Major flooding forced road closures and left homes and businesses underwater in New London but this weekend, neighbors are turning the page with the return of the May Festival.Watch the full broadcast here: New London May Festiv al unites community after floodingThe May Festival is now in its fifth year. It was created in memory of Abigail "Boo Boo" Hoier, a beloved New London community member who died by suicide in 2021."We wanted to keep her spirit alive as she liked the festivals and carnivals and spending time with family and friends so we thought this was the best way to keep her memory alive," Hope Webb, sister of Abigail Hoier, said.Tracey Hoier, Abigail's mother, said the festival is about making something meaningful out of loss."It's just a few days out of the year where we try to pull it all together and make something good of it," Hoier said.But weeks before the festival, organizers weren't sure this year's event would even happen. The original park location was too flooded to use, forcing organizers to move the event to the New London Fish and Game Club."A lot of it came together in a very short time and it has actually come together very well," Greg Eidenberger of the New London Fish and Game Club said.With help from community members, Waupaca County officers, and Shamrock Heights Golf Course, the event was able to move forward."I did not think that we could pull this off," Brya Schmitt of the New London Fish and Game Club said.Some say the festival came at the perfect time."That's a great thing because we need that nowadays especially," one attendee said.Organizers say all money raised from the festival goes back into the community, including scholarships and this year, helping support local New London businesses impacted by the flooding.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. ...read more read less