Community Discussions

By Tiffany Pakkala, February 17, 2003

One would have expected Carlisle to be a ghost town this morning.

The roadways were empty except for the occasional snowplow. Most cars were buried in the drifts, appearing to be drifts themselves. Local police reported that everything was quiet, noting that area residents had learned to stay in when the weather got this bad.

But some people decided to do battle with the unstoppable snow.

Some locals were hatching their cars out of the thick whiteness. Others were walking to work with briefcases tucked under their arms.

Kids were burrowing into the drifts, shoppers were making their way to supermarkets on foot, and one couple was even jogging — or at least trying to — on the snowy streets.

One frustrated man peered under the hood of his car, broken down in the middle of Walnut Bottom Road. Another man skied down College Street.

Snow makes them happy

Tiny icicles clung to Lamberton Middle School teacher Molly Fortney's eyelashes as she jogged through town with her husband, Norm.

Bundled in boots, mittens, thick coats, and hats, they were delighted with the wintry weather. On a typical day, Molly would be at school and Norm would be working at Master Manufacturers, Inc. in the first block of Wolfs Bridge Road.

"It's beautiful weather to be out in," Molly said, gesturing to the fluffy drifts around her on South West Street.

The Fortneys typically run 2.5 to 3 miles every day, but they cut their jog a little short in the thick snow.

"Today we've only gone about a mile," said Norm, noting that plowed areas such as Dickinson College were much easier to move through than the less-used side streets.

The Fortneys spent Sunday in cross country skis at Thornwald Park, but even that was hard to do in this morning's heavy snowfall, Molly said.

Shawn Hammons, 23, and Kelly Oyter, 22, walked from their residence in the first block of North Hanover Street to Giant on South Spring Garden Street.

"We wanted to buy some snacks and drinks and watch movies all day," said Oyter, a stock worker at Wal-Mart. "We'll call in to work later to see if they still want us to come in."

One pair of friends walked down North Hanover Street in search of a hot cup of coffee.

"I was supposed to go home to North Carolina yesterday," said Chris Orban, 25, a Carlisle native who now resides near Fayetteville. He says his friends down South "flip out when they get even a half inch of snow."

Friend Julie Vixler, 38, said she tried to call in to work at Rossmoyne Business Center near Mechanicsburg this morning, "but the mailbox was already full. Everyone was calling in today."

The pair said they planned to play guitar and hang out for the rest of the day.

Neighbor springs into action

One heroic neighbor in the 700 block of West North Street spent his morning clearing snow from the sidewalks and driveways of the homes on his block.

"I do this every snow," said Jim Eshelman, 63, at about 10:30 this morning. "I started at 8:30 and I'm still going."

He said it typically takes him two-and-a-half hours to clear "the whole territory."

He had cleared the area Sunday night, but the overnight snowfall had brought him back on duty.

Eshelman has been clearing the snow for his neighbors ever since he bought his snow blower seven years ago.

He said he is a religious man and helping others comes naturally.

"The Lord has provided me with the equipment and the money to buy the equipment," he said, "and most of my neighbors are retired or older. They just can't do it anymore."

Eshelman is a retired manager from Banner of Truth, a religious-based book publisher in Carlisle.

He is now a financial secretary and administrative assistant at Grace Baptist Church on West North Street.

He finished one driveway, then crossed the street to the next without taking a break. It was his tenth driveway of the morning.

A neighbor waved when he saw him slowly push the machine into his drive.

"He's like the Eveready Bunny — he just keeps going with that thing," laughed George Blashford as Eshelman went to work.

"What a great guy. We're just so thankful for him. If we get another snow like this in 10 years, I just hope he'll still have that snowblower running."

Blashford said neighbors threw a surprise party last year for Eshelman to express their gratitude.