June 2022 Cherryland

June 2022

MICHIGAN

COUNTRY LINES Cherryland Electric Cooperative

READY, SET,

Farm Club: Creating A Sense Of Community

What Happens If We Don’t Have Enough Electricity?

Rebates Help Members Meet Energy Goals

SOAR

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Contents countrylines.com

June 2022 Vol. 42, No. 6

/michigancountrylines

/michigancountrylines

6 DESIGNING A DIFFERENCE Morley native and WMU student Isabella Waite combined her love of design with her sense of sustainability to capture third place in a nationwide housewares design competition.

Michigan’s Electric Cooperatives

10 MI CO-OP KITCHEN Tomatoes: Make the most of the summer season.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR: Casey Clark EDITOR: Christine Dorr

14 READY, SET, SOAR Annual Boyne City highperformance boating event brings the ‘thunder’ to this normally peaceful town.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Karreen Bird

RECIPE EDITOR: Christin McKamey COPY EDITOR: Yvette Pecha CONTRIBUTING EDITOR: Emily Haines Lloyd

18 GUEST COLUMN An Eggceptional Experience I Will Never Forget!

PUBLISHER: Michigan Electric Cooperative Association Michigan Country Lines, USPS-591-710, is published monthly, except August and December, with periodicals postage paid at Lansing, Mich., and additional offices. It is the official publication of the Michigan Electric Cooperative Association, 201 Townsend St., Suite 900, Lansing, MI 48933.

Subscriptions are authorized for members of Alger Delta, Cherryland, Great Lakes, HomeWorks Tri-County, Midwest Energy & Communications, Ontonagon, Presque Isle, and Thumb electric cooperatives by their boards of directors.

Postmaster: Send all UAA to CFS. Association Officers: Robert Kran, Great Lakes Energy, chairman; Tony Anderson, Cherryland Electric Cooperative, vice chairman; Eric Baker, Wolverine Power Cooperative, secretary-treasurer; Craig Borr, president and CEO.

CONTACT US/LETTERS TO EDITOR: Michigan Country Lines 201 Townsend St., Suite 900 Lansing, MI 48933 248-534-7358 editor@countrylines.com

CHANGE OF ADDRESS: Please

notify your electric cooperative.

See page 4 for contact information.

The appearance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised.

Be featured!

Use #micoopcommunity for a chance to be featured here and on our Instagram account.

#micoopcommunity

Check out all the detail revealed in these Petoskey stones after a good vinegar soak.

Next up, polish. @mgcubba (Mary Grace)

MI CO-OP COMMUNITY To enter contests, submit reader content & more, visit countrylines.com/community

RECIPE CONTEST

GUEST COLUMN

Win a $50 bill credit!

Win $150 for stories published!

Up Next: Pasta Salads, due July 1 Baked Goods, due Aug. 1

Submit your fondest memories and stories at countrylines.com/community.

Submit your recipe at micoopkitchen.com, or send it via email (include your full name and co-op) to recipes@countrylines.com.

MICHIGAN COUNTRY LINES

3

cherrylandelectric.coop /cherrylandelectriccoop @cherrylandec BOARD OF DIRECTORS

David Schweitzer, President 231-883-5860 dschweitzer@cherrylandelectric.coop

Melinda Lautner, Senior Vice President 231-947-2509 mlautner@cherrylandelectric.coop Gabe Schneider, Secretary 517-449-6453 gschneider@cherrylandelectric.coop

Gut Punch

Tom Van Pelt, Treasurer 231-386-5234 tvanpelt@cherrylandelectric.coop Valarie Handy, Director 231-392-4705 vhandy@cherrylandelectric.coop

Terry Lautner, Director 231-946-4623 tlautner@cherrylandelectric.coop John Olson, Director 231-938-1228 jolson@cherrylandelectric.coop

General Manager: Tony Anderson Co-op Editors: Rachel Johnson Courtney Doyle: cdoyle@cherrylandelectric.coop

OFFICE HOURS Monday–Friday 7:30 a.m.– 4 p.m.

TELEPHONE NUMBERS 231-486-9200 or 1-800-442-8616 (Mich.)

