It was a weekend to stay inside and play board games–by candlelight.
As storms whipped their way over the area, events like Dog Days of August were cancelled and thousands of Orion residents lost power.
According to the National Weather Service, 3.89 inches of rain fell in the area. DTE Energy spokesman Scott Simons said about 1,400 customers lost power.
As of Monday, 400 Orion residents still did not have electricity. Simons said power would probably be restored to 90 percent of DTE’s customers late Monday.
Simons said it’s not unordinary for areas with a lot of trees to lose power during storms like those this past weekend.
‘We clocked winds of 60 miles per hour. It uprooted trees and knocked down around 400 power lines in the metro area,? Simons said.
In downtown Lake Orion, the Dog Days of August event was cancelled due to the weather, but has been rescheduled for August 29.
‘It was raining cats and dogs,? said Denise Demak, events coordinator at the Downtown Development Authority (DDA).
The event was called off early Saturday morning due to heavy rains. Demak said the rain was so bad, there wasn’t much confusion about whether or not the event would go on.
‘Most people realized it was canceled because it was raining as hard as it was,? she said.
The times will be the same for the rescheduled event on Saturday, August 29, though Demark said there will not be a village-wide garage sale as previously planned.
Pet-related vendor booths will be open from 10 a.m. through 2 p.m. Hot dogs and other snacks will be available. A nondenominational blessing of the dogs will take place at 11 a.m., followed by the Doggie Parade.
A Doggie Fashion Show and various Talent Contests will follow the parade, from approximately noon to 2 p.m. Winners (largest, smallest, best trick, best singer, best costume, etc.) will receive prizes and/or gift certificates from local business sponsors.
Immediately following the contests, the new Doggie Mayor will be selected by random drawing from the on-site registered canine candidates. Registration forms are available on-site the day of the event. Please bring a $1 donation, or any pet food donation to register your Lake Orion dog for Mayor. All donations will go to a local pet charity.
Also on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., many of the town’s businesses will bring their products to the sidewalks for the annual ‘Flea Market? Sidewalk Sales, offering doggone good deals on a wide range of items and services.
For more information, visit www.downtownlakeorion.org.