FLOOD OF ’99: “The skies tore loose Friday afternoon, and for 2
hours, it seemed like no one was safe and nothing was sacred.”

So read the first sentence of the front-page story in the Aug.
20, 1999, Bradford Era, detailing the day the heavens opened and
hit Bradford with a hard, steady downpour that washed away
seemingly everything that wasn’t nailed down.

Or as our reporter phrased it: “The rain moved more earth in 2
hours than a battalion of bulldozers could have moved it in a
month.”

‘RTS reader Frances Wolfe Haight recalled that day in her poem
titled “I Remember”:

“Ten years ago, it rained, and then it rained some more,

I was really shocked to see water coming up to my door.

Groceries floated down the street, our back steps floated
away,

Cars were stranded everywhere – how I remember that day!

No one was badly hurt, and no one died, for sure.

Finally, the water went down, and we went back to the way we
were.”

BEER BOOK: A former Pitt-Bradford instructor has been getting
some good PR lately for his new book “The Ultimate Beer Lover’s
Cookbook.”

John Schlimm of St. Marys taught at Pitt-Bradford in the
Communication Arts Department several years ago. He’s the
great-great-grandson of Straub Brewery founder Peter Straub and
has, of late, been making the rounds promoting his new book that
features more than 400 food and drink recipes that all require beer
as an ingredient.

He appeared on the QVC shopping network Saturday and, on July
31, he treated the morning hosts of “Fox and Friends” on Fox News
to a “Beer Breakfast Bash.” The hosts sampled a hearty breakfast
of scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes – all prepared with beer. (By
the way, the bacon was fried in beer!)

John’s book was awarded “Best Beer Book in the World” at the
International Gourmand Awards July 1 in Paris. It also made history
in 2008 as the largest beer cookbook every published.

He’s penned other books, too, including “The Pennsylvania
Celebrities Cookbook,” “Straub Brewery,” “The Straub Beer Party
Drinks Handbook,” “The Ultimate Elk Cookbook From the Heart of Elk
Country” and “The Straub Beer Cookbook.”

By the way, you can buy the book at bookstores or online at
Amazon.com, as well as through the
QVC Web site. Or drop John a “tweet” on Twitter.com.