2 The Post NEWS Sunday, September 26, 2004 Flood (continued from page 1). As the water continued to rise, it flowed onto Main Street from behind businesses further upstream and through back yards below. But the stream was back in its banks by early afternoon, and the next day seemed hardly higher than normal. Fritzges thought his crew’s work cleaning out drains on Friday might have helped keep the runoff where it belonged for the most part. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I was really surprised.” A Dallas Area Municipal Authority crew spent most of Saturday pumping water from a sewer line alongside Route 309, across from the Offset Pa- perback factory. The line had become overloaded with storm water, causing backups into some basements in Dal- las Borough. Larry Spaciano, DAMA executive di- rector, said there was no damage to lines. “We were able to handle the flow” in part because of excess hold- ing capacity at the Trucksville plant, which now acts as a transfer station to the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authori- ty. The Harveys Lake system was not so fortunate. There, large amounts of storm water that got into the mains “blew out” bricks that were used to set manhole covers at the correct height when the system was built 30 years ago. The water then tore up a portion of Lakeside Drive near Pole 255. The manholes had been covered last year when PennDOT repaved the road around the lake. “There was a whole bunch of them sealed over,” said Rick Boice, executive director of the Har- veys Lake Municipal Authority. The bricks, from one to five courses high Boice said, gave way when water pressure built up. Newer installations use concrete rings, which are more se- cure. The road was repaired and reopened Monday evening. “I'm still looking from more leaks,” ~ Boice said. “If it did one, it might have done others.” He said there is evi- dence of damage near Queen of Peace Road and the post office. Still, Boice said the borough fared better than most of the region, and there was little other damage. At Cook’s Pharmacy in Shavertown, only a handful of parking spaces clos- est to the building were not flooded at 9 am. “The parking lot's -disappearing,” said Jack O'Donnell, a pharmacist as he watched the water rise.- But ‘by 1 p.m., the water had receded by half, and later it was gone completely. Further down the creek, the swollen stream edged up to the neat lawns of homes along North Main Street. Mike Goldsmith, patrolling the area in his role as a special fire policeman, stopped to place orange cones at a point where the creek was lapping at the edge of the roadway. The township had recently poured a concrete patch Flood waters from Toby's Creek that swept down North Main Street in Shavertown flooded the parking lot at Cook's Pharmacy. said more would be added soon. In Kunkle, the fire station was flood- ed by overflow from a usually placid brook that runs behind the building. Shortly after 9 a.m., all the fire trucks had been pulled out and the water pumped into Leonard’s Creek. Jack Dodson the Kunkle chief, said the flooding was worse than in the Agnes flood of 1972, and the water cracked the back wall of the station, got into the furnace and damaged the electrical system. Dodson said a crew went out at about 6:30 a.m. to pump water from a basement in Beaumont, and the call came in saying the station was flooded about an hour later. Once the trucks were moved out of the station, “We backed a truck in and pumped out the driveway.” The Harveys Lake Fire De- partment sent a truck to help out. “We pumped out a lot of base- ments,” Dodson said. The department doesn’t charge for the service; Dodson regards it as a reward for the support of the community. The department has been planning an addition to its station. Dodson said that will now include raising the floor a couple of feet. Dallas Fire and Ambulance also spent the day pumping out basements, starting about 4 a.m., said the chief, Harry Vivian. He said 15 to 20 volun- teers worked until late afternoon, as- sisted part of the time by the Lehman and Kunkle departments. In some cases, the water for as much as 5 feet deep, he said. There is no charge for the service. “Then it was time to get ready for the harvest festival,” Vivian said. “It was a long weekend.” He said crew members saw little damage beyond the basement flood- ing. Anywhere water could collect, it reached levels not seen in decades. A car plows through water that backed up onto Lower Demunds Road i Dallas Township at the intersection with Ransom Road. Always prone to flooding, Trout and Allison Friedman, through the POST PHOTOS/RON BARTIZEK Toby's Creek smashed against a rock wall that protects homes just off Route 309 in Shavertown. Private bridges connect the properties to North Main Street. Trucksville, just off Carverton Road, Brook, which runs parallel to Lower Demunds Road in Dallas Township, covered the road in several spots. Runoff