ADDRESS P.O. Box 298, Grawn, MI 49637 PAY STATION Cherryland Electric Cooperative office 5930 U.S. 31 South, Grawn MI, 49637 Cherryland Electric Cooperative is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

By Tony Anderson, General Manager

O

On April 14, the regional grid operator, MISO, announced the results of its latest generation capacity auction. This annual process is designed to determine if there is sufficient generation supply to meet that summer’s maximum demand. The results were a gut punch. This auction showed that nine northern states, including Michigan, are 1,200 MW short of the supply needed to keep the lights on when demand is highest. “Short of the supply needed??” Yup. Gut punch.

After catching my breath, I realized it is not surprising. On a much smaller scale, Michigan found itself in this situation just two years ago. At that time, the Lower Peninsula of Michigan was short of the needed supply to meet the maximum demand for the summer of 2020. Fortunately, from an electric standpoint, the peak demand for the Lower Peninsula was lower due to the loss of commercial load caused by the pandemic (thanks, Covid). As a result, the most extreme measures of controlled or “rolling” blackouts were not necessary.

How did we get to a point where power supply for nine states fails to meet the demand? Simply put, the power grid is changing. Large baseload generating assets, primarily coal and nuclear, are retiring and being replaced mainly by intermittent renewable energy. The

4 JUNE 2022

challenge placed on the grid is that for every megawatt of coal and nuclear that is retired, 2 megawatts of solar and 10 megawatts of wind are needed to replace that supply. This isn’t saying solar and wind are “bad,” I’m just saying the physics of both simply can’t match the around-the-clock ability of the other major fuels.

I’m not trying to start a debate on climate either. I have one job—keeping the lights on. I need all the fuels to do it. Before anyone tosses rocks at me, remember that no other utilities in the state have a better portfolio of carbon-free energy than the electric cooperatives served by Wolverine, your cooperative’s supplier of wholesale energy. In fact, the Wolverine family of cooperatives is 63% carbon free and growing. Debating science diverts our attention away from solutions.

While we are already facing power supply shortages, 10% of Michigan’s generating fleet of coal and nuclear plants are slated for early retirement in the next three years. That’s an additional 1,900 MW of power we need to keep the lights on. This column is only asking for one thing to happen.

Build replacement generation (of any kind you like) BEFORE any generation is shut down. This is all we need to avoid future blackouts. This solution is simple.

The math is simple.

Locally, Wolverine has invested in generation supply on your behalf.

This means we have sufficient generation supply at Cherryland that will meet our demand. Unfortunately, if blackouts are required by the grid operator, we must do our part, as we are all interconnected to the same regional electric grid. “Our part” will involve blackouts in our area so others can take their turn using the gridconnected generation Wolverine has built for us all over the years.

We’re doing everything we can to prevent a blackout situation. We’re working to educate the public about this energy shortage and we’re talking with policy makers about how to focus on clean energy sources without jeopardizing reliability—and you can help too. You can make a difference by sharing your stories, speaking up about the issues impacting your

cooperative, and staying in the loop on these larger conversations that have a direct effect on our communities. I urge you sign up for Voices for Cooperative Power (voicesforcooperativepower.com), a resource designed to give cooperative members across the country a larger collective voice to address energy issues that impact all of us.

Michigan was already operating under extremely tight power supply reserve margins. The gut punch signal that the market sent is that now the rest of the Midwest is too. We have a reliability issue this summer. We must build adequate replacement power. Absent that (and I believe it is absent), the reliability issue is here to stay. My sole concern is reliability and the growing risk that the lights could go out.

Everybody has a bigger problem than a gut punch if that happens.

Interested in learning more?

Check out our podcast: Co-op Energy Talk: In Short Supply—Is Michigan Facing Blackouts? cherrylandelectric.coop/ podcast

JOIN TODAY Looking to make a difference in your community and for your local electric cooperative?

Then join VCP today for free!

Scan to learn more and join!

VCP is a network of electric co-op members working together to influence public policy decisions that impact our co-ops and our way of life.

After you join, you’ll get regular updates on important issues and information on ways to get involved.

VOICESFORCOOPERATIVEPOWER.COM

@VOICES4COOPS

aite, now a junior at WMU, has fallen in love with her program. She is committed to not making what she calls “useless stuff,” but instead finding creative ways to create purposeful products. Waite also loves the way design, engineering, and business all intersect. These kinds of connections are something she has always appreciated.

