Rain hurt Little Italy Festival's attendance

CLINTON, Ind. (WTHI) - Empty streets, wet umbrellas and food booths with out any lines.

This year's Little Italy Festival is going a little differently than usual.

"Just a handful of people are here at the moment, because the rain, it's still sprinkling some. So, no, you would normally see crowded streets and a lot of action at the stage.  So, it's taken us down to nil at the moment," Little Italy Festival Town Inc. President Carolyn Gillio said.

• LITTLE ITALY FESTIVAL | Click here to view their site

On average, about 25,000 folks participate in all the festivities each year.

It's a time for Italians and non-Italians to re-connect.

"With our music, with our food, with the entertainment, with the comradery, everything that brings us all together as a unit, this is a good town, and we want everybody to feel that, and understand that part of that is because of the Italian heritage," Little Italy Festival's 2012 Regina Diane Scott said.

Sunday afternoon, less than 100 people showed up.

"It hurts the vendors, they plan on this and a lot of them count on this.  It's what they do for a living, so it really hurts their income, and you know, we just really hate to see that," Gillio said.

Vendors like Maverick Concessions spends at least a few days preparing.

"Right now, it's been pretty bad, I mean, you know, I've only had one customer all day," Maverick Concessions' Anna Hood said.

However, they said bad weather is sometimes part of the business.

It's one big party that takes all year to plan.

Organizers aren't looking to next year yet.

"We have a great time, just come see us, we'll show you what it's like to be Italian for a weekend," Gillio said.

They have high hopes of a clearer Labor Day and bigger crowds Monday.

To find out more about the Little Italy Festival, including times and events, click on this link .