Carroll White REMC — September 2020 Indiana Connection

A tradition of service to rural communities.

Carroll White REMC’s

hope

UNLEASHING ICAN is a win-win for two groups of people in need of help pages 20–24

SEPTEMBER 2020

Still cool

from the editor

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS James Dean truly was the man, the myth and the legend. The Fairmount, Indiana, native may have lived fast and died young, but even after his death on Sept. 30, 1955, his iconic presence endures.

I’ve been intrigued by Dean since my freshman year of college. I fell under his charismatic spell during a humanities class movie screening of “Rebel Without a Cause.” I thought it was so cool that he was a Hoosier and, in the age before Google, I set out to learn more about him the old-fashioned way: books.

I found out about his growing-up years, his early career, and his love of racing cars. I discovered his other movies — including one of my all-time favorites, “Giant.” This epic three-plus-hour-long classic chronicles the lives of a wealthy Texas ranch owner, his family, and the ranch hand (Dean) who strikes it rich when he discovers oil. Dean had just finished filming the movie when he died in a car crash enroute to a road race. He was only 24.

Each year, the town of Fairmount has commemorated the anniversary of his death by celebrating his life on the last full weekend of September. Events have included a look-alike contest, a 1950s dance contest, screenings of his three films and a parade. Authentic James Dean memorabilia is displayed, too.

This year’s Remembering James Dean Festival, which would have acknowledged 65 years since his death, has been canceled due to the pandemic. Although fans from near and far won’t be converging on his Indiana home this month, they will continue to do what the festival was designed to do: remember James Dean. And, while around the world he remains an ageless representation of teenage angst, in Fairmount he is much more than a legend. He is one of the community’s own. Isn’t that really the best way to be memorialized?

EMILY SCHILLING Editor eschilling@indianaec.org

On the menu: December issue: Homemade food for holiday

gift-giving, deadline Oct. 2. January 2021 issue: Recipes featuring oatmeal, deadline Oct. 2. If we publish your recipe on our food pages, we’ll send you a $10 gift card.

Giveaway: Enter to win two $25 gift cards from Gordon’s Milkshake Bar.

Visit indianaconnection.org/talk-to-us/contests. Entry deadline for giveaway: Sept. 30.

Three ways to contact us: To send us recipes, photos, event listings, letters

and entries for gift drawings, please use the forms on our website indianaconnection.org; email info@indianaconnection.org; or send to Indiana Connection, 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600, Indianapolis, IN 46240-4606.

VOLUME 70 • NUMBER 3 ISSN 0745-4651 • USPS 262-340 Published monthly by Indiana Electric Cooperatives Indiana Connection is for and about members of Indiana’s locally-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives. It helps consumers use electricity safely and efficiently; understand energy issues; connect with their co-op; and celebrate life in Indiana. Over 280,000 residents and businesses receive the magazine as part of their electric co-op membership.

CONTACT US: 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600 Indianapolis, IN 46240-4606 317-487-2220 info@indianaconnection.org IndianaConnection.org INDIANA ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES OFFICERS: Walter Hunter President Randy Kleaving Vice President Steve McMichael Secretary/Treasurer John Gasstrom CEO EDITORIAL STAFF: Emily Schilling Editor Richard George Biever Senior Editor Holly Huffman Communication Support Specialist Ellie Schuler Senior Creative Services Specialist Taylor Maranion Creative Services Specialist Stacey Holton Creative Services Manager Mandy Barth Communication Manager ADVERTISING: American MainStreet Publications Cheryl Solomon, local ad representative; 512-441-5200; amp.coop Crosshair Media 502-216-8537; crosshairmedia.net Paid advertisements are not endorsements by any electric cooperative or this publication.

UNSOLICITED MATERIAL: Indiana Connection does not use unsolicited freelance manuscripts or photographs and assumes no responsibility for the safe‑keeping or return of unsolicited material.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $12 for individuals not subscribing through participating REMCs/RECs. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you receive Indiana Connection through your electric co-op membership, report address changes to your local co-op.

