September was indeed a month to remember in Nockamixon Township. Autumn arrived on schedule. Even in late August, over-anxious tree leaves began burnishing into their beautiful, showy glow. The sun tilted over to its descendant angle that provides a warm, liquid gold on waning afternoons. But then, a pair of unwelcome guests rode southern winds north for visits on their way out to the Atlantic.

First came Ivan, no longer a hurricane but still a blustery buffoon of a storm. If he could no longer muster the winds that had wreaked havoc on Alabama and Florida’s panhandle, he was determined to remind us that he still had some other muscle left. According to official records, our area received three to five inches of rain in less than twelve hours. But I tend to believe the more specific total read by Helen Nast’s trusty rain gauge up on Kintner Hill. She's been taking readings off of it for years, and said it topped out at 6 inches before spilling over the rim on Saturday the 18th.

The results are now history: Ditches and streams became raging torrents, anything in their paths re-arranged according to the tastes of Mom Nature, and the Delaware River crested at the Riegelsville Roebling Bridge just six feet below where it did in the record flood of August, 1955. Lots of people had planned to celebrate the bridge’s centenary that day, and some even showed up in the pouring rain to see a parade. But it wasn’t to be. Organizers of the festivities are now trying to pick up the pieces and decide how best to recognize the important milestone after the date. Stay tuned for more on that. Meanwhile, our condolences to everyone who worked so hard to make it a special day for us all.