The giant slip-and-slide event that was hyped on social media in Seattle, Spokane, or the Tri-Cities has now been canceled. All the excitement came to a halt over everyday health regulations.
In Seattle, a big chunk of Mercer Street was to be closed Aug. 16 so people who plopped down $30 a ticket could take a wet-and-wild ride.
But Slide the City, the group organizing the giant waterslide, said it had to cancel the Seattle and Spokane slides because state and county health departments said they couldn't accommodate them.
"We've been working with the Health Department for months, and we're actually pretty excited to keep working with them and make sure we're following every single rule and regulation," said Amy Gessel, spokeswoman for Slide the City.
But Marqise Allen of the Washington State Department of Health said the state never received applications for the Spokane or Seattle sites.
In fact, he said the only place Slide the City did try to get a permit was in the Tri-Cities. He said they filed initial paperwork nearly five months after the health department contacted them.
And after the health department followed up with some questions, Slide the City canceled the Tri-Cities event.
Checks of other giant Slide the City events around the country reveal cancellations at at least a dozen other locations.
Reasons range from permitting to equipment failures to poor ticket sales.