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POSTMASTER: Send change of address to: Indiana Connection, 8888 Keystone Crossing, Suite 1600, Indianapolis, IN 46240-4606.

Include key number.

No portion of Indiana Connection may be reproduced without permission of the editor.

SEPTEMBER 2020

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contents

SEPTEMBER

10

16

energy

Indiana eats

03 FROM THE EDITOR

12 I NSIGHTS

05 CO-OP NEWS Energy news and information from your electric cooperative.

14 COUNTY OF THE MONTH

10 ENERGY Two household systems that can help you manage your energy use.

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29

cover story

diy

20 COVER STORY

27 RECALLS

Spotlighting Henry County.

Unleashing hope: ICAN is a win-win for two groups of people in need of help.

28 BACKYARD Mystery seeds from China.

16 INDIANA EATS

26 SAFETY

Ten ways to chill out on National Chocolate Milkshake Day. 18 FOOD Prep these reader favorites in just a half hour.

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Indiana Connection

29 DIY

Be safe around electricity when moving farm equipment.

The future of lighting has never been brighter.

30 H OOSIER ENERGY/ WABASH VALLEY NEWS

On the cover Dustin, an incarcerated offender at the Pendleton Correctional Facility, shares a moment with Maple, the service dog he’s training for Indiana Canine Assistant Network. ICAN provides service dogs for clients with physical and health issues and gives inmates a chance to learn skills they can use after prison.

PHOTO BY LIZ KAYE/ICANdog.org

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co-op news “This institution is an equal opportunity provider and employer.”

CARROLL WHITE REMC P.O. Box 599; Monticello, IN 47960 800-844-7161 (Toll Free) www.cwremc.coop MONTICELLO OFFICE 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday DELPHI OFFICE 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday EMAIL info@cwremc.coop CEO Randy W. Price BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kevin M. Bender, 219-863-6652 4280 W, 700 N, Delphi

Margaret E. Foutch, 219-279-2677 7535 W, 500 S, Chalmers

Gary E. Gerlach, 574-595-7820 9833 S. Base Road, Star City

Kent P. Zimpfer, 765-479-3006 4672 E. Arrow Point Court, Battle Ground

Tina L. Davis, 219-204-2195 7249 W, 600 S, Winamac

Milton D. Rodgers, 765-566-3731 3755 S, 575 E, Bringhurst

Ralph H. Zarse, 219-863-6342 1535 S, 100 E, Reynolds

MISSION STATEMENT “Creatively enhancing our community through safety and service.”

A tradition of service to rural communities Whether electricity or broadband, REMC is focused on meeting members’ needs Historical Perspective Back in the late 1920s and early 1930s, 90 percent of those in rural America did not have electricity. Rural areas that did have access to power had to pay more for it than those in more heavily populated cities.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt discovered that disparity during his first visit to Warm Springs, Georgia.

“When the first-of-the-month bill came for electric lights for my little cottage, I found that the charge was … about four times what I pay at Hyde Park, New York,” he said. “That started my long study of public utility charges for electric current and the whole subject of getting electricity into farm homes.”

The long-time advocate of the rural electric movement credited Warm Springs as the birthplace of the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) which was formally created on May 11, 1935, when Roosevelt issued Executive Order 7037. Congress endorsed Roosevelt’s Executive Order by passing the Rural Electrification Act. The act was signed into law on May 20, 1936.

Through the REA, farmers were encouraged to create electric cooperatives. Low-interest loans were made available to finance the construction of generation/distribution facilities and power lines to bring continued on page 6

Safety, Service, and Community IMPORTANT DATES Cycle 1 August bills are due Sept. 5 and are subject to disconnect Sept. 24 if unpaid. Cycle 2 August bills are due Sept. 20 and are subject to disconnect Oct. 13 if unpaid. Meters are read using the Automated Meter Reading system. Cycle 1 meters will be read on Sept 1. Cycle 2 meters will be read Sept. 15.

