Greenway events go forth despite rain

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff

If festivals were made on enthusiasm and effort, the “Try Something New” event on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway was destined to be a success this weekend.

Yet a day after powerful rainstorms forced the postponement of the festival to a much barer bones version today, what constituted success had to be ratcheted down. Instead of the 10,000 people organizers had anticipated, estimates were in the low thousands.

“We are all drying out….but we are still thrilled so many people spontaneously came today,’’ said Nancy Brennan, executive director of the Greenway Conservancy, which put on the event with a suite of partners. “This is in the natural order of things when you have a one day event in rain, sun or even monsoon.”

The non-profit conservancy took over control of the 15-acre park constructed atop the Big Dig in February and has been struggling to deal with shrinking private donations and the disappearance of $1 million in state funding because of the recession. The Try Something New event was designed to introduce the park to thousands while also help conservancy organizers mold what the park’s use would look like long term.