Hot weather forces cancellations of several Central Valley events

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The extreme heat is forcing the cancellation of several events in the Central Valley.

Event organizers say being outside in these conditions is a safety risk and it's better to be safe than sorry.

The Thursday night street market in Hanford has been a 20-year institution and will not be held this week.

"We cancel if the temperatures go above 106 degrees," said Michelle Brown, the Executive Director of Main Street Hanford. "The food vendors, they're cooking, so their space is even hotter. It's, you know, 10 or 20 degrees hotter, maybe even more so, they're on board with the cancellations."

In Old Town Clovis, the popular Friday Night Farmers Market is also canceled.

Temperatures that day are forecasted to around 110 degrees.

RELATED: Cooling centers open in the Central Valley amid heat wave

"As hard as it is to cancel an event, especially when there's so much planning that goes into every Friday night," said Heather Frantzich, the executive director of Business Organization of Old Town. "Our number one priority is the safety and health of everybody involved."

Juneteenth is on June 19, but Fresno's celebration at Frank H Ball Park will now be held one week later on June 26.

"Whether we celebrate it on the 19th or whether we celebrate on the 26th, it doesn't diminish the significance of what the event represents," said Daren Miller, a Fresno Juneteenth Committee Member.

The event celebrates African American culture and commemorates the freedom of the last enslaved people.

The House voted 415-14 Wednesday to make Juneteenth the 12th federal holiday. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law.

RELATED: Congress approves bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday; Biden expected to sign