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I'll take heat any day - flooding in Bloomsburg

Bloomsburg

Using the old tried and true "Lighting not striking twice" saying. I would go back.
Love the town and the whole set up at the fairgrounds if we had a little more a/c to hide in and some seats to rest on I will be there. I think we do need some rooms for the speakers that have a/c. Cattle barns are a little lame for me.
The town and the people were incredible. I hope they recover quickly from this flooding.
Ken Denton
 
Ditto;

Heat aside, the folks there were indeed very receptive/friendly to me and others I talked to. Wishing them the best to come through this Aok. It was indeed a very pretty area of the USA to visit. Randy:thumb
 
That's the double-whammy for the food vendors. Many of their local homes and shops were flooded, and now their big revenue event is cancelled.
 
Sorry to see all the destruction in Bloomsburg. The town opened the doors for us, and residents could not have been nicer.
 
Sorry to see all the destruction in Bloomsburg. The town opened the doors for us, and residents could not have been nicer.

The people and the town were some of the nicest folks you will ever meet. I didn't meet a single unfriendly person in the entire town. The only policeman I saw was the one directing traffic after the closing ceremonies (there was no need).
 
I rode through Bloomsburg on my way to the Poconos Rally, on Friday 9/16. The route up on 15/11 was in great shape until just before the interchange with 42. Then you see evidence of high water and the road is badly damaged in places. Approaching the fairgrounds, I stopped and took pics of the entrance area. The 8 foot fence surrounding the site was covered to the top with flood debris.

The scene got more surreal with National Guard and police stationed throughout, keeping traffic moving. You go thru that small residential area adjacent to the fairgrounds, and it was sad to see people's belongings on the sidewalks, folks still shoveling mud out of their homes, etc. Several homes had the surrounding dirt swirled away to where you saw the basement walls all the way to the footers, and steps from the porches were gone. Two homes on the right side were undermined so much they collapsed into their footprint. More National Guard, a Red Cross Aid Site with supplies, and a police command post...lots of stores advertising cleaning supplies and building materials. Sad indeed.

The main downtown area did not get hit as hard. I stopped at Marley's for lunch and they had just reopened, and all town water was still under boil orders. The bartender mentioned that FEMA may buy out several properties to get the residents out of the area.

Local papers had pics of the cleanup at the fairgrounds, and stories of the business lost due to the fair cancellation.

On a happy note, many businesses posted signs that they were open and thanks to the volunteers who are working in the town.
 
We rode through on the way home yesterday from the BDB rally. How incredibly sad. We came down from the area where the GS Giants camped at Whispering Pines and could see severely damaged cabins/houses by the water. People's belongings were strewn through the fields. We also stopped at Marleys for lunch and the down town area didn't look so bad....until we continued on towards the fairgrounds.

National Guard was stationed at nearly every street corner. Red Cross had stands set up in various places. As we got closer to the fairgrounds, we could see entire contents of homes sitting on the curb and people shoveling/hosing down mud. The homes near the gate of the fairgrounds were the worst to see. Several homes are now sitting in their own backyards. A few were completely caved in. The fence around the main gate area (where the RV's were parked) is gone and the entire area looks like the aftermath of a war zone.

I feel so very bad for the town and its people who welcomed us with open arms just a few short weeks ago.
 
I'm thankful then that the MOA choose Bloomsburg this year. At least the town had that event. It's not going to make everything all better but it's better than nothing.
 
The 2011 Bloomsburg Fair is a mini one

Bloomsburg Mini Fair October 14, 15 & 16 press release

The efforts of many to clean up the fair grounds were absolutely amazing. 4-H
leaders, 4-H youth, local businesses, fair vendors, volunteers, exhibitors, shareholders
and fair workers all came together as one to accomplish the difficult task of restoring the fair.
Our young adults learned a lifelong lesson that sometimes ÔÇ£life is not fairÔÇØ.
Many of them worked long hours doing hard manual labor only to learn that the fair would be cancelled.
The directors quickly agreed to allow the 4-H market animal shows and sale.

All efforts were not in vain, on October 14, 15 & 16 (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
we will be having the 4-H market animal shows and sale for our local kids at the
Bloomsburg Fair grounds. This will include animal shows such as 4-H sheep/lambs,
hogs, goats and steers. This will be open to the public and free of charge for all who
attend. The 4-H kids have worked for months with their animals to get them to show
quality. Many use their sale proceeds to offset animal expenses and put towards future
tuition cost for college. The 4-Hers are looking forward to our local businesses and
livestock buyers to attend the sale. We hope anyone interested can attend and help
contribute to our future leaders of tomorrow in their endeavors. The livestock sale will
be held on Sunday 10/16 at 2pm.

We have a variety of local vendors who will be attending for your eating pleasure.
This event is a small token of all who contributed with the clean-up efforts.

Sincerely,
Jeff B. Giger
Director of Livestock, Bloom Fair
 
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