13 Consecutive Rainy Weekends Dampen Massachusetts Business Activities

To say it's been raining a lot this spring in Massachusetts would be quite an understatement. The Bay State has witnessed 13 consecutive rainy weekends in a row, with a potential 14th on tap for the weekend of June 21-22. The relentless gray skies and raindrops have left some of the state's businesses experiencing a soggy season.

Will Gransky, general manager, of Natick's Golf on the Village spoke with the Boston Globe about the weather impacts on his miniature golf business. “We go to open the next day, and our holes are filled with gallons and gallons of water,” he said. “You'd be playing ankle-deep.” Fortunately for Gransky, his company's sister business, Fun and Games arcade in Framingham, has seen an uptick in visitors seeking indoor activities this spring.

Depending on your business, the week-after-week rainfall has been feast or famine: Operators of outdoor attractions say they're hurting going into summer. Businesses with indoor offerings are battling with record-high visitation.

At Puttshack, an indoor miniature golf venue with locations in Boston's Seaport and Natick, reservations during recent weekends have increased by almost 20 percent. Visitors often line up outside the doors before the business even opens, said regional director of operations Kerry Henderson.

Boston Globe lead meteorologist Ken Mahan said that while the weather pattern has been atypical for the spring in Massachusetts, people shouldn't lose hope that they won't see a dry weekend. According to Mahan, as the summer progresses, the temperature differences that cause storms come into balance, resulting in more sunny days.

Lorrie Funtleyder, owner of Boundless Adventures treetop ropes courses in Berlin, said business has been down this year, but she is hoping for the best when dry weather returns. “I am hoping that it does more than bounce back to normal,” she said. “I'm hoping that people are excited to get outside and they come out and have fun.”