Washout: Irene Forces Weekend Event Cancelations

It looks like Hurricane Irene has already begun to cause damage in Morristown.

Marty Epstein, of , said Thursday morning that he has decided to postpone the inaugural , which was scheduled for Sunday. The rain (or, in this case, hurricane) date is now Sept. 18.

"After coordinating and negotiating with the State Police, the 22 different municipalities through which we will be riding in Northwest New Jersey, and our volunteer support teams, we have made the decision to postpone the ride and all associated events until the weekend of Sept. 18th - the ride itself will be on the 18th," wrote Epstein in an email to participants.

"We realize that we are a 'Rain or Shine' event, but a hurricane of the projected strength of Irene is unprecedented and brings with it a much higher level of danger due to forecasted torrential rains, high winds, and the potential for significant storm debris and flooding along the route. Our primary concern is the safety of both our riders, and our volunteers," he wrote. "This has not been an easy decision to make, and we hope that you will understand the dilemmas we faced in making it."

Also, the MorristownGreen.com film and music festival, which was scheduled to run from noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday, has also been canceled. The rain date has been set for Sept. 17.

"We have decided, prudently, we think, to pack up our tents for Saturday’s Fourth Annual MorristownGreen.com Film & Music Festival and Green on the Green expo and ride out Hurricane Irene with everyone else," wrote Kevin Coughlin on his site.