Pleasant Grove resident Sam Harrison went snowboarding on Feb. 24 and did not come home for three months. He caught more air than he thought on a hill, landed on his head and ended up in the hospital paralyzed from the sternum down. He and his wife Ashley have been married for three years and have a son, Benjamin, who was just six weeks old at the time.

Their many friends rallied around and put up a Web site donateforsam.com which brought in more than $10,000.

On Friday and Saturday, they put on a huge yard sale which raised just short of $20,000 and included another $1,000 posted to the Web site..

The park north of the American Fork Library was overflowing with yard sale items and surrounded by cars.

"We had four semis full of items donated," said friend Holly Hasler who was manning the payment booth.

The event went well on Friday as the weather cooperated.

"It was raining all around but we did not get any here," said organizer Rich Larsen.

However, on Saturday morning the rain started early. He and other friends slept overnight in the park to watch over everything.

"It started drizzling about 4 a.m. so we got as much covered as we could before it really started coming down," he said.

Despite the damp conditions a lot of people came on Saturday.

Gift certificates donated by local businesses such as The Italian Place, Wingers and Cold Stone Ice Cream were on sale. A silent auction was held for Hannah Montana tickets.

"We bought Krispy Kreme Donuts to sell and (Krispy Kreme) donated half of them," Hasler said.

Buyers were also generous. Local author and speaker Carolyn Rasmus brought her items to the booth and was told they came to $11. "How about $20?" she said.

Harrison is now home but working hard with his physical therapy. He can now feed himself. Although the doctors have warned he will probably never walk again his wife said there is always the possibility.

More information on Harrison and photos are available at www.donateforsam.org.

NEWS BRIEFS

Photography contest -- The Pleasant Grove Library is having a "Catch the Reading Bug" children's photography contest. Photos must be taken by the child and each child may enter two photos.

All entries must be received by July 1. The photographs will be displayed in the hallway downstairs and available for viewing on the library's Web site. Winners will be announced the week of July 29. Pictures may be taken of live bugs, fake bugs, or siblings dressed up as bugs.

Photographs of insects engaged in literary activities are especially encouraged. Entry forms are available at the library. Each photo must be accompanied by an entry form.

Create a Bug -- To kick off the Pleasant Grove City Library's summer reading program, "Catch the Reading Bug," the library is having a "Create a Bug" contest for children. Each participant may make one bug, using materials of participant's choice, such as paper or wire.

All creations must be brought to the library by July 1. The contest is for patrons ages 3 and older. Each age group will be judged separately. Prizes will be awarded for most creative, creepiest, biggest pest, most unusual, most realistic, cutest bug and most popular -- people's choice.

Voting will take place at the library from July 15-22. Winners will be announced the week of July 29. Entry forms are available at the library.

S.R. 92/Alpine Loop open -- The Utah Department of Transportation has re-opened state Route 92, or the Alpine Loop between Provo and American Fork Canyons, to motorists.

S.R. 92 is a seasonal highway and due to heavy snowfall in the area, it becomes cost -prohibitive to keep the pass open for travel during the winter months. This road will remain open through fall 2008.

Writer needed -- North County Newspapers is looking for correspondents to report on events and submit profiles in our communities. The individual will be expected to write one to two articles a week in addition to gathering short news items from Lindon.

If you are interested, contact Marc Haddock at 443-3268 or send a resume and writing samples to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it