The first electric poles in rural Carroll County were set in September 1937 and the electric lines were energized on Christmas Eve of that year. Throughout Carroll County REMC’s early years, linemen were busy setting poles, building lines and bringing lifechanging electric service to the unserved portions of the county.

CLEAN LINT FILTERS Clothes dryers make up a large portion of your appliance energy consumption. Clean the lint filter after each cycle, and scrub the filter with a toothbrush to remove film and increase air circulation.

— U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/ carrollwhite.remc FOLLOW US ON TWITTER www.twitter.com/cwremc

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co-op news continued from page 5

In their quest to get electricity in their homes and farms, rural residents in the 1930s went door to door collecting membership fees to start electric co-ops, formed and ran the co-ops, and even helped to set poles and build lines.

Those early electric cooperatives — including those right here in Carroll and White counties — epitomized the phrase, “Neighbors helping neighbors.”

electricity to farmers throughout rural America.

With electricity, rural life changed dramatically. Appliances — whether in the house, in the workshop and barn, or in the field — saved time and made chores much easier. Health and sanitation were improved with running water and refrigerators. Now those in rural areas were able to connect to the outside world through radio broadcasts.

Thanks to the Rural Electrification Administration, by 1939, 417 rural electric cooperatives, which served 288,000 households, were established. By 1945, an estimated nine out of 10 farms had electricity.

Back Home in Indiana Locally, an REMC — or Rural Electric Membership Corporation — was incorporated in Carroll County on May 22, 1936, just two days after the Rural Electrification Act was passed. The co-op received its first REA loan on Sept. 9 of that year and the first pole was set at 8:35 a.m. on Sept. 1, 1937, north of Pittsburg on Range Line Road. That day, 48 other poles were also set in Carroll County. The co-op was energized on Christmas Eve that year. Christmas couldn’t have been brighter for the 150 members of the young co-op.

Meanwhile in nearby White County, the local REMC would not be incorporated until June 22, 1939. “On Dec. 12, 1939, the first White County REMC pole was set south of Reynolds and on April 8, 1940, the first REMC lines were energized,” wrote former White County REMC Board Chairman Gerald E. Kruger in 2004.

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The first home to be energized belonged to Mr. and Mrs. Louis E. Erdman, who lived three quarters of a mile southwest of Reynolds. “Four months after that landmark day of connection,” according to “Story of White County REMC 1939-2004,” “492 miles of line had been energized and 1,200 farms were connected.”

“White County REMC boasts a proud history of vision, commitment and cooperation,” Kruger noted. “Founder Ralph H. Mahin (the co-op’s first board president) had a vision of bringing electricity to the rural regions of our communities. The vision and commitment of REMC’s leadership and membership have given us a proud heritage and a fascinating story.”

Coming Together Over 70 years, Carroll County REMC and White County REMC provided service to their respective rural areas.

Each REMC served their communities through hard work, integrity and honor … their founding principles.

In the early 2000s, the neighboring cooperatives faced rising costs for raw materials and purchased power. Members of the respective cooperatives voted to combine resources and the two REMCs consolidated. On Jan. 1, 2012, Carroll White REMC (CW REMC) began business as a new, even stronger, cooperative. CW REMC currently serves nearly 16,000 meters in over nine counties.

co-op news “Hoosiers need affordable, quality internet regardless of where they live, work, or go to school” said Indiana Gov. Eric J. HOLCOMB Holcomb. “Access to broadband brings countless opportunities.”

In February 2019, Holcomb announced a $100 million project to improve broadband access for the state’s rural residents. “The internet is just as essential to Indiana’s prosperity today as highways were a century ago,” Holcomb said in a press release. “By expanding access to affordable broadband, we’ll ensure more Hoosiers can use this business and personal necessity.”

