Football, festivals still go on despite rainy Friday night weather

Heavy downpours and the threat of thunderstorms loomed over some high school football games and local festivals on Friday night in North Texas.

Games like Plano West vs. Jesuit and Springtown vs. Kennedale still went on, as did the annual Oktoberfest celebration in Addison.

Many high schools rescheduled their games for Thursday to avoid the wet weather. But the threat of a rain or lightning didn't stop proud parents from coming out to support the team.

“Rain, sleet or snow, I’m going to be here so it doesn’t matter,” said parent Ebony Jordan Jones.

Laurie Parton drove an hour with her family from Springtown to Kennedale to watch her son play.

“We have ponchos, three umbrellas, dad’s got his rain suit on, so we’re very prepared,” Parton said.

Even those from the community who don’t have anyone on the team came to show their support, despite the ominous clouds in the sky and the forecast.

“Not a chance, we’re true sports fans, we follow this school faithfully and unless it’s lightning, we’re here,” said Rick Nelson. He and his family hadn’t missed a game in 17 years - and they weren’t about to let a little rain stop them now.

“We’ve got four umbrellas, everybody has a poncho, I’ve got a poncho in my pocket, we’ve got a towel in case the seats get wet, we can just dry them off, we’re as equipped as we can be,” Nelson said.

Rain didn’t seem to be much of a deterrent for people looking to drink German beer and eat German food. People were in good spirits at Addison Oktoberfest despite the weather.

"Well, for a while we thought we were going to chicken out, then we thought, no, we wanted beer and schnitzel, so we went ahead and came,” Karen Doran said.

Lederhosen were paired with rain jackets and umbrellas. The crowd on Friday night was smaller than usual, but those who did show up were ready.

"Obviously there are a few less people here, but the beer tastes the same. We are still in our lederhosen,” said Stanislav Vlasimsky.

So far, the only Oktoberfest event to be cancelled is a Saturday morning run to benefit childhood cancer research. Otherwise, the tents provide a good place for people to find refuge when the rain really starts coming down.

"We love Oktoberfest. He loves Oktoberfest. So we were going to come no matter what. We have a big umbrella, so it's not stopping us at all,” Lacey Pruett said.