My heartfelt appreciation goes out to the kindhearted people who happened to be in the area of Highway 53 and State Road 400 on Sunday July 1, 2007. 

That was the location of my outdoor art show where I have occasionally displayed hand painted oil paintings over the past 3 years, and that was my location on July 1, at 1 p.m. when the weather radio only gave me a 10 minute warning that 50 MPH winds with hail was headed my way. The wind as I felt it was 60 mph. I can usually secure the art show with a 20 minute warning. I didn't have it this time. Someone told me the storm had been classified as a "Microburst". I weathered the rain, hail and the winds without taking cover attempting to keep my paintings from blowing away. I wasn't successful, but I had physical bruises from things flying through the air as I tried. Chunks of hail at 60 MPH really hurt.

Although my activity was licensed by Dawson County and compiled with County/State ordinances by being far away from highway right-of-ways, a lot of paintings blew away. Several motorists stopped and got out in the rain, after the wind and hail stopped, and drove around picking up my paintings and brought them to me. One gentlemen whose name I regret not writing down spent an hour in the rain helping. Another two gentlemen in a red Corvette stopped to help me.

Notably, Dottie Sinclair and her daughter, Crystal, saw the disaster as they passed and both spent a good two hours out in the rain picking up my paintings and bringing them to me. They said they had just come out of church, and they got out and got soaked with rain and mud working with me.

All of these folks were truly Good Samaritans. None knew me, nor me them. They asked nothing in return. 85% of my inventory was undamaged and 99% of inventory was accounted for. These paintings cleaned up with water since water doesn't hurt an oil painting on canvas. These Dawson County Good Samaritans made my losses much less severe. Thank you so much. Email me at: brown_50@msn.com if I can do anything to repay you.

Al Brown
Alvin Brown Art Galleries