Broadband: Today’s Challenge in Rural America Rural communities’ challenges in gaining high speed internet/ broadband access mirror those same communities’ struggles to obtain electricity 80-plus years earlier. And, broadband access is more than a luxury in today’s world; it’s a necessity.

A 2018 study conducted by Purdue University and commissioned by the Indiana Electric Cooperatives, the trade association for the state REMCs/ RECs, estimated Indiana could reap nearly $12 billion in economic benefits over a 20-year period if broadband were deployed into the state’s rural areas.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch agrees.

“In today’s digital economy, a lack of broadband access means a lack of access to education, CROUCH healthcare, job opportunities and everyday needs,” she said in the “Indiana Statewide Broadband Strategic Plan.”

“Broadband is what connects most constituents to the everyday world.

However, many Hoosiers remain underserved in this regard, especially in our rural communities.”

Now more than ever When the pandemic hit America, life changed: • Students in all schools, including colleges and universities, were required to finish the school year online through e-learning.

• Many workers packed their laptops and made their dining room tables their new work centers.

• Newscasters and meteorologists gave reports from their living rooms or outside their homes.

• Entertainers appeared on late night shows from their homes. The Voice was filmed in finalists’ homes.

• Many medical consultations were — and often still are — scheduled through the Internet.

• During the height of COVID-19, one of the only ways for families to visit their loved ones in nursing homes was via Zoom.

• The June 9 Annual Meeting of CW REMC was conducted virtually via Webex.

Now more than ever, high-speed internet/broadband is essential and critical for all Americans to ensure quality of life and opportunity in today’s world economy.

“Each Hoosier knows what an amazing place Indiana is to live and grow,” Lt. Gov. Crouch said.

“Broadband connectivity only enhances its quality of place and ensures that our state continues to be seen as a leader in innovation.”

Rural electric cooperatives were created to provide safe, affordable, dependable access to electricity in the rural communities they serve. The role that REMCs will play as stakeholders in Indiana’s Statewide Broadband Strategic Plan is already being discussed.

In upcoming months, we will continue to explore broadband in rural Indiana and how this impacts CW REMC members.

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co-op news

Registered SmartHub users now have access to an outage two-way texting feature. Simply text “OUT” to 768482 to report an outage.

If you are not a SmartHub user, now is a great time to register on our website, www.cwremc.coop.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

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energy

PART #3

Residential electrification Two household systems that can help you manage your energy use

Heating water and

Performance

efficiency units to

efficiency but their

heating and cooling the

improvements and

operate in cold climates,

goals are the same — to

air in your home are

reductions in costs

showing effectiveness

help their consumers

two energy-intensive

for these systems are

in heating across the

better understand the

household systems.

helping consumers

Midwest.

benefits of electrified

Finding ways to reduce

better manage their

the energy they use

energy use. One way

while increasing

this is taking place is

comfort can be

through electric air

challenging. Adding to

source heat pumps

the complexity are the

(ASHPs). These units

various energy sources

provide a cost-

available, including

effective way to heat

propane or natural gas

and cool your home

and electricity.

by transferring heat

When it comes to the benefits that electricsourced climate controls and water heaters provide, consumers like you have choices.

from one place to another instead of only generating heat.

Examples include

SEPTEMBER 2020

electric water heaters incorporate heat pump technology as well to assist in heating

equipment that can both increase the comfort of their homes and reduce their overall energy consumption.

water while reducing the amount of energy needed. Some of these water heaters can be two to three times more efficient than conventional electriccoil water heaters. by

floorboard heating

Electric co-ops have

and combustion

different approaches

heating systems. New

toward helping members

technology in ASHPs

increase energy

also allow for high

10

Advancements in

Blake Kleaving

Manager of Energy Management Solutions Hoosier Energy

insights

WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

I enjoy reading Emily Schilling’s “From the Editor” in the REMC magazine each month.

July’s column was especially interesting to me ... I could have written it! I, too, enjoy the Hallmark Christmas movies. It is what this crazy world needs right now, movies that make you feel good.

