On this day 20 years ago, snowflakes began to fall in Polk County. The next morning, residents woke up to a record snowfall -- up to two feet in some places. Trees snapped, power lines fell and business in the county came to an abrupt halt.

Several readers have shared their memories and photos from the "Snow of the Century," and we're passing along those stories to you.

In this posting, you'll hear how local resident Jason Ward braved the blizzard with his friends as a teenager and more than likely set a few "snow high jump" records. You'll also hear from Carson Tanner, an Aragon resident at the time of the blizzard, who shares his story about the kindness of a stranger.

Tomorrow, we will share stories from a nurse who helped deliver two "blizzard babies," and a former Cedartown resident who made his way home from UGA just in time to get snowed in.

Thursday, we will share the story of how one couple made it through the first few days of the blizzard only to have to combat a brush fire -- yes a brush fire -- in between patches of snow. We will also share the story of a local family who put their wood burning stove and the contents of their freezer to good use and "pioneered" it through several days of being snowed in.

Thank you to our readers who took the time to share their stories and photos. We hope you enjoy them.

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I lived off Valley Road near Westside and the high school when we were snowed in during the blizzard. The first night when the snow started falling I was spending the night at a friends house about a quarter mile away on Abner Drive. I remember going outside when the first flakes started falling and seeing some really thick snowflakes.

Flash forward 10 hours later till the next morning and more than a foot was on the ground and it was still coming down hard. I decided I needed to make the trek home because I knew mom would be worried so I loaded up with layers (some borrowed) and started on my way. When I stepped off the porch I dug in to my knees. As I went down the driveway, it was up to my hips and the wind was staggering. So there I was, an undersized 13-year-old, layered up to the point of barely being able to cross my arms, barely able to move my hips, wind pounding me front and back, squirreling through the snow down the road, through a ditch, field, and back onto Valley Road. It was awesome.

After I got home and defrosted we started lugging all the refrigerated items into a cooler or just out onto the porch, using the plethora of snow as ice. Then I started calling around to see what was next. If you lived in the Collard Valley area back then, you would know our neighborhood always had teenagers looking for fun. A big group of us grabbed a plastic sled and whatever hard plastic we could find and set out to conquer the snow.

After thrashing through the fields between Valley Road and Westside we found a few suitable hills to test out our sledding prowess. We set a few speed records and then graduated to building ramps. I honestly believe I own the snow high jump record for Cedartown. In summary, if it ever snows 13” again, you know where you will find me.

--Jason Ward, Cedartown

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Made it home from my girlfriend’s house just as it was starting. We lived in Aragon at the time. Woke up to about 17” of snow and that many trees across the driveway. We did not own a chain saw at the time either.

After a few days and lots of card playing, we ran out of kerosene. I started to walk to the nearest store hoping and praying that it was open. I did not get far when a gentleman pulled over. He said to give him the money and the can and if he found a place open he would fill my can and leave it at the end of our driveway. Who says there are not good people in this world?

I walked back down and found a full can sitting at the end of our driveway later that afternoon. I still wonder who that man was but whoever it was, I thank you!

With help from neighbors we cleared our driveway and 21 days later we had power! I still have vivid memories of that event. I am thankful that during times like that, the good in most people shine through. I still like snow but hope to never go through another BLIZZARD!

--Carson Tanner, Cedartown