Sacramento's Gold Rush Days Festival Canceled Due To Drought

Sacramento's Gold Rush Days festival is the latest casualty of the drought.

The city has announced the Labor Day Weekend event will be canceled this year, due to the dry conditions and the huge amounts of water needed to run the event.

The festival involves the transformation of Old Sacramento back into an 1850's gold rush town --including 200 tons of dirt that supports horses, wagons, and street performers.

But organizers say it requires 3,000 gallons of water per day to keep the dust down during the event, plus 100,000 gallons to clean up at the end of the festival.

Organizers also say Gold Rush era cannon and weaponry demonstrations may pose an additional risk during the drought.

-Capital Public Radio Staff