BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Saturday’s heavy rain stalled Bay Minette’s Mardi Gras celebration.

Thanks to the daylong wet and windy weather, the Bay Minette Mystic Revelers postponed their seventh annual Mardi Gras Parade, which had been scheduled for noon.

“We don’t know when we’re going to reschedule,” Mystic Revelers President Harry Wilson said in a telephone interview.

The cancellation came Friday after Wilson checked with weather officials, who reported storms were forecast to hit the area just as the parade would commence.

“It’s just supposed to get real bad right at around noon,” he said Friday afternoon.

But despite that forecast, Bay Minette Civic Club held firm in plans to present its third annual Mardi Gras Fest at Halliday Park.

“The festival will happen, rain or shine,” BMCC President Greg Mais said in a telephone inter”view Friday morning.

However, Saturday’s downpour drenched the event that was set to take place at Halliday Park, as vendors and entertainment canceled plans to attend, and no patrons showed up.

“We didn’t have anybody at all come to the festival,” Mais said Sunday afternoon. “I guess third time wasn’t the charm.”

The Mystic Revelers passed the festival portion of Bay Minette’s Mardi Gras celebration to the Civic Club in 2009. However, the event has been rained out each year since the transfer took place.

“It’s kind of disappointing,” Mais said. “After months of planning, it’s rained out again.”

According to the BCC president, a new addition to this year’s festival was to have been a MoonPie eating contest. But all is not lost, as the contest will be moved to the club’s Save Our Schools Festival that’s planned for March 3.

“It’s in two weeks,” he said. “We know we’ll have a crowd at that.”

But the future of Mardi Gras Fest has yet to be determined.

“A couple of us were talking about it,” Mais said. “I think if we do it again, we’ll just have the carnival.”

As for the parade, Mystic Revelers have traditionally rescheduled the event and changed the theme in respect of the observance of Lent. Last year’s was postponed until the middle of March and given the theme, “Spring Fest.” At press time, a re-schedule date for the parade has not yet been determined.