W

As a member of an electric cooperative, Waite was familiar with the benefits of more sustainable energy sources and the opportunities available to her as a member. Waite was a member of Youth Tour, a group of around 1,800 high school co-op members from around the country who travel to Washington, D.C., to experience the monuments, memorials, museums, and all the history the country’s capital has to offer. It ends with students meeting their state senators and representatives and watching Capitol business unfold in real time.

“It was a life-changing trip for me,” said Waite. “I was super introverted and anxious around strangers in high school, but meeting all these new people from around the country was suddenly exciting and not scary anymore.”

Designing A Difference

By Emily Haines Lloyd

Raised in Morley, Michigan, with a population of just over 500 residents, Isabella Waite grew up with a sense of “sustainability.”

Her parents, HomeWorks Co-op members, made a habit of composting and they also line-dried their laundry outdoors— which they continue to do to this day. When Waite went off to study product design at Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo, she took those sensibilities with her.

“I was really involved in fine arts in high school,” said Waite.

“I didn’t know what that could look like in a career for me until I toured Western and the product design program director explained how design could be used to help people, even make a difference in the world.”

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JUNE 2022

Waite took that new confidence and not only applied to WMU, which is in a much larger city than her hometown, but applied for scholarships to help her on her educational journey.

Waite received one of HomeWorks’ educational scholarships, helping her to get started at school.

“It was actually one of the staff members who went with us on Youth Tour that told me about the HomeWorks scholarships,” said Waite.

“It’s amazing how much scholarships helped me as I was beginning college.”

The financial assistance allowed Waite to delve into her degree in product design. One of her courses had, as part of its syllabus, an assignment to develop a houseware product and submit it to the Student Design Competition

To learn more about Isabella Waite’s Pip the Potty Pal, visit theinspiredhomeshow.com/awards/gia-student/. sponsored by the International Housewares Association (IHA). This international competition seeks to “invigorate” the housewares industry with innovative student designs and encourages careers in the industry.

Waite was inspired by her summer job as a nanny and saw the stress and difficulty the family she worked for was having with potty training their son.

Waite herself wasn’t sure how to help, but with her skills in product design and an eagerness for her work to help people, she designed Pip the Potty Pal. Pip assists adults in toilet training toddlers while making the breaks fun for the children. It went from an idea, to a design, to winning third place at the Global Innovation Awards and having her design displayed at the annual Inspired Home Show.

“A big part of product design is studying the behavior of your consumer,” said Waite. “Kids are just so interesting to observe, and figuring out what they need is really fascinating to me.”

As Waite heads into her senior year at WMU, she continues to be passionate about her major and the notion of helping others through her design efforts.

“As a designer, sustainability is really important to me. I don’t want to make things that people simply throw away,” said Waite. “I want to make products that last, that invoke memories, that you can pass down.”

“As a designer, sustainability is really important to me.

I don’t want to make things that people simply throw away,” said Waite. “I want to make products that last, that invoke memories, that you can pass down.”

MICHIGAN COUNTRY LINES

7

Farm Club

Creating A Sense Of Community

By Courtney Doyle

Farm Club is located at 10051 S. Lake Leelanau Drive, Traverse City, MI. Seven minutes from downtown Traverse City and easily accessed by the TART Trail, Farm Club offers everything from full-service dining inside to an outdoor bar and lawn tables for picnicking.

hat do you get when a pair of New York City restaurateurs find themselves in rural northern Michigan, making friends with a couple of local farmers? It sounds like the plot of a feel-good film, but I promise you, it’s not. It’s actually the true story of how Farm Club was born.

W

For 10 years, Gary and Allison Jonas ran a farm-to-table restaurant in one of the top foodie destinations in the country—New York City. When they decided the city life no longer served their wants and needs, they moved to northern Michigan. That’s when they met Nic and Sara Theisen, owners of Loma Farm, a small vegetable farm snuggled in the southern Leelanau County landscape. The story really writes itself.

COVID-19 pandemic grew. (Cue cinematic, seemingly insurmountable, challenge).

Prices soared, and this dream project got more and more expensive. But with careful planning, vision, and even an economic development loan through Cherryland, their dream became a reality when they opened their doors in 2020.

Farm Club is much more than a restaurant. This Cherryland member is a thriving farm, restaurant, brewery, bakery, and marketplace. They used the loan through Cherryland to kickstart their brewery, which has grown so fast that they can’t keep up with demand locally and across the state.

