The mud-soaked ground at Boys and Girls Country in Hockley forced planners to cancel this year's Spring Festival.

The heavy rains the Tomball area experienced earlier this month put a damper on one of the community’s most celebrated events.

Boys and Girls Country’s 33^rd Annual Spring Festival was scheduled for May 2, but the incessant downpour in the Hockley area forced organizers to cancel the affair.

“It rained unbelievably hard here,” Executive Director Shirley Wright said, “and there was water everywhere. The places where the booths and tents were going to be was a mud hole.”

Administrators at Boys and Girls County considered moving the festival, shuttling the possible 3,000 visitors to the campus from a dry parking area, and rescheduling the event. But Wright said the festival has grown too large “to make any of these options feasible.”

It’s not the lack of a festival that has Boys and Girls Country concerned, however. It’s the loss of the hundreds of thousands of dollars the event raises for the home.

“The impact of this (cancellation) on hour home is serious,” Wright said. “This is already a tough year for us financially, as it is for many.”

Boys and Girls Country stood to lose up to $200,000 with the Spring Festival being cancelled. The money helps provide basic care for the children that stay at the facility, including food, clothing, personal care and houseparents’ salaries.

“Unlike companies who can layoff staff and downsize their operation, we cannot layoff the houseparents that provide the love and care for our children,” Wright said. “And unlike some organizations that can cut their programs, we cannot send our children home.”

Boys and Girls Country is currently seeking monetary donations to help recoup the losses incurred by the cancellation of the festival. Last week, an online live auction was held featuring the items that were to have been auctioned off at the festival. The auction, which included several vacation packages and hunting trips, raised nearly $50,000.

Boys and Girls Country provides a safe home for nearly 90 children who come from families in crisis.

For more information about how to donate, visit www.boysandgirlscountry.org or call 281-351-4978.

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