What a year. The Snack Shack at the ballfields burned down in the early morning of January 1st. Some folks disposed of fireworks in the trash bin next the building, fireworks were still hot, and well, little did we know, but that would set the tone for the remainder of the year. 

The global Covid-19 pandemic continued. The year started with lots of restrictions: mandatory masks, social distancing, limited capacity (who remembers standing in line to enter  ShopRight), remote learning, Zoom. But by summer, it appeared the pandemic was over. We celebrated the 4th of July in Wenonah like we always have. But this year, for the first time ever, we held the beer garden in the Wenonah Park. It was the as wonderful day.

But the pandemic came roaring back....Delta variant, and then by year's end, the Omicron variant, which seemingly everybody got, vaxed and unvaxed. However, the worse possible scenario visited our Borough on September 1, 2021. Against all odds, Wenonah was devastated by an EF-3 tornado. Unimageable. Hundreds of homes were impacted, causing incalculable damages in the tens of millions. State, County, and Federal resources were deployed to asses, cleanup, and repair the damage. Atlantic Electric spent millions restoring our power grid. Wenonah was declared a Natural Disaster by the Governor and the President of the United States, deploying FEMA to assist with the recovery. Days turned to weeks turned to months. So much work remained by the years end. Many residents had still not returned to their broken homes. 

The tornado brought out the best in our community. Volunteers spread across town, helping folks clear their properties, providing warm meals, and donating supplies to those in need. The strength and resolve of our community was amazing. Resident Sarah Harbold established a GoFundMe campaign to raise fund to replace and replant the hundreds of trees lost throughout the town. By the year's end, Sarah had raised $25,000 and counting.

The year ended with beautiful lights lining our park and streets thanks to the Woman's Club. These lights brought much joy and I think all of Wenonah was glad that 2021 eventually came to an end.