“We started talking about this idea of opening up a restaurant that is serviced by the farm,” Gary explained.

“Once we started talking about it with Nic and Sara, we couldn’t stop talking about it.”

Last year, they grew 90% of the vegetables they served.

Gary explained, “Considering we are a vegetable-heavy restaurant, we’re very busy, and covered in snow for three to four months of the year, to have that 90% number is remarkable. There’s a lot of effort that goes into doing that.”

They ended up finding a piece of property just a stone’s throw away from Loma Farm, the perfect spot to turn their idea into reality. As the pieces of their puzzle came together, the world began falling apart as the

As the seasons change, so does the menu, and that’s all part of the effort Gary’s talking about. The team at the restaurant works hand in hand with the team at the farm to make sure they’re getting the most out of their crops. “Nic,

8 JUNE 2022

our business partner and farmer, does a weekly walking tour with our chef. He explains what we have right now, what’s coming up soon, and what needs to be used right now because it’s not going to be around forever,” said Gary.

At the heart of this passion project is a really wholesome mission. “I think that the goal is to create a place that’s accessible to everybody. We want it to be a place where you can get really good, quality food that we know is the highest quality because we’re growing it. We want you to be able to come up off the TART Trail in your bike shorts.

We want you to be able to come from the beach. You don’t have to have a fancy restaurant to have really high-quality food,” said Gary. “And with that comes community. People are not just stumbling into a restaurant downtown; they’re seeking us out. People who come here really care about what they are eating. They care about the environment around them. They care about the people, so it creates this really great sense of community.”

Gary reflected on moving from Brooklyn—where farmto-table meant sourcing food from a farm an hour and a half outside the city—to Traverse City, where the farm is quite literally in the backyard and the farmers are your best friends. “It is very different than any other area I can think of. I still pinch myself every day that we live and work here in such an amazing place,” he said.

While this feels like the right time for our story’s happy ending, Gary says, “I think getting better at what we’re doing is our number-one goal right now.” So we’ll call it a cliffhanger, to be continued with whatever this Farm Club dreams up next.

For more information on economic development loans through Cherryland, visit: www.cherrylandelectric.coop/business/.

Farm Club creators from left to right: Gary and Allison Jonas, Sara and Nic Theisen.

MI CO-OP Recipes

Photos by Robert Bruce Photography || Recipes Submitted by MCL Readers and Tested by Recipe Editor Christin McKamey

TOMATOES

Make the most of the summer season.

WINNING RECIPE! BLT BITES

Sharon Libich, Presque Isle Electric & Gas Co-op 2 ¼ ¼ ½ 2 1

RECIPE CONTEST Win a

$50

energy bill credit!

10 JUNE 2022

Pasta Salads due July 1 • Baked Goods due Aug. 1 Submit your favorite recipe for a chance to win a $50 bill credit and have your recipe featured in Country Lines with a photo and a video. Submit your recipe at micoopkitchen.com, or send it via email (include your full name and co-op) to recipes@countrylines.com.

pints cherry/grape tomatoes cup mayonnaise cup sour cream pound bacon, cooked and crumbled tablespoons grated Romano cheese tablespoon dried, chopped chives (or ¹⁄³ cup fresh chives)

Rinse and dry tomatoes. Cut the tops off of the tomatoes just enough so you can scoop out the inner part of the tomatoes. To scoop out the inside pulp, you can use a strawberry huller (recommended).

Place scooped-out tomatoes upside down on paper towels. While draining, mix the rest of the ingredients together. Place the mixture into a plastic bag and clip off the corner. Squeeze the mixture into the cherry tomatoes. Place the tomatoes onto a tray with plastic wrap surrounding the tomatoes to keep them upright. Chill the tomatoes for 2 hours. Enjoy!

This is a family favorite at a summertime BBQ or anytime. It’s an easy way to share a yummy appetizer!

Watch a video of this month’s winning recipe at micoopkitchen.com/videos

ROASTED TOMATO JAM

TOMATO SOUP WITH ORZO

Lynn Wall, Great Lakes Energy

1 large package heirloom cherry tomatoes 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh (or 1 teaspoon dried) oregano 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh (or 1 tablespoon dried) basil

Lianne Briggs, Great Lakes Energy Preheat oven to 325 F. Stir all ingredients together, and place in a 9x9 square baking dish. Bake for 2–3 hours, stirring every ½ hour or so. The mixture will get very wet.

