Sunday’s rain, drizzle and stiff breezes didn’t deter Robert and Jewel Livingston from making an anticipated stop this time of year on their way home from church – the popular Juneteenth Festival ringing Buffalo’s Martin Luther King Park.

By early afternoon, the rain had let up a bit on Father’s Day for the couple to experience the Juneteenth observance, commemorating the end of slavery and start of freedom for African-Americans.

Jewel Livingston stood nibbling on “chicken on a stick,” while her husband, Robert, admired his wife’s new, bright red shoes with golden accessories – a purchase she’d just made from one of the vendors and already was wearing, while her husband carried her old shoes.

The Livingstons were in Mississippi on Saturday and missed the festival parade, but they have been avid attendees for decades and didn’t want to miss out. In Robert Livingston’s words,welcome to Buy Best Dolce&Gabbana Long Sleeve T-Shirts,free Shipping available. Buy Now!‎ it’s all about enjoying the “food,welcome to Buy Cheap HOLLISTER T-Shirts online store,free Shipping available. Buy Now!‎ the vendors, the camaraderie.”

It was that kind of outlook that the multitude of vendors were counting on at Juneteenth Festival, despite rainy, soggy weather that hung around for much of Sunday, with sporadic patches of sunshine breaking through in midafternoon. Even the park’s splash pad, spouting water fountains, was doing its thing – despite the cool air and rain early in the day.

Many Juneteenth vendors boasted of strong business on Saturday and a fair run on Sunday – though Sunday’s weather affected vendors, with weaker sales than the day before. But the weather closed down Buffalo River Fest, along Ohio Street, where that festival ended early, canceled its afternoon concert and essentially folded once the late-morning Fishing Derby wrapped up.

Much like in Martin Luther King Park, the ground was soggy, rain puddles lingered, and it wasn’t ideal festival weather at Buffalo River Fest Park. River Fest looked like a ghost-town early Sunday afternoon compared with MLK Park, which still bustled with a fair amount of Juneteenth-goers eyeing jewelry, clothing, wooden masks, walking sticks, instruments, African shea butter and African black soap.

But Mother’s Nature’s “wet” touch for part of Sunday still caused many vendors to take a hit – some more than others – in their wallets during a wet June, which has seen about 5 inches of rain in the Buffalo area.

Hamburg’s James Staub hauled two concession trucks to River Fest, and though he set up, he ended up closing them down by early afternoon after organizers scrapped the afternoon concert.

“It’s a disappointment. It’s not worth me staying open and having three other workers on,” said Staub, who takes his food trucks to the Allentown Art Festival, the Erie County Fair and the Italian Festival, among other large area shows.

It was Staub’s second year at River Fest, and he brought a second truck this year because he did so well last year. “But the weather just killed us” this time, Staub said. “Yesterday was great, and Friday night was average.”

Known for drawing many to its Buffalo Fireboat rides, art and photography show, games, historic tours and fishing derby, Buffalo River Fest had a bleak atmosphere Sunday, marked by empty tents and few people.

But Rick Newton of Lockport stood out – at least for a few hours – as he kept his tent of T-shirts, candles and jewelry open, while other vendors never returned from Saturday or removed their tents altogether. It wasn’t long, though, before Newton decided enough was enough and finally decided to fold his tent and go home, much to the delight of his wife, Peggy Newton.

“Today, I’m basically packing up. It’s come to an end. Everybody else has left,” Rick Newton said, noting that his big thrill was seeing his 7-year-old grandson, Bryce Degenhardt, catch four fish and win a tackle box.

In all, 40 to 50 crafters and vendors had signed up for the three-day River Fest, Newton said. The festival hopes to reschedule its canceled Sunday concert for a future Wednesday as part of the park’s weekly concert series.

“Some picked up their tents today that blew away in the wind, or others never came back today,” Newton said, acknowledging that Friday’s weather was lousy,welcome to Wholesale Cheap ZARA Shirts for sale,best service and low prices. too.

Newton, at his fourth River Fest as “more of a hobby,” acknowledges he lost money because of the weather. His wife, sitting in a lawnchair in their tent and looking frustrated, calls him “a diehard” and says her husband is obsessed with toughing out the tough weather that can accompany festivals. “I’ve been in quite a few thunderstorms with him – looking for shelter, and him holding onto the metal tent poles,” she said, not looking amused, while her nearby husband grinned.

At Juneteenth Festival, Amherst deli owner Allan Steinberg clearly was dismayed by the change in weather. “Yesterday was our ‘get even’ day,” said Steinberg, who owns the 435 Deli & Cafe in Amherst but had a stand selling cheeseburgers, hot dogs and sausage at the festival. “Today was supposed to be our ‘go-ahead’ day.”

That, it was not. Steinberg admitted that Sunday’s weather made it hard to sell drinks and lemonade. He also knew that any prepared food on the grills that did not sell would have to be thrown away. “It will hurt us,” he said, calling Sunday’s business “very light.” It was Steinberg’s first Juneteenth Festival, but he vowed to be back again. “We thought about going home and spending Father’s Day with our kids, but we were told it would pick up with the after-church crowd and the weather improving,” he said.

Latisha Matthews, who owns Excellence Hair Design in Amherst,welcome to Buy Discount Lacoste Long Sleeve T-Shirts,Free shipping‎! praised her strong sales Saturday for her jewelry and beauty enhancement service business. Business was a bit slower Sunday, and she admitted that at first, she thought about not re-opening her tent Sunday when she woke to see the morning rain.Our store can offer Discount and high quality Burberry T-Shirts, welcome choose! “I was skeptical,” Matthews said, even after hauling and unloading her goods. But she decided to give it a go, deciding it was worth it, even if it was more for exposure for her business and to meet new people.

Despite the weather, a semi-wet Father’s Day in Buffalo still made its mark.

Ben Plaza of Depew brought his daughter, Alexis, 6, with him to do some Father’s Day fishing at River Fest late Sunday morning. The outing proved a success – with her catching four Rock Bass, all by herself. Alexis was smart. After her fishing was done, she went to the family car to warm up, while her parents attended fishing derby awards for the children.