Rain causes headaches for businesses on Labor Day

The rain on Labor Day was unwelcome by some business owners that count on the holiday for big sales.

"Rain isn't what you want when you're outdoors unless you're selling umbrellas," Philip Downing said.

Downing manages the Alabama State Fair and brought it to the Oak Mountain Amphitheater. When he saw rain in the forecast for Labor Day he figured he'd have to close down for the holiday.

"I started making phone calls saying this isn't going to work. It's going to rain all day," Downing said.

When the forecast changed to less rain he decided to go ahead and open but with a 3 hour delay.

"We normally would open at 12 and we pushed it to three o'clock," Downing said.

That delayed start caught some people by surprise.

"We actually were here at 2:30. They made us drive around for 30 minutes we were a little disappointed about that but we're glad it all worked out," Erin Ellerbusch said.

Those who did decide to come to the state fair after the wet weather said there were some benefits to the rain including shorter lines

"I would expect it to be a little more crowded but I know because of the weather a lot of people probably changed their mind and didn't come out," Percy Goode said.

Some businesses like Full Moon BBQ welcome the rain. The restaurant's general manager credits the weather for a 15% jump in business from Labor Day last year.

"To-go business is way higher. Our drive through line is basically down the street. Call-in after call-in. Because no one wants to cook in the rain which is great for us," Chris Bartlett said.

Splash Adventure Waterpark also reported lower attendance on Labor Day due to the rain.

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