Georgia festival considers new schedule to avoid hurricanes
JEKYLL ISLAND, Ga. (AP) - Hurricane Florence isn't stopping a big food festival on the Georgia coast this weekend, but organizers say September storms are making them consider a schedule change for next year.
The Jekyll Island Shrimp & Grits Festival began Friday and is scheduled to last through the Sunday. Organizers at the island state park forged ahead after Florence took aim at the Carolinas and was forecast to miss the Georgia coast.
Florence arrived almost exactly a year after Tropical Storm Irma forced the 2017 festival to be cancelled. A slimmed-down version was held last November.
Organizers said in a news release they're "actively discussing" moving the festival date away from what's typically the peak of hurricane season. In 2016 the festival drew about 45,000 people.