Spring is always an interesting time of year with the changing weather.  One never knows what you are going to get; rain storm, snow, sleet, wind, lightning, the list goes on.

Well this past weekend at my sister’s graduation from Nazareth College in Rochester, NY we experienced a bit of excitment thanks to Spring weather.

The morning was beautiful but naturally 20 minutes before the commencemnt ceremony began a storm cell rolled through Rochester bringing heavy rain and lightning.  Thankfully the tent which hosted the commencement was large enough for the several thousand attendees to sit comfortably and keep dry.  However the huge metal beams that held the 40,000 sq foot tent up caused too much concern as potential lightning rods so we had to all evacuate the tent.

Our evacuation consisted of me and my family heading to the minivan and drinking the champagne we brought to celebrate with my sister.  Here is what it looked like…

After the champagne and rain party in the minivan the real fun began and we all headed back to the tent for the graduation.

Thankfully the rain passed but phase two of Spring weather followed quickly.  Gusts of wind in the area hit up to 30 mph.  As you can imagine I was freaking out watching these massive beams sway to and fro thinking of the devastation that could ensue.

One hour later the gusts remained but the graduation was over and we all bolted out of the tent and back to the car.

45 minutes after we left the graduation this is what occured…  Heavy Winds Blow over Tent at Nazareth College Graduation

Needless to say a graduation I won’t soon forget.