PILOT MOUNTAIN — While overcast skies plagued much of this past weekend’s Pilotfest Celebration, organizers weren’t ready to call the two-day event a washout. In fact, while crowds were down, the weekend did serve to raise valuable funds that will now be put back into the community.

“I believe it was a decent turn-out in spite of the weather,” said Spencer Oberle, president of the sponsoring Pilot Mountain Civic Club. “It was slow on Friday, but on Saturday, the sun came out and so did the people. There was never a massive crowd but Saturday was pretty good.”

A Saturday afternoon sampling of vendors found that most had experienced a slow sales weekend. But while disappointed, many also noted that poor weather is always an uncontrollable factor in their profession. Others also made note of tough economic times and said weekend events with high sales numbers have become far less frequent than in the past.

“We were disappointed,” Oberle said, “but we were able to bring in more vendors this year, along with a variety of good food and entertainment. There was just a lot of uncertainty about the weather. We had people calling in from places like Winston-Salem and Virginia, saying it was raining hard where they were and asking about our weather.

“Still,” he continued, “I expect that the club raised more money than last year. We’ve been able to use things like banners, supplies and equipment from past years and that has helped us to reduce our expenses.”

The event was the club’s third and final fundraiser of the year, following Mayfest and a summer golf tournament. According to Oberle, funds are then donated specifically to organizations which benefit the people of Pilot Mountain. Areas targeted include groups helping residents deal with physical needs such as hunger or warmth as well as those helping with medical issues or other hardships. Fire and rescue groups are also supported as are youth and senior-focused groups.

Distribution of funds takes place each December at an open banquet attended by club members, town officials and representatives from the organizations which are to receive funding. Last year, the group awarded an estimated $20,000 to some 23 groups and projects.

“And this year we should be able to distribute a similar amount,” Oberle said. “We’ve already been able to distribute some funds to groups that were in need of immediate help.”

Applications are now being accepted for the current year from groups and organizations in need of help. Deadline for submitting applications has been extended from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15. Applications are available online at www.townofpilotmountain.com, using the “documents” link.

“We want organizations to know they still have time,” Oberle noted. “We want to be able to help where there’s a need.”