This morning, the city scheduled a press conference outside on the Waterfront. Expecting rain, it was moved inside Waterfront’s HQ, which is that quirky little building by Joe’s Crab Shack. Then the tsunami came, trapping the Mayor and members of the media inside for a good 30 minutes beyond the press conference.

Which made for a good humor opportunity.  The Mayor joked he would not be promising to clean up debris from this storm. Spokesman Chris Poynter compared it to being in a washing machine. About 30 people were trapped inside as water started blowing in through closed windows.  The camera operators from the TV stations focused their lenses on the River, getting the raindrops on tape.

The news from the actual press conference wasn’t as exciting.

Ashley Cox of the Waterfront Development Corp. said the cutbacks to the Waterfront Independence Festival would “not be that dire.” They’re not cutting back on fireworks (the Louisville Bats sponsor the first night) and the musical acts — headed by Joe Nichols and Steve Wariner — aren’t quite as big (and less expensive) than previous acts like Gary Allen and George Clinton and Los Lobos.

The Festival is spending about $200,000 this year, about $100K less than last year.

“We tried to be responsive to the economic situation and still provide a great event,” she said.