United States

50th Anniversary: Show Must Go On, Despite Storms

September 15, 2013; 12:12 PM

(We celebrated our 50th anniversary here at AccuWeather in November 2012 with a News and Social Media blitz (Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | YouTube). I hosted a week of weather-related Google Hangouts. This article includes some additional resources that we have just posted, regarding our 50th).

On September 12, 2013, we had a celebration for employees and clients at AccuWeather headquarters here in State College, Pa., (official news story here; the party was also covered by local news outlets Centre Daily Times and StateCollege.com).

What you may not have known was that the weather ended up being a big part of it. I was at our 40th Anniversary party in May 2002 which happened during one of the rainiest months ever in State College (Penn State records show only six dry days between 4/19 and 5/19). What happened this time around was more disruptive. As AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions' Mike Smith wrote: "Mother Nature saluted AccuWeather's 50th Anniversary Celebration with lightning and thunder." Indeed, hours before the celebration was to begin, high winds (measured at 43 mph on our roof) threatened to wipe out the tents erected for the occasion. Here's a video I took at the storm approached:

You can see me filming in the background in this photo, taken by AccuPhotographer Vern. The guy to my right with the concerned look on his face is Marketing Guy Rich, who was essentially responsible for the party going well. (And of course, Henry Margusity is to my left.)

Fortunately, no major damage was done and the rain passed just before the party -- only occasional sprinkles fell as it was being setup. The party was filled with balloons and cookies containing our new branding and 50th anniversary logo:

Near the end of the party, a nice sunset came after a rainbow over our building (photo by AccuPhotographer Vern Horst). What a better way to wrap up a celebration of 50 years of service.

You can view more behind-the-scenes photos that I took at the bottom of my "Accu Adventures" photo album on Facebook:

The views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of AccuWeather, Inc. or AccuWeather.com