By Kevin Jefferies
Commerce – Well the Bois d'Arc Bash was stopped short this weekend after winds and rains courtesy of Hurricane Rita came through Commerce. A good crowd showed to downtown Commerce to enjoy as much of the Bash as possible, but events were stopped short around 1:30 when winds blew through the area and rain threatened. Commerce City Manager Bill Shipp, who was picked by Police Chief Kerry Crews to join in on kissing a pig in the Kiss the Pig contest minutes before events were cancelled, said that he was pleased with the clean-up efforts when the call to close the Bash came.
SHIPP: I was really pleased with the way everybody worked together to actually get everything taken down when the weather was threatening. We had done quite a bit of work coordinating how we would handle any type of threatening weather, and I think the Chamber of Commerce, the City Staff just everyone involved really worked together to clear the square in record time, and safely as well. I was very pleased with how it went.
Shipp also said that while some tree limbs around Commerce were blown down, no significant damage or injuries were reported in connection with Hurricane Rita. The Annual Bois d'Arc Bash Car and Truck Show was also cancelled due to weather conditions, and is being tentatively rescheduled for October 7th.