When the tomatoes start to pop, they will start to thicken like jam. Serve warm or cool with crackers or bread, with cream cheese, or with any other cheese and/or meat, if desired. This is delicious on a charcuterie tray and smells wonderful when it bakes. I use my toaster oven to bake it.

3 3 1 4 28 • 1 ½

tablespoons olive oil cups finely chopped onions tablespoon minced garlic cups chicken stock ounces tomato purée pinch saffron threads teaspoon salt teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ cup orzo, dry ½ cup heavy cream

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook over medium-low

LUBIYEH

TOMATO TART

Cindy Hodges, Ontonagon County 1 onion, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 (15-ounce) cans French cut green beans, drained 4 (15-ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained 2 small cans tomato paste 2 heads garlic cloves, peeled and smashed • salt and pepper, to taste

heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in the chicken stock, tomato purée, saffron, salt, and black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, fill a medium pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a boil.

Add the orzo and cook for 7 minutes.

(Note: The orzo will finish cooking in the soup.) Drain the orzo and add it to the soup. Stir in the cream, return the soup to a simmer, and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring frequently. Serve immediately.

Cathy Nichols, Great Lakes Energy Preheat oven to 250 F. In a Dutch oven or another lidded heavy pan, sauté onion in olive oil until soft. Add all ingredients (except salt and pepper) and cook for 5 hours or until the garlic is soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. This can be served on pita bread as a dip, or over rice for a meal.

1 pie crust, store-bought or homemade 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 cup grated Gruyere cheese 3 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced (any variety) • salt and pepper • thinly sliced basil leaves

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out storebought or homemade pie crust into a fluted tart pan or pie pan. Spread Dijon mustard in the bottom of the pie crust. Top with grated Gruyere cheese. Next, place tomatoes in an overlapping concentric circle over the cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 40 minutes, or until tomatoes look wrinkled. Sprinkle tart with basil and serve.

MICHIGAN COUNTRY LINES

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G N I T E E M L A U N N A 84TH

9 E N U J Y A D

S R U TH

COME OUT TO OUR 84TH ANNUAL MEETING AT INCREDIBLE MO’S IN GRAWN! Enjoy an evening of entertainment, food, and cooperative tradition!

Registration: 4–8 p.m.

In-person voting available 4–5:30 p.m.

Business meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.

Food and entertainment available until 8 p.m.

Cherryland Gives Rebates To Nearly 700 Members In 2021

2,017,782 kWh saved in 2021

By Tammy Haworth, Energy Use Advisor

Through our Energy Waste Reduction (EWR) program, we gave rebates to nearly 700 residential and business members in 2021. Members received rebates by making energy-efficient upgrades through specific state-approved measures, including replacing incandescent lightbulbs with LED bulbs and purchasing energy-efficient home appliances. While we were just shy of reaching our state-mandated energy-savings goal, last year’s rebates represent over 2 million kilowatt hours of energy saved.

678

residential and business members received rebates

Percent of Rebates Claimed

by Category in 2021 1% Appliances

11% 12%

Lighting

51%

25%

Refrigerator/freezer recycling HVAC

Low income

Interested in energy-efficient rebates?

Visit our website at cherrylandelectric.coop/rebates!

Money for your back pocket.

We’re giving you money for purchasing energy-efficient appliances.

Learn more at cherrylandelectric.coop and claim your rebate.

READY, SET,

By Emily Haines Lloyd || Photo courtesy of Boyne City Main Street

I

ROAR

t’s hard to visit the small town of Boyne City, making five stops to pick up cards for a poker Michigan, and not conjure up words like hand. With each stop—in Elk Rapids, Northport, “quaint” and “charming.” A town of around Charlevoix, Bay Harbor, and Harbor Springs— 3,700 residents on the shore of Lake Charlevoix, participants get closer to the opportunity to it’s what you imagine when you think of a get the winning hand, with the added benefit peaceful place to live or visit. But every year, the of delighting boat enthusiasts, residents, and weekend after the Fourth of July, this little town vacationers in those cities. While the competition opens up to over 120 high-performance boats is fairly tame and offers prizes for first, second, from around the country and Canada for the third, and—generously—last place, it’s the boats annual Boyne Thunder Poker Run charity event themselves that bring all the excitement. that brings all the energy, buzz, and, yes, noise of a big city.

