The Daily News from Lebanon, Pennsylvania • 1

Weather Tomorrow: Mostly sunny, hot and humid; high 90. Page7C Index Weekend Life Guys and Dolls a sure bet for laughs. Page IB Sports Big Ben talks about his brush with death. Page 1C Thursday, July 13, 2006 www.LDNews.com Lights go out on marcraee night Mother Nature rains on LV Mall cineplexs gala opening By DAVID MEKEEL Its not what we were expecting Whats playing Heres what you can see at Great Escapes Theatre when it opens to the paying public tonight, according to its ad on page 4B today: Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Mans Chest Superman Returns" Click Cars The Fast Furious: Tokyo Drift Over the Hedge The Break-Up Nacho Libre at all, said Douglas Frisch, the theaters manager. I think I jinxed it.

I was making jokes earlier in the day about the power going out. The people were great, Steven Menschell, vice president of operations for Great Escapes, said of the crowds calm exit. It was a strange event, but well get through it and get it out of the way and move forward. Those whose movies were interrupted said they were disheartened but understood the problem. They cant control the weather, Cleonas Gina Messenger said as she sat with her 10-year-old daughter Theresa in the lobby.

It was disappointing, but it was beautiful inside, agreed Debbie Hartman of Myerstown, who had taken her (SCREENS, page 5A) Staff Writer At least it was memorable. The grand opening gala of the new Great Escapes Theatre at the Lebanon Valley Mall was cut short last night when a brief but powerful thunderstorm sent a lightning bolt into a transformer, knocking out power to the entire mall just 90 minutes after the films began rolling. As hundreds of confused and concerned moviegoers waited to find out what had happened, the theaters staff quickly moved from room to room breaking the disappointing news: The cineplexs debut was being canceled due to lack of power, which, according to Met-Ed, would not be restored for several hours. Patrons couldnt even get their money back; admission had been free to the invitation-only affair. Murphys Law at its finest, Ken Phelps, the mails marketing manager, said with a shrug.

While the festivities didnt go exactly as planned, few seemed to be too upset about it. David Mexeel Lebanon Daily News A crowd queues under threatening skies to check out the new movie theater. Splasiu ff ftEie eoutaT Municipalities eye flood aid By KAREN SIIUEY Staff Writer As the rising cost of flood cleanup continues to plague homeowners, municipalities across the county are wading through their own flood-related financial hardships. But that will soon change, when Lebanon County becomes qualified for public assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The federal program aims to help fund municipalities that suffered at least a quarter of a million dollars in infrastructure losses and damage from recent flooding.

The county as a whole experienced damages that will easily exceed the $250,000 (minimum to qualify), said Dan Kauffman, director of the county Emergency Management Agency. Under the declaration, municipalities will be eligible to apply for federal funds to pay 75 percent of the approved cost for debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster and repairing or replacing damaged public facilities such as roads, buildings and utilities. In addition, private nonprofit organizations, such as water and sewer authorities, that provide essential government-type services may be eligible for the funds. This past week, we conducted an outreach to municipalities to let us know what kind of damage theyre dealing with, Kauffman said. We wanted to get some preliminary ideas of what we were working with and what kind of aid we would be eligible for.

(Yesterday) we took FEMA agents out to different problem spots around the county (TOWNS, page 4A) A rendering of the $19.7 million Boardwalk at Hershey, to open next summer in conjunction with Her-sheyparks 100th anniversary. Its the largest single-year undertaking ever at the park. Hershey unveils ambitious plan for water park Evan Saylor surveys flood damage to his landscaping business. He says it could cost $20,000 just to replace ruined chemicals, but hes more worried about his 10 employees. Help available for displaced employees By KAREN SIIUEY Staff Writer STOUCHSBURG -Evan Saylor watched as water engulfed his pride and joy.

Saylor spent three days of heavy flooding last month in his camper, keeping a watchful eye on his business, Hurst Landscaping along Route 422 in Marion Township, as water crept into the building. Helpless to stem the (WORKERS, page 4A) guests each season. The Boardwalk at Hershey hearkens back to those simpler days, with an injection of modem technology. When we survey our guests, two things we hear are coasters and water attractions, Newkam said. Weve had a number of coasters in recent years, and we thought the water would be something to add.

Park general manager Frank J. OConneU said company representa- (BOARDWALK, page 4A) stone that aU of us who work here and all of you who enjoy Hersheypark can be proud of, Newkam told reporters. Chocolate magnate Milton S. built the park in 1907 as a picnic and pleasure grounds for his employees. It included an athletic field, grandstand, a small lake for boating and canoeing, and slides and swings.

Through the years, the parks popularity has grown, and more rides and attractions were added, now drawing 2.6 million By CHRIS SHOLLY Staff Writer HERSHEY With Hersheypark set to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Co. is reaching into the past for the largest and most expensive attraction in the amusement parks history. Herco President Scott J. Newkam yesterday unveiled the new $20 million water attraction dubbed The Boardwalk at Hershey. Reaching our centennial is a mile Brunkhurst eschews Senate bid, says hell be a Democrat Chairman Chris Tarsa and decided to switch his party affiliation.

I will be changing my registered status to Democrat (GRETNA, page 5A) Brunkhursts decision apparently will leave voters in Pennsylvanias 48th Senate District to pick between Republican Mike Folmer and Democrat John Liss when selecting their next senator in November. After announcing his plan last month, Brunkhurst said, he spoke with a number of people involved in local politics including new Democratic Committee on the Green ticket while remaining in the GOP. Instead, the lifelong Republican said, he plans to switch parties and become a Democrat. Brunkhurst said he had collected about a third of the 1,250 signatures required to earn a spot as a Green on the ballot, but he never gained the momentum needed to justify the pursuit of what he admitted from the By JOHN LATIMER Staff Writer A Mt. Gretna man who had been considering a run for the state Senate on the Green Party ticket ha3 decided not to enter the race after all.

Bray Brunkhurst, the 39-year-old plant manager for Curwood Specialty Films, said there were too many hurdles to overcome to achieve hi3 plan of running tset would be a long shot. I just decided it was not the The Green Party was best direction for me to go lling to work with me, but in, he said. (ADPIET aUEORZUG ETT PER ROOM UP TO 200 SF ROOM (2 Room Minimum) CpU far Details ALL-WEOEMS CARPET CLEANING Annvillo 867-4100 nj) dan 1.