I especially enjoy the County of the Month, Indiana Eats, Food, Backyard, and Travel sections of this little magazine.

Keep up the good work!

Chris Seal, Daviess-Martin County REMC member

Youth Power and Hope Awards

deadline Oct. 2 Indiana’s electric cooperatives, along with Indiana Connection, are accepting applications for the Youth Power and Hope Awards. This awards program honors fifth through eighth graders who are leaders in their communities.

Five winners will receive $500 and be featured in an upcoming issue of Indiana Connection. Interested students must submit an application, examples of how they have been involved in their local communities, and a reference letter from a trusted adult by Friday, Oct. 2.

Visit indianaconnection.org/?p=230 for an application and to learn about past award recipients. Contact us at info@IndianaConnection.org or 317487-2220 if you have any questions.

Get out and vote The 2020 general election is just around the corner.

Polls will open on Nov. 3. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5.

Who can vote? To vote in the 2020 general election, you must be both a U.S. citizen and a resident of Indiana; be at least 18 years of age on or before the general election; not currently be in prison after being

COOKIE TIP I read with interest your editorial on baking cookies (in the July issue). This is what a good friend of mine told me years ago: If the instructions say remove from oven in 10 minutes, that is what you do because after removing a cookie sheet from oven, the cookies continue to bake for 5 minutes. This was good advice and I followed it. Try this and you will be happy.

Rosalie Spirek, Angola

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convicted of a crime; have lived in the precinct where you vote for at least 30 days prior to the election; and are registered to vote.

How to vote. There are two ways to vote in the general election: by absentee ballot or in-person on Election Day. To register for an absentee ballot, you must qualify under one of the 11 reasons listed on the Indiana Secretary of State’s website. Visit https://www. in.gov/sos/elections/2402.htm.

If you plan to vote in-person on Election Day but are not sure where to go, visit https://indianavoters.in.gov and click on “Find My Polling Location.” You can search by both voter registration (your name and birthday) as well as by county.

By casting your vote on Nov. 3 you can be assured your voice is heard on the local and national levels. As you evaluate the candidates and determine who to support, remember that elected officials play a very important role in ensuring that your electric cooperative can continue providing safe, reliable, and affordable electricity.

SEPTEMBER 2020

VOTE NOv. 2O2O

editor

LETTERS TO THE

county feature

Henry County An old biplane is parked on a basketball court in a relief sculpture representing Henry County (pictured on right). It’s part of the permanent 92 county artworks built into the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis.

The basketball court for Henry County might be obvious: the New Castle High School gymnasium is among the largest high school gyms in the nation, and New Castle is home to the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum. The county has produced 13 Hoosier high school hoops legends who are in the Hall of Fame.

The airplane, however, is one of Indiana’s little-known claims to fame: Millville in eastern Henry County is the birthplace of Wilbur Wright. Wright is the oldest of the two brothers who invented, built and flew the world’s first successful motor-operated airplane. If Henry County was the basketball court in the IMS sculpture, the plane is perched right about on top of Millville.

Wilbur Wright was born in the tiny town on April 16, 1867.

He was the third child of the Rev. Milton Wright and Susan Catherine Koerner Wright. In the spring of 1869, the family moved to Dayton, Ohio, where the other famed brother, Orville, was born in 1871.

As adults in Dayton, Wilbur and Orville pursued their growing interest in powered flight and by 1901 began putting their

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theories to the test on the Atlantic shoreline at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. On Dec. 17, 1903, they made the first free, controlled flight of a power-driven airplane.

Wilbur piloted their flyer for 59 seconds over a distance of 852 feet. Over the next several years, they continued perfecting their flyer and the controls to make fixed-wing powered flight practical.

Today, the home in Millville is operated as the Wilbur Wright Birthplace Museum.

It includes the original house where Wright was born and a full-size replica of the brothers’ first plane.