The boats range in size from 22 to 55 feet in length and feature horsepower ranging from “You can’t quite describe the awe and genuine 425–3,600. If you’re not a boat geek—that excitement you feel when these magnificent means some of these boats are capable of boats roar by,” said Ingrid Day, Boyne Thunder speeding up to 150 mph. event coordinator. “For a few days, we not only get to show off these powerhouse boats, but What started about 20 years ago as a also get to show off our city.” fundraising event for a charity has developed into an effort to revitalize the downtown area.

Boyne Thunder is a 150-mile treasure hunt of The event has grown to more than 120 boats sorts, with large power boats roaring through with full crews from California to Florida to the waters of Lake Charlevoix and Lake Michigan, Canada, bringing thousands of people to Boyne

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“The nonprofits that Boyne Thunder supports are as big a part of the event as the boats themselves. They are part of our community and are part of who we are.”

City each summer for the two-day event. Friday night hosts a welcoming of the boats to town with strolls along the marina to get early peeks at this year’s participants—and the popular Stroll the Streets, which brings 10,000–15,000 people to the downtown area for dining, shopping, entertainment, and the car show.

Saturday can include a stop at the farmer’s market before the boats power up and roar out from Lake Charlevoix into Lake Michigan, and then parade through the five town stops along the way. People line the harbor and bridges to get a good look and, with good reason, gawk.

“There’s really nothing like it,” said Day. “People lined up along the end of the lake, on the bridge—smiles just everywhere.”

While one crew will triumph in the Poker Run, the real winners are the two charities at the heart of the event, Camp Quality and Challenge Mountain, and the sponsoring organization, Boyne City Main Street. Camp Quality provides experiences and year-round support for children with cancer and their families. Many people in the community have volunteered and worked at the very first camps held by Camp Quality. Challenge Mountain provides experiences for individuals with mental and physical challenges through outdoor recreation like skiing, which is such a huge part of Northern Michigan life. There are Boyne City residents who work at the local resale shop that also raises money for the nonprofit.

And finally, Boyne City Main Street, which seeks to make the downtown a more vibrant place while preserving its historic character.

“The nonprofits that Boyne Thunder supports are as big a part of the event as the boats themselves,” said Day. “They are part of our community and are part of who we are.”

It’s clear that the only thing bigger on the water than the boats each summer in Boyne City are the hearts of the people who live there.

boynethunder.com facebook.com/BoyneThunder instagram.com/boynethunder MICHIGAN COUNTRY LINES

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CO-OP NEWS Cherryland’s 84th Annual Meeting Scheduled for June 9 Cherryland’s 84th Annual Meeting will take place Thursday, June 9, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Incredible Mo’s in Grawn.

For more information about this year’s event, check out page 12 of this issue, head to our website, or find details on any of our social media platforms.

Cherryland Scholarships Awarded To Local High School Seniors And Adult Learners

Co-op Office Closed On Independence Day The Cherryland office will be closed Monday, July 4, in observance of Independence Day. Normal business hours will resume Tuesday, July 5.

Line crews are on call to respond to any outages or emergencies. You can report an outage by texting OUT to 800-442-8616, logging into SmartHub, or by calling us at 231-486-9200. Visit our website’s Outage Center for more details.

Three high school seniors and two adult learners were awarded 2022 Cherryland Electric Cooperative scholarships. The three high school scholarships are worth $4,000 each—$1,000 per year for four years. The adult scholarships are a one-time award of $1,000 each.

Student scholarship recipients: True Beeman (Kingsley High School), Brayden Opie (Suttons Bay High School), and Olivia Bailey (Benzie Central High School).

Adult scholarship recipients: Emily Barron of Interlochen and Courtney Yaple of Suttons Bay.

Cherryland Cares Supports Local Nonprofits Cherryland Cares distributes funds to local nonprofit organizations in need of financial support. The funds distributed by Cherryland Cares are a result of members electing to round up their monthly bills to the nearest dollar.

Members can contribute to the Cherryland Cares fund by calling 231-486-9200, signing up through SmartHub, or sending an email to cec@cherrylandelectric.coop.

If you are an area nonprofit agency seeking financial help, please call Courtney Doyle at 231-486-9224 or email cdoyle@cherrylandelectric.coop. The deadline for secondquarter applications is Friday, June 17.