created a small stream that ran across Mount Olivet Road, into one end of a historic barn owned by Rob barn and out the other end. Will Conyngham, an owner of the Hillside Farms dairy, said he had not seen the water so high in Huntsville Creek since 1972. A low spot on Dug Road in was overrun by a usually docile freshet that swelled to a raging torrent. & Electrical power was also affected. Power was out from Trucksville to Shavertown from about 2 a.m. to 11 a.m. after a tree fell across lines. at a bend in the creek, and Fritzges Lori (continued from page 1) play the part, Allison said last week just after arriving back home from California. It turned out the next- youngest contestant was 16, and others were as old as 26. Like other finalists, Allison attended a week of “boot camp” with acting coaches before entering the spotlight earlier this month. Judges looked at video clips of the week, picking five would-be Loris to advance to an elimi- nation round that was televised Sept. 19. Allison was one of three that didn’t advance. Allison said she feels “a lot more confident” after going through the competition. “I learned a lot of different stuff,” she said, such as how to better control her voice, project feelings into songs and how to use movement while performing. Hopefuls auditioned in New York, Los Angeles, Orlan- do, Fla., and Minneapolis, Minn. At her audition in New York City, Allison competed against more than 700 girls for the part of Lori. Allison and her father, John, flew to Los Angeles on the same plane as Judy Fitch Guinosso, the former Dallas resi- dent who is a finalist for the part of Shirley, the matriarch of the show business family featured in the series. Her au- ditions will air Sunday, Oct. 3 at 9 p.m. on VH1. While in Los Angeles, Considine met original cast member Danny Bonaduce and saw Shirley Jones across a room. — by Ronald Bartizek COURTESY OF VH1 Allison Considine, 12, of Dallas was one of eight finalists for the part of Lori Par- tridge on the unscripted series, "In Search of the Partridges.” Partridge (continued from page 1) 5, to school, soccer practice drum or pi- ano lessons, she teaches voice from her home in Souderton and is also a part-time substitute teacher for the Central Bucks School District. She sings a variety of music such as pop, jazz and cabaret. She most re- cently performed at the famed Odette’s in New Hope. Her previous venues include At- lantic City and the Poconos. In early August, Judy flew to California to undergo a rigorous “boot camp,” which con- sisted of acting and vocal lessons. She im- mediately hit if off with all of the “Shirley” wannabes. “We've all become friends. They're the greatest bunch of ladies.” She was excited about meeting original cast members David Cassidy and Shirley Jones. “Shirley is a wonderful lady. She’s very gracious. She gave us all a big hug and sang for us. David came right up to me and shook my hand.” Guinosso also got to drive the Partridge Family bus around the studio lot a few times. Guinosso and the other finalists’ auditions will be aired in VH1 next Sunday, Oct. 3, at 9 p.m. The top two will be chosen to go head-to-head in a singing and acting compe- tition. Viewers will then vote on who will be cast as the next Shirley Partridge. The cho- sen “family” will begin rehearsals for a sit- com pilot that will debut on VH1 in late fall. “l don’t have any experience in acting” Guinosso said. “If they think I need to cut all my hair off, then that’s what I'll do to re- semble her more.” 3 She said she’ll miss her family if she is chosen. “I've never been away from my kids more than a week. If I do win the part, which is such a big if, we'd probably film an episode or two, then be back for the holi- days.” Asked about the possibility of becoming a part of a long-term sitcom, she said “We’d be bi-coastal for awhile. My husband Patricfff) and I have discussed this. It’s really okay however this turns out. I have a great life here in Souderton. I have a wonderful hus- band and great children. My kids are well- adjusted and I have a lot of support from my family and friends.” This whole experience still hasn’t sunk it yet, she said. “I still can’t believe this has happened!” items to the address above, or drop them off at the Uni-Mart in Dallas near the intersection of Routes 309 and 415. (digital photos, too) to: thepost@ leader.net Deadline is noon, Wednesday prior to publication. Coverage Area: The Post covers the “Back Mountain” area of Luzerne County, including the Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts, and southern Wyoming County. We try to get to as many events as possible, but staff and space limitations make it impossible to cover everything. If you have news about your family, town or organization, please send it to us and we'll try to get it in. Photographs are welcome. You may send E-mail is the best and most timely method for submissions. 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