Near-Miss At Dangerous Lansdale Intersection

North Penn Now's weekly newsletter

Author

James Kratch
October 22, 2024

Photo by James Short

Welcome to the first edition of North Penn Now’s weekly newsletter! Since this is our first send, expect us to experiment and improve rapidly. Have a comment of suggestion? Just reply to this email.

Let’s get going!

📆 Upcoming Nearby Events

Wednesday, Oct. 23

  • 🧶 Knitting/Crocheting Club | Lansdale Public Library | 3:30-5:30 p.m., more details here

Friday, Oct. 25

Saturday, Oct. 26

⚠️ Close Call

Kathleen Allebach knew immediately.

She and her husband, Tom, have lived in Lansdale's West Ward for almost 40 years, near where Cannon and Columbia Avenues meet. So they are used to the sound of car accidents in the vicinity of the dicey intersection.

Traffic on Cannon is a straight shot with drivers building up speed and only traffic from Columbia hitting a stop sign — conditions that have created a regular demolition derby outside the Allebachs’ home. And, once, inside it — when a small school bus, with kids on board, careened into the sun room of their brick home in the early 2000s.

Well … it was almost deja vu all over again for the Allebachs this past weekend.

A Ford Mustang GT and a Chevrolet Traiblazer wrecked on Saturday and the Chevy missed their home by inches. The drivers were OK. The crash did destroy the left front railing of the Allebachs' front steps while taking out some landscaping work and, fittingly, the Cannon/Columbia street signs. The street was still stained from leaks a day later and the signpost remained mangled.

But it could have been far, far worse.

“It’s this roadway -- people drive way too fast,” Allebach told North Penn Now. “This is a family neighborhood. There’s kids out here all the time.”

Photo by James Short

🐶 For The Dogs

The 10th Home At Last Dog Rescue 5K, Dog Walk and Fall Fair is this Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. at Parkside Place Park un Upper Gwynedd.

Organizers are hoping for a big day; the event usually draws about 1,500 participants, but the goal is to double the turnout this year.

HAL has adopted out over 20,000 dogs since it was established in 2009. Saturday’s event raises funds to cover operational expenses, supplies and veterinary costs. There will be a Halloween costume contest, food, vendors, a raffle and more. You can find more details here.

🔥Putting Out The Fire

It took almost 20 emergency and fire agencies to tame a brush fire last Saturday in Upper Gwynedd Township.

A blaze broke out behind the PECO substation on the 400 block of Sumneytown Pike at the end of Dickerson Road, quickly growing to roughly the size of a football field. It was initially reported as an electrical fire around 4:15 p.m. but the exact cause was unknown, officials said. The blaze was under control around 5:30 p.m. after fire fighters used ATVs to contain the burn while preventing its spread.

👩‍🏫 Hometown Hero

Meet SallyAnn Emilius, a teacher at North Penn High School recently profiled by North Penn Now.

She is an American Sign Language (ASL) instructor who understands everything her students go through because she too is deaf. She tried to hide that fact when she was young, but as a high school senior she met another deaf person that changed her perspective.

“She blew me away. She was outgoing. Assertive. She signed. She had no fear. And most of all … she was happy,” Emilius said. The experience set her down a path that led to a career in education and helping others like her.

“One thing that I feel fortunate about is I get to live in two worlds. A deaf world and a hearing world. I met and know so many people in both worlds. I wouldn’t have known it back in elementary school as I tried to hide my deafness,” she said. “Now today, I am truly proud of it.”

🏟️ New Turf At SAHS

Souderton Area High School is getting a new multi-purpose turf athletic field. It will be constructed on the school’s old freshman football field. The field will be a full-size varsity baseball diamond with lines for field hockey, lacrosse and soccer in the outfield. The big benefit: SAHS baseball can move back on campus and stop using Harleysville Baseball complex’s dirt field, considered one of the worst playing surfaces in the region.

The project will cost $3.9 million and construction will begin this month; the field is expected to be ready in the spring — likely in March.

🏘️ In Other Nearby News

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