Cherryland donated three 35’ poles to help the Discovery Center & Pier move a Discovery Cruises tour boat to a new location at the pier.

Your Board In Action April Board Meeting 2022 • The board welcomed Dean Adams and Vicki Olsen, candidates in the upcoming board election, to the beginning of their meeting. Every year, candidates are encouraged to meet with the board during their April meeting to ask questions about Cherryland and cooperative board governance.

• The board approved the list of members to serve on the 2022 Election & Credentials Committee. Overseen by the cooperative’s general counsel, this committee of volunteer members is responsible for the collection and tallying of board election ballots submitted in person on the day of the Annual Meeting.

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• Cherryland’s 2021 net margins were reviewed. The total amount of last year’s margins to be assigned and allocated to members is $4,550,650. As a reminder, this is a notification of allocation that will appear on your June bill. The allocation is not a bill credit; it is a notice of your share of the previous year’s revenues. Your board of directors reviews the co-op’s financials and if the co-op is in good financial shape, they vote to retire a portion of the capital credits that were allocated in previous years, which is what you see on your December bill.

For a more in-depth look at our April board meeting— listen to our Co-op Energy Talk: Board Meeting Brief podcast at www.cherrylandelectric.coop/podcast.

PHOTO CONTEST

Hometown Pride 1. Pure Michigan: plants & flowers—Corey Johnston 2. Serenity!—Vanessa Rice 3. Out on the orchard—Tom Van Pelt 4. My backyard in the fall—Janet Kivell 5. My view: sunsets for dinner—Jamie Dundan-Boyer 6. Serenity on Spider Lake—Amy Truchan

MOST VOTES ON FACEBOOK!

Enter to win a

$200

energy bill credit!

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Submit Your “Farms & Harvest” Photos By June 20!

Submit your best photo and encourage your friends to vote! The photo receiving the most votes in our Facebook contest will be printed in an issue of Country Lines along with some of our other favorites. Our June theme is Farms & Harvest!

Photos can be submitted through June 20 to be featured in our September issue.

Enter Your Photos And Win A Bill Credit!

To enter the contest, visit cherrylandelectric.coop/photo-contest or visit facebook.com/cherrylandelectriccoop for a link to the current photo contest.

Enter your picture, cast your vote, and encourage others to vote for you as well.

If your photo is printed in Country Lines during 2022, you will be entered to win a credit of up to $200 on your December 2022 bill.

MICHIGAN COUNTRY LINES 17

Guest Column

An Eggceptional Experience I Will Never Forget!

By Cindy Zavadil, HomeWorks Tri-County Cooperative member

I

will never forget my visit to an ethnic art fair outside of Detroit’s Cobo Hall at the age of 12.

It is one of my fondest memories. Why? It was there that I was introduced to the art of Ukrainian egg decorating, or Pysanky. This art form is rich in cultural heritage, symbolism, and pure beauty. The intricacy, vibrant colors, and skill involved had me hooked right away.

From quail eggs to ostrich eggs, it’s a joy! My parents took me to this event.

They had no idea that I would become a high school art teacher and one day share this art form with my students. I remember watching the elderly artist, a woman, writing on her egg. This art process involves writing/drawing on the egg with beeswax, using a tool called a kistka. The egg is then dipped in various colored dyes after each new design has been written, and it culminates with melting the wax off the egg over a candle flame. I call it the unveiling. Here you see all your hours of work before your eyes.

Watching the experienced Pysanky artist that day, with her grey hair, steady hands, and patience, melting the wax off her creation is something I will never forget. I asked my parents if I could buy a kit, including all the tools, to begin my journey. The elderly woman handed my mom my first yellow box. From there, I practiced and

18 JUNE 2022

learned from my mistakes. I kept at it. Like anything else, art is a process, and we learn as we go. Since that day, I have created hundreds of eggs and enjoy sharing the tradition of Ukrainian Pysanky. The world is a better place with art showing its face around every corner. I owe this opportunity of learned joy to that one day at the art fair. If I hadn’t had the opportunity to meet the lovely lady sharing her skills, I would never have begun my journey. That day is a fond memory, and it is because of this memory that I am able to share my art with you.

Cindy is a retired art/humanities teacher. She enjoys all kinds of art, reading, and gardening.

WIN $150!

Share your fondest memories and stories. Win $150 for stories published.

Visit countrylines.com/community to submit.

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