CEDAR FALLS - Record flooding failed to wash away community spirit in Cedar Falls, where an abbreviated version of the city's annual Sturgis Falls Celebration is under way, even though all but one of the parks that normally host the event have been severely damaged.

Health concerns and debris in Island Park, Tourist Park, Sturgis Park and Gateway Park have rendered those locations off limits to visitors for the time being, so all of the festival's events - those not canceled - are now at Overman Park.

"Everyone is disappointed, and no one more so than me," said Jay Stoddard, president of the Sturgis Falls Celebration planning board. "You work all year long on it, and it's tough."

The carnival that usually sets up in Island Park was moved to Pinnacle Prairie off of Greenhill Road, and some of the jazz acts from Sturgis Park were moved to the bandshell at Overman Park. All Tourist Park activities and the beer garden were canceled, along with the annual firefighter's dance and the '50s and '60s dance.

Stoddard said the event organizers had discussed several options in the wake of the flooding. Those options ranged from canceling the entire event to finding ways to hold the entire event as planned. But, in the end, it was decided that a shortened event was the best course of action.

"If we just had Sturgis Falls to focus on, we could have done it, but we had to consider what was best for Cedar Falls," Stoddard said. "We would have not been doing the responsible thing by holding the whole event because it would have put city services in jeopardy. There are parts of the city, particularly the north part, that need city services more than we do right now."

Linda Kennedy, vice-president of the Sturgis Falls Celebration planning board and chairwoman of Overman Park activities, thought that the first part of the shortened event was going well.

"I think we had a great crowd in the park, with more families than we've seen on a Friday afternoon," Kennedy said. "The weather is holding. We're happy about that. "We're just happy that we have something."

Kennedy said that the acts planned for Overman were still intact, and the only apparent problem involved trying to find places for the 17 displaced food vendors from Tourist and Sturgis parks.

"Gateway Park was always our fallback option in case of flooding," Kennedy said. "It's one of those crazy things when your flood plan gets flooded."

She added that they were able to fit some of the supplanted vendors into Overman; some were installed at the UNI-Dome for the car show, and a few were placed along the parade route. Unfortunately, she said, there was just not room for everyone.

"Everyone has been good sports about it," Kennedy said. "People have questions, and that's OK."

One of the questions a lot of people asked focused on the ban on alcohol. Stoddard said that not allowing it was not a hard decision to make.

"We've never allowed alcohol at Overman Park," he said. "The only places it was allowed was in Tourist Park and Island Park. Those were considered the 21 and up areas. Since those areas are not opened, there is no place to have alcohol. If you serve alcohol, you have to plan for more city services, and right now North Cedar needs them more than we do. We are not going to take that away from them."

Stoddard acknowledged that not serving alcohol will have an effect on the finances of an already condensed Sturgis Falls.

"It's no secret that any outdoor event like this is funded by sponsorships and that we depend on support from alcohol sales, food vendors and sponsors for survival," Stoddard said. "They are essential for allowing us to not charge admission, something we don't want to do."

Stoddard said that he was aware of people's concerns over making up lost profit from this year, but that the board hadn't had time to decide what to do yet.

He said they had considered some options but were holding off on making a decision until after this year's event was over.

"We have talked about doing something over Labor Day or for Octoberfest. we're not sure yet," Stoddard said.

Dorri Plumber, a resident of Cedar Falls for the past 25 years, said she doesn't mind being given an abridged version of Sturgis Falls.

"For what they have to work with, they've done a wonderful job. It's disappointing not to have it all but nice that they can do parts."

Marcia and Tony Jones traveled all the way from Omaha, Neb., to attend Marcia's high school reunion.

They said they come to Sturgis Falls every year for the jazz festival and so Tony can participate in the 5K run. Even though they had heard about the flooding and the shortened weekend activities, they decided to come anyway, they said.

"It's what they had to do, Tony Jones said. "I think they have to have something to take people's minds off of what they had to deal with."

Nona Brunson, owner of Nona's Concessions, has set up shop in Tourist Park for the last seven years and was able to squeeze into Overman this year, although she had to move from her trailer to a tent because trailers are not allowed in the park.

"We don't mind. We're just glad to be part of it," Brunson said.

Janice Nordman is co-owner of the Queen's Apple concession stand, which she has set up in Overman for the past 15-18 years. She says she hasn't noticed a difference this year from others. "It's pretty normal, things are going well. This is best event," Nordman said.

Stoddard said that although all may appear to be well to the public, it's not the same from his perspective.

"We take so much time to lay everything out, and now it's all scrambled up," he said. "We crammed 13 months of planning into eight days. We're just trying to maintain our reputation for getting it right."

Contact Samantha Donisi

at (319) 291-1423 or

samantha.donisi@wcfcourier.com.