RIVERFEST '97: RIVERFEST OPENING WASHED OUT

Leslie Jenkins of Jackson won the Miss Riverfest title Friday night.

The Coast Guard gave tours aboard its Sumac during Riverfest Friday evening. The Sumac will be open for tours from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. today during Riverfest.

A severe thunderstorm packing heavy rain washed out the opening night of Riverfest Friday.The storm swept the city at about 8 p.m., and Riverfest was forced to close down for the night about an hour later.Riverfest activities will resume at 10 a.m. today and wind up tonight.Today's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a high in the mid-80s and a 30 percent of thunderstorms this morning.Friday night, crafters hurried to put away their wares and pull tent covers over their booths. Those attending the evening entertainment raised umbrellas and ran for shelter.Runners in the Kohlfeld run as well as most of the people at Riverfest got soaked.More than 200 people were forced from under a tent at Broadway and Water streets as they huddled together from the high winds and rain. Riverfest officials said security guards were advised to move the crowd because of the wind. A Riverfest official said security guards were afraid people would be injured if the tent fell.A few areas in Cape Girardeau reported power outages during the storm. The Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department received no reports of damage. Fred Ford of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said no damage was reported in Cape Girardeau.The Bollinger County Sheriff's Department reported fallen trees and baseball size hail from the storm at Zalma.Trees and power lines were down in Union County, Ill.The Scott City Police Department, the Perry County Sheriff's Department, and the Sikeston Department of Safety all received reports of tree branches and power lines down. Earlier in the evening, the sky was sunny and temperatures warm as more than 400 Riverfest-goers visited the Coast Guard cutter SUMAC that docked along the Mississippi River for the festival.Tom Rine, executive petty officer, said the 54-year-old SUMAC will be retired from service in three to four years. He said it is the largest vessel of its kind when it is combined with the barge it pushes.Tours of the SUMAC will be given today from 1 to 8 p.m.Just before the storm hit, a local Christian music group, Under the Influence, performed on the main stage for hundreds of people. Band members Calvin Bird and Chris Nall said they were glad a Christian music group was allowed to perform at Riverfest.The eight-member band and its 35- to 40-member backup choir are made up of church members from La Croix United Methodist Church and the Greater Dimension Church of God in Christ.The evening performance of John Reno was canceled due to the weather. Riverfest officials could not be reached late Friday to determine if Reno will perform today.