CARY — For the first time in its 35-year history, the Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival has been canceled. You can blame Hurricane Irene.

Event coordinators consulted with weather forecasters and emergency management officials before making the call to cancel the festival, which had been scheduled for this weekend. Organizers decided staging the festival was too risky because of the potential for unsafe conditions arising from the storm's high winds.

"Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our artists, entertainers, guests, volunteers and workers," festivals coordinator Joy Ennis said.

Organizers were not able to reschedule the festival for another date this year. So the next Lazy Daze will take place a year from now - Aug. 25, 2012.

The town does host a Spring Daze Arts & Crafts Festival, scheduled for April 28.

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