WASHINGTON — With Hurricane Florence expected to make landfall just before the weekend, a number of D.C.-area events and sites are making changes to their planned schedules ahead of expected severe weather.
Sites
In Virginia, Shenandoah National Park will close at noon Thursday. Skyline Drive is closed to incoming traffic starting 10 a.m. Thursday.
“Damaging winds combined with already saturated soil will make for hazardous conditions with trees toppling and branches falling,” the National Park Service said in a news release Tuesday.
The park service added that Shenandoah’s backcountry is closed to overnight camping starting Wednesday. Those with permits will be contacted by park staff about the closure.
Big Meadows and Skyland lodges will also be closed, and visitors will be evacuated by noon Thursday, the park service said.
Earlier in the week, the park service tweeted Monday that Hains Point in Southwest D.C. was closed until further notice due to high water and the possibility of flooding.
Events
In D.C., the annual H Street Festival is postponed until Saturday, Oct. 13. It is now scheduled for noon to 7 p.m. on Oct. 13 from the 400 to 1400 block of H Street in Northeast D.C.
But this year’s DC VegFest has been canceled; it was scheduled for Saturday. The vegan-oriented gathering announced the cancellation after a state of emergency was declared for D.C.
D.C.’s Capital BrewFest was moved back to Saturday, Sept. 29. And the Yards Park Boardwalk Block Party has a new date: Sunday, Oct. 7 from noon to 5 p.m.
Fiesta DC, an annual festival and parade that celebrates Latino heritage, has also moved back to Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30.
The Maryland Wine Festival in Carroll County has been rescheduled for Oct. 13. It was set for Saturday and Sunday, but will now take place in October.
The annual 9/11 Heroes Run in Alexandria, Virginia, and Annapolis, Maryland, is postponed. The Travis Manion Foundation says it will make every effort to reschedule the event but there is no further information available yet. The run was scheduled for Sunday.
Also in Alexandria, the annual King Street Art Festival that was planned for Saturday and Sunday has now been moved to Sept. 22 and Sept. 23.
This year’s Dulles Day Festival and Plane Pull that was planned for Saturday has been canceled. The annual benefit for Special Olympics Virginia will not be rescheduled.
Elsewhere in the region, Virginia Tech said that East Carolina University is not traveling to Blacksburg, Virginia, for Saturday’s football matchup, which effectively cancels the game.
More details on whether the game could be rescheduled will be revealed when details are finalized. The school has not made any other decisions over the status of other Virginia Tech Athletics home events scheduled for this weekend.
Take a look at what other local sports events have been postponed, moved or canceled.
Road work & travel
The park service also said work on Arlington Memorial Bridge that was scheduled to close all lanes this weekend has now been pushed back to next weekend, planned for 7 p.m. on Sept. 21 through 5 a.m. on Sept. 24.
The anticipated severe weather is also affecting upcoming flights and rail travel. A number of Amtrak routes have been canceled for Wednesday and Thursday.
Hurricane #Florence Info: Are you traveling this weekend? The FAA does not cancel flights so please check with your airline for flight delays and cancellations due to ongoing weather issues. https://t.co/rN9b6GgxhX #HurricaneFlorence https://t.co/T3tU03lZmk
— The FAA (@FAANews) September 12, 2018
