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 Area residents used snowblowers, snow plows and snow shovels to dig out from a winter storm that hit late Friday and Saturday. Another storm is to hit tonight. Staff photo/William Laney MIKE BURKHOLDER
and WILLIAM LANEY
Staff Writers
A winter snow storm, which dumped as much as 3 feet in the Washington, D.C. area, hit the area with as much as 9 inches of snow in Wapakoneta and some areas of Auglaize County.
The snowfall came with high winds which created drifts as tall as 4 feet causing hazards for the city and county roadways.
Wapakoneta weather observer Dan Dietz calculated 8.5 inches of snow fell in Wapakoneta Friday and Saturday. The National Weather Service is predicting as much as 10 more inches starting with a light snow at midnight with most of the snow falling throughout the day Tuesday before tapering off early Wednesday morning.
Wapakoneta Public Works Superintendent Meril Simpson said city crews hit the roads at 4 a.m. Saturday, but the high winds hampered their effforts.
Crews worked until 4:15 p.m.. Saturday and returned Sunday and worked from 7 a.m. to 1p.m. before heading back out early this morning.
“We are attempting to clear the roadways the best we can and we are dumping more salt and grit this time,” Simpson said this morning. “The temperature is still too cold for the salt to work, but if we get enough sun it may warm it up enough to help.”
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Rain parts for sunny Uniopolis Jamboree |
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Monday, 27 July 2009 |
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By MATT NICHOLS
Staff Writer
Dark rainy skies gave way to bright sunshine minutes before this year’s Uniopolis Fire Department’s Jamboree kicked off Saturday in the Auglaize County village.
It was the 66th annual event in the village of more than 250 people, and Uniopolis Fire Department President Kevin Lowe called the festivities a success thanks to mother nature’s timely change.
“The rain all stopped about 15 minutes before everything got started,” Lowe said. “It delayed some of our final setup, but that was about it.”
Lowe said he did not have any figures Sunday evening regarding how much the jamboree made, or how many people attended the event, but he thought the event was comparable to other successful years.
“We might not have had as many people, but the crowd that we had was spending (money),” Lowe said. “So, in this economic climate, it was a good year.”
Every dollar made in the jamboree goes into the volunteer fire department’s General Fund. Similar to previous years, the jamboree was an alcohol-free event.
The festivities kicked off Friday evening with the annual car show and volleyball tournament.
Lowe said approximately 30 cars attended the show, a few less than the 2008 figures. The volleyball tournament was deemed a success, as five teams competed against each other past midnight.
The actual jamboree kicked off Saturday afternoon with food, games and rides. Chicken and pork chop dinners were sold during the day, as well as hot dogs, tenderloins and hamburgers.
Plenty of rides and games were available to attendees, but Lowe said the two biggest attractions were the human sphere and mechanical bulls. The human sphere allowed people to roll around in a giant plastic ball like gerbil.
On Sunday, Lowe told the Wapakoneta Daily News the event was a huge success.
“We had a long line for that all night,” Lowe said. “It was constant.”
A steady stream of people also tried their hand at the bull, with nearly everyone ending up airborne and on the ground.
sLowe was one of the hundreds who tried their hand at the bull, and said he fared no better than anyone else.
“I would have to say I’m going to be a little sore,” Lowe said.
This year was Lowe’s first as president of the Uniopolis Fire Department and his first as the event’s primary organizer. Despite the help of more than two dozen active members, Lowe said from a personal aspect, he was glad the event was over.
“Give me about six months, and I’ll be ready to go,” Lowe said with a laugh.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 28 July 2009 )
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