Livin’ in Liverpool: Rainstorms too much for new roof to handle

June was this year’s rainiest month so far, according to Syracuse Hancock International Airport, but July and August weren’t much drier.

Driving rains, often accompanied by thunder and lightning, soaked Central New York several times this summer. The constant storms led to the complete cancellation of eight concerts and two rain-shortened shows at Johnson Park during the 33rd annual Liverpool is The Place Summer Concert Series, which concludes at 7 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Aug. 22, with a performance by the oldies duo Two Feet Short — weather permitting, that is.

Summer series soaked

On June 15, 2017, a new pitched roof was installed over the Johnson Park stage, and, at first, it seemed to fulfill its function. Last summer four concerts proceeded despite light rains, and those shows would’ve been canceled had the roof not been there to keep the musicians dry. And even though no roof covered the audience, crowds of more than 200 remained in the park to listen to the music from beneath their umbrellas.

Fast forward to 2018.

This summer’s storms were so severe that four of the first eight of 24 scheduled shows had to be scrubbed — the June 4 Liverpool Central Schools Jazz Fest, the June 13 Community Chorus performance, the June 18 Neverly Brothers concert and the June 27 return of The Coachmen.

Roof too high?

Two more concerts were washed out in July — Sammys Hall of Famer Dave Novak on July 23 and classic rockers Mid-Life Crisis on July 25. Then on Aug. 6 a sudden, unexpected downpour nearly destroyed vintage band fronts and a modern sound system being set up on the Johnson Park stage, canceling that evening’s performance by the Stock Market Swing Orchestra.

Both the Aug. 1 show by Grupo Pagan Lite and the Aug. 8 concert by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers were called off halfway through when buckets of wind-whipped rain splashed onto the stage in puddles.

Several of the affected musicians commented that the roof proved ineffective against a hard-driving deluge.

Part of the problem is the roof’s high-pitched design.

The original design considered by the LITP Committee and village trustees was positioned far lower over the stage, more like an umbrella, and later designs called for a low-pitched roof. But village codes require that such structures be built to withstand significant wind speeds, and so the pitched roof was substituted. And now the rain crashes in over the western lip of the stage and drizzles in from the backside of the stage.

A grant from Onondaga County Department of Transportation paid for the new stage roof at a cost of somewhat less than $30,000.

Feral felines fixed

This past spring, residents of Apricot Lane in Bayberry were overrun by a growing clutter of wild cats. Thanks to Kitty Corner, the cat-rescue house on Second Street in the village, the feral felines have been brought under control. Kitty Corner loaned the Bayberrians two traps and in the first three weeks had captured seven cats, all females, which were spayed. At least seven more cats were trapped and fixed. The Bayberry Community Association headed by President Tim Scott collected $600 and donated another $100, all of which was forwarded to Kitty Corner for veterinarian bills.

“There are not many remaining untreated cats around,” reports BCA Second Vice President Judy McVitty. “But they will continue to trap until all feral cats are neutered or spayed.”

Visit bayberrycommunity.org.