ANN ARBOR (WWJ) - The Ann Arbor Art Fair has resumed after severe storms forced it to shut down for several hours on its opening day in order to keep vendors, guests and volunteers safe from dangerous weather conditions.
The City of Ann Arbor had been included in a Severe Thunderstorm Warning as all of Southeast Michigan dealt with another round of severe weather.
Ann Arbor police officials announced around at 3 p.m. the fair would be closed until at least 5 p.m. due to the severe weather, telling the public to "seek shelter."
The art fair, which draws hundreds of thousands of people each year, resumed around 5 p.m.
The Ann Arbor Police Department had strongly encouraged all people heading to the fair to sign up for special art fair emergency notifications by texting A2ARTFAIR (in all caps) to 888777.
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The Ann Arbor Art Fair is the largest juried art fair in the U.S. and attracts over half a million attendees over three days in July, organizers said. This year's fair runs from July 20 to July 22.
The Ann Arbor Art Fair features nearly 1,000 artists sprawled across 30 city blocks in downtown Ann Arbor.
The fair's hours run from:
• Thursday, July 20 • 10AM – 9PM
• Friday, July 21 • 10AM – 9PM
• Saturday, July 22 • 10AM – 8PM
Additional information on the Ann Arbor Art Fair can be found on their website. For more on Thursday severe weather threat, click here. For the up-to-date weather forecast, please visit the National Weather Service.
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