Georgia 'Rain Dance' Fails to Draw Precipitation, Participation

WOODSTOCK, Ga. – When planners decided to hold a "rain dance" to end Georgia's drought, they didn't plan on one thing — the nice weather gave people other things to do.

"Not much of a turnout," landscaper Linda Boyer said Saturday, squinting against the sun and scanning the nearly empty parking lot sprinkled with several tables of water-related activities and volunteers like Dwight Turner.

"There's a lot of festivals going on elsewhere — the Ellijay Apple Festival, the pumpkin patches, haunted houses, Cagle Dairy's Corn Maize Festival... ."

Cherokee County Water Authority employees were there to hand out pamphlets and water-saving showerheads. A small wishing well gurgling recycled water sat in the center of the parking lot outside the Woodstock Art Center.

And even a Woodstock dance troupe showed up for the rain festival to perform in the tradition of Native American rain dances — albeit for about a dozen people.

"Bottom line, when it's not raining, everybody prays to the Big Guy regardless of culture," said Kendra Cosner, "company mom" for the teen dance group from Dancentre South.

Boyer said the event was a last-minute decision and organized in the last 10 days.