Saturday’s morning’s Smithfield Farmers Market and the afternoon’s Bacon & Bourbon Fest have been canceled due to the projected local impacts from Hurricane Ian.

Smithfield VA Events, the festival’s organizer, announced via its Facebook page around 9 a.m. Sept. 29 that “out of concern for the safety of our volunteers, attendees and vendors, the Town of Smithfield has closed the venue site and requested that we mitigate the potential for projective hazards by clearing the site of tents.” This, combined with the town’s reallocation of its emergency services in preparation for the storm, coupled with Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s declaring a state of emergency, “prevents us from moving forward to hold the festival.”

“Smithfield VA Events is truly disappointed to make this announcement,” the Facebook post states. “We will be working with our cancellation insurance company to deliver any potential refunds possible within the terms dictated by our policy.”

Just prior to 11 a.m. Thursday, Smithfield and Isle of Wight County’s joint tourism department announced the Smithfield Farmers Market had also canceled due to the forecast of inclement weather. The Farmers Market, which operates weekly on Saturdays in the parking lot of the Bank of Southside Virginia’s parking lot on Main Street, is set to return Oct. 8.