/Dillons parking lots, Winfield's softball/soccer complex, and the Oxford City Park in Oxford. The cities of Winfield and Oxford went out of their way to get the areas improved,expanded, and ready for these campers and all the campers to come--by installing more power poles/connects, shuttles, mowing, etc. etc. The flood waters got out of the buildings and off the Fairway late Monday and the race was on to get ready for a "festival".
I might also say that Hurricane Ike just grazed the eastern edge of Winfield itself and then veered off to the east. More rain at this time would have meant very drastic measures.
The Festival went on without the campers that usually surround the fairground, but go on it did, with a great line-up of golden oldies and new acts. Most campers ended up gravitating to Oxford or out to the Winfield City Lake, but crowds still filled Stages 1,2,3,&4 and the 37th Walnut Valley Festival played on. Still it felt very strange to look out towards the Pecan Grove or West Campground and see nothing but muddy grass and trees, oh well!
See ya next year-------ron s.