The weather could not dampen the party.

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The weather could not dampen the party.

A steady rain forced the Windsor Spitfires to move the club’s home-opener fan festival inside the WFCU Centre on Saturday.

“It got moved inside because of the weather,” said Ryley Gwilliam, who is the operational support co-ordinator for the Spitfires. “At one point, it looked like we were going to go ahead (outside), but I was watching the radar and things changed.”

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Although it was not possible to move all the activities inside – such as the 40-foot inflatable slide – the majority of vendors and activities were able to shift indoors on the facility’s concourse area.

Subaru, which came on as a sponsor this year, actually opted to remain outside with its fan trailer.

“They had an awning with their trailer and were able to remain outside and still gave away 2,000-plus custom hats,” Gwilliam said.

While the crowd of 5,796 soaked in the team’s 12-2 win over the Kitchener Rangers, which marks the club’s first double-digit offensive performance in a home opener in 17 years, the party atmosphere also continued on during the intermissions.

“The fan zone was packed during the pre-game and intermissions,” Gwilliam said. “We’ve been working the last month planning with vendors to fill the whole space and give the most entertainment to fans.”

From face painting to glitter tattoos, food tasting and a giant team calendar giveaway, Gwilliam called the night a success.

“Everyone got the full experience,” Gwilliam said. “The majority of it was inside and it was packed inside and that was great to see.”

jpparker@postmedia.com

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