JONES LAKE — The annual Fall Festival at Jones Lake State Park has been cancelled, but for a good cause — helping others.

Every year, Friends of the Bay Lakes holds a festival on Halloween weekend with hayrides, a costume contest, cake walks, animal exhibits, and games. This year, in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, Park Ranger Lane Garner says they’ll be busy elsewhere.

“Whenever there’s a disaster, state agencies are part of the emergency response,” he explained. “If a location sends a request for extra personnel to Raleigh, they might call us up to help.”

Rangers from Jones Lake have been assisting with clean-up in Lumberton and Fayetteville and helping with security at the North Carolina Baptist Men’s feeding units and shelters.

“I’ve never seen anything like it in my lifetime,” said Garner of the storm that swept through the region Oct. 8. “The amount of flooding and the danger caused by washed out roads, the height of the water — I’ve been working here 13 years and I’ve never seen water this high.”

The personnel being otherwise engaged isn’t the only reason the Fall Festival was cancelled, however.

“We have about 100 trees down in the park, so a lot of the trails are blocked,” said Garner. “Boardwalks have been washed away, which makes it unsafe for trails. The whole picnic area is under water, and ground water seeping into the septic tank means the bathhouses are down.”

Although Garner didn’t give a timeline for restoration, he did say it was dependent on water receding. The number of fallen trees means less water is absorbed, which in turn, means water is staying on the trails and prohibiting access. Even in areas where water has receded, the ground is so damp that large, heavy equipment would sink. In addition, some of the boardwalks that were washed out are inaccessible by vehicle.

“We might have to hike equipment in 3 miles just to fix a boardwalk,” said Garner. “It’s going to take quite some time.”

In the meantime, the day use areas and some campgrounds are open for use. When it does come time to begin rebuilding, Garner anticipates they will be on the grateful receiving end of some of the help they’ve been willing to give out recently.

Chrysta Carroll can be reached by calling 910-862-4163.

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By Chrysta Carroll

ccarroll@civitasmedia.com