ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – Saturday’s wet and windy weather conditions forced many events around the region to cancel or postpone, including the ALS Walk in St. Augustine.
“With the rain, the wind, the flooding, we made the right decision,” volunteer Mark Bailey said. “It was tough on the committee, on the volunteers, on the participants.”
The walk hits close to home for Alecia Bailey, who organized the event.
“I lost my husband 12 years ago to ALS, which is a frontal lobe, neurological disease and basically the cells are weighted down and the neurons won’t work, so your limbs don’t work, you become paralyzed so it’s a horrific disease,” said Alecia Bailey.
Bailey and her current husband, Mark Bailey, said they expected more than 300 people to participate in the half-mile walk. The path, which would have started at Ripley’s Believe It or Not, was washed out and underwater Saturday.
This is the second year in a row the ALS Walk was changed. Last year it was virtual due to COVID-19. The Baileys said despite the cancellation this year, their mission to fight ALS continues.
“We will never stop fighting. We will always continue, no matter what,” said Alecia Bailey.
Event organizers said they anticipate raising $160,000 this year toward fighting ALS. That would make it the second most successful ALS walk in the state. They said it’s unclear if they will reschedule the walk, but they will keep the community updated.
Other cancellations/postponements:
- Greater Jacksonville Agricultural Fair: Postponed opening gates until 5 p.m.
- Ware County homecoming: Postponed until Friday, Nov. 12.
- Jacksonville Beach Cleanup: Canceled.
- Walk to End Alzheimer’s Jacksonville: Postponed until Saturday, Dec. 4.
- Art in the Park: Postponed, no date announced.
- Red Bull Night Riders: Moved back to Sunday morning, starting at 10 a.m.