Triangle Residents Refuse To Let Soggy Afternoons Ruin Their Summer

Cherda Martin's son, Chandler, does not mind playing in the wet weather. She says her son is just having fun.

"When we walked over to the swings, it just started downpouring and we said, 'Well, we're already wet. Let's just let them have fun,'" Martin says.

While the rain may be fun for kids, it spells profit for video stores.

"We had a mom who came in this morning and got seven or eight tapes for her daughters because it's supposed to rain later today," says Carbonated Video employee Jessica Werane.

A light rain usually sends shoppers to the mall. However, merchants say heavy storms send them home.

"The heavy weather, we tend to lose a lot of customers," says merchant Ryan Cilnan. "When it's really heavy storms outside, people don't want to get out of their houses."

The rain is not putting an end to outdoor concerts. Rain or shine, shows go on at Raleigh'sAlltel Pavillion. Managers say neither mud nor rain will deter diehard fans.

"In ten years, there's never been a show called or cancelled because of the weather," says Matt McNeil, manager of Alltel Pavillion.

Movie theaters and rollerskating rinks say they are also doing well with the wet weather. However, outdoor businesses say this is one of their worst summers ever. They hope things will dry out so they can recoup some of their losses.