SAND SPRINGS, Okla. — The chances for severe weather on Saturday forced the City of Sand Springs to cancel the 36th annual Herbal Affair.
The town doubles in population during the event. It attracts more than 150 vendors and draws roughly 20,000 visitors.
“It’s a monumental thing for the town of Sand Springs,” said Jessica Hampton, owner of the Box District Spa (Love Your Skin by Jesska Lynn).
The Herbal Affair sets up right outside of her shop. Before the cancellation, Hampton planned to have some vendors inside her spa.
“Every year, the weather is kind of strange,” she said. “I think there would be a lot of people who would like to be inside.”
Now, she’s offering up her large space to make room for more vendors. Many of them rely on the city’s largest event for income.
“Just revamp everything and move things to the back or even put stuff in my husband’s trailer,” said Hampton.
Over in nearby Prattville, owners of the Alibi Boutique had planned to close their vendor-based shop during the event, because many of the vendors planned to take their product to sell at the herbal affair.
Now, they are staying open and setting up a small booth at Hampton’s spa, said Jacie Downing. Her mother owns the Alibi Boutique.
Downing said one of the vendors at the Alibi Boutique makes dog treats and had been prepping for the herbal affair for weeks.
“She made a ton of product and now she has to find ways to get rid of it so it doesn’t go to waste,” said Downing.
The City of Sand Springs plans all year for the event. City Manager Mike Carter said a cancellation decision was not taken lightly. He said he has been fielding a lot of calls about rescheduling rather than cancelling.
“Why not reschedule? These vendors go from show to show—they are booked a year in advance,” he said, referencing the various out-of-state vendors who signed up from Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas, to name a few.
Overall, he said it is a safety issue. He pointed to events like the Oktoberfest in Tulsa in 2007. Hundreds were injured during a severe weather event. Carter said it is just not worth the risk.
He encourages folks to show support to the business owners who plan to stay open—and missing out on what is, for some of them, the biggest weekend of the year.
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