"I AM: Proud"--BASH Grad Zach Reinert Becomes Good Samaritan in Nevada

Ed.: Zach Reinert, Boyertown Grad who now lives in Pahrump, Nevada, shared the following on Facebook and made me proud to know him. 

by Zach Reinert

[I] Passed these folks on my way home—they were trying to flag people down with a flashlight. I hate to say that I hesitated for a little bit; but with some of the recent nonsense that has gone on around here, you have to think twice before stopping to help somebody, especially at night.

So I got highway patrol on the phone with me while I turned around to catch up with them. NHP gave me the courtesy of running the plates to make sure there wasn’t anything odd associated with the car. Thankfully they had a spare, but they did not have a jack or a lug wrench and the temperatures were dropping into the 30s.

Because I’m a little wacky, I happen to have extras in my trunk that worked perfectly with their car. 

Turned out they were trying to get home to Vegas from Reno. They spoke very little English, but we did our best to mime things and Google translate little bits.

In about 10 minutes, they were on their way. I told them to keep the jack and the wrench because they need it more than I do! They laughed, and were very grateful.

He pulled his welding helmet out of the trunk because he wanted to tell me about what he does for a living, in as many words as he was able. It was a fun interaction!

This is our stretch of highway out here. A lot of people don’t know how to navigate it or deal with the extreme weather, and a lot of folks don’t have cell service on it. It’s our responsibility to help keep people safe.

Zach enjoys working at his arcade with his son Vlad. (Photo from Facebook)

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Zach's video work during his junior high and high school years as a Boyertown student and the creation of a two-hour DVD as part of the second pictorial history book featuring 16 individuals (most now deceased) shared their memories of Boyertown has preserved local events and notable community members. Copies of the book and DVD: Coming Together—Interviews with Special People from a Very Special Kind of Place—Boyertown, PA, are available at Studio B Art Gallery and Building a Better Boyertown office. ~Jane

from the 2009 press release:
"The DVD is the work of the members of WZAR-TV--Zach Reinert--a special young entrepreneur, owner and operator of WZAR-TV, and student of video production at Kutztown University; Bethanne Reinert; Mary Kent; and Joy Rhude. Reinert, known locally for his cable TV show entitled 'Boyertown Live,' preserves in video the present Boyertown scene for future generations.

"Narrating the DVD are long-time residents Linnette (Ott) Hulbert and Margaret (Leidy) Harner, along with Boyertown teacher Jeff D. Stahl and Kutztown University senior Christiana Weidner. Both Stahl and Weidner, born and raised in Boyertown, love the community and represent voices of Boyertown’s future.

"Interviewed for the project were “movers and shakers” of Boyertown’s past in a variety of fields: Dan Boyer, stockbroker and descendant of the founders of Boyertown; Air Force pilot Colonel Harry Yoder; businessman Dan Bause; Alice (Mest) Smith, businesswoman; newswoman and community leader M.J. Schneider Lentz; Mayor Marianne Deery; community leader, businessman and prosecuting attorney Charles Haddad; brewmaster and community leader Bill Moeller.

"Representing the educational community and civic service organizations are music director and teacher Arlen Saylor; social studies teacher Chet Rohrbach; teacher and principal Ed Kuser; Jaycees member and Civil Air Patrol leader Richard Yoder and Salvation Army leader Ray Samsel.

"Also community leader and organizer Jim Davidheiser ; community volunteer and borough council member John Breidenbach; community volunteer and local government enthusiast Clayton Leister.

"The interviews included the participants’ memories of Boyertown’s past; the people they knew and admired whose leadership, vision, and energy formed the character of the community; thoughts and reflections about the unique characteristics which led to its strengths and successes; and hopes and plans for the community’s future."

More News from Boyertown

• What is your FAVORITE thing about Boyertown? Kevin B, a Boyertown based Facebook group administrator, posted a question: “What is your FAVORITE thing about Boyertown; responses showcase that our gratitude abounds.
• A Pictorial Tour Through the History of Boyertown: Main Street Businesses page 20 Main Street--page 20