Organizers of this past weekend's Essex Fun Fest are thanking the community for its quick recovery from a vicious storm on Friday night.
Heavy rain and strong winds toppled displays, collapsed tents, and damaged the vendor area.
Four people were hurt in the storm, but organizers said their injuries are not life-threatening.
After the storm blew past, members of the Essex Fun Fest Committee, volunteers, vendors, first responders and town staff quickly came together to assess the damage and get the festival back up and running for Saturday.
"Weather is something we simply can't control," said Chair of the Essex Fun Fest Committee Joe Garon. "Our community came through in flying colours. With everyone's help, it only took five hours to get our fairgrounds back in business."
Co-chair of the event, Rich Tapping, said the storm delivered a devastating blow to the festivities, but he found the response from the community remarkable.
"We want to sincerely thank our volunteers, committee members, first responders, town staff, Festival Tent, World's Finest Shows, vendors, partners, and everyone who stepped up to help us assess, clean up, and rebuild."