The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is located in New Castle. The Hall is a 14,000-squarefoot museum full of memorabilia and interactive displays about basketball in the state. Thirteen New Castle graduates are in the Hall, including Indiana University basketball legends Steve Alford and Kent Benson.

y t n u o C acts F

PH O TO BY RI CHARD G . BI E V E R

FOUNDED: 1822 NAMED FOR: Patrick Henry, a Founding Father of the U.S. and orator best known for his 1775 declaration: “Give me liberty, or give me death!”

POPULATION: 48,271 (2018 estimate) COUNTY SEAT: New Castle

Wilbur Wright

BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM FESTIVAL LOCATION: 1525 N. County Road 750 E. Hagerstown, Indiana 47364 DATE: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2020 TIME: 9 a.m.-8 p.m.

Vendors will be on the museum grounds from 9 a.m- 6 p.m., and dinner will be served from 5-8 p.m.

765-332-2495 www.wwbirthplace.com Please check with the museum before planning to go for up-to-date information, especially concerning COVID-19 changes.

Marketplace Our Marketplace offers maximum exposure for your business or organization at a minimal cost.

Don’t miss this opportunity to reach over a half million consumers at an affordable rate!

Please contact Cheryl Solomon, 847-749-4875 or cheryl@amp.coop, for small business advertising opportunities in Indiana Connection.

CUSTOM POLE BARNS, DESIGNED TO LAST Buy Factory Direct & Save!

22 Colors, Fast Delivery.

Two Convenient Locations: • Dayton, OH (937) 503-2457 • Decatur, IL (217) 864-5835 MidwesternBuildings.com

SHIPSHEWANA FLEA MARKET OPEN MAY THRU SEPTEMBER 30!

Midwest’s Largest Flea Market Every Tuesday & Wednesday 8 am – 4 pm; Rain or Shine Weekly Antique Auction Every Wednesday, Year-Round ShipshewanaFleaMarket.com

WE LIVE IT — YOU’LL LOVE IT Visit Switzerland County, Indiana Great Outdoors, Small Town Feel History, Shopping, Cuisine Award-Winning Local Wines Campgrounds and Boat Launches switzcotourism.com SEPTEMBER 2020

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Shake Indiana eats

Ten ways to chill out on National Chocolate Milkshake Day

it up!

valpo velvet shoppe

fair oaks farms

just cream ice cream boutique

silver dipper ice cream

cone palace

ivanhoes

Traders Point Creamery gordon’s milkshake bar

zaharakos the chocolate moose

Traders Point Creamery’s Chocolate Milkshake

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Where do you go for a good chocolate milkshake? Go to our Facebook page and let us know!

Enter to win two $25 gift cards from Gordon’s Milkshake Bar. Learn more on page 3.

Indiana eats Not that you need an excuse to enjoy a rich and creamy milkshake, but Sept. 12 is the designated day to raise a toast to everyone’s favorite sweet indulgence. Celebrate National Chocolate Milkshake Day by popping into one of these 10 Hoosier ice cream shops that offer exceptional chocolate shakes.

The Chocolate Moose Bloomington, Nashville Moosebtown.com IU alums are certainly familiar with this Bloomington mainstay which opened in 1933 as May’s Café. The ice cream is homemade and includes vegan varieties.

to order from Ivanhoe’s extensive menu.

One choco-licious choice: Chocolate Anonymous, a chocolate shake with chocolate wafers and a Hershey bar.

Cone Palace

Valpo Velvet Shoppe

Kokomo conepalace.co

Valparaiso valpovelvet.com

The hand-spun shakes at this Howard County restaurant come with your choice of flavor and topping in four sizes: child, small, medium and large. Soft serve and frozen yogurt flavors change weekly so you’ll have to visit often.

Fair Oaks Farms

Just Cream’s Zanzibar Chocolate Ice Cream Shake

Just Cream Ice Cream Boutique

Fair Oaks fofarms.com/dining/cowfe

Fort Wayne icecreamboutiquefw.com

Stop by the Cowfé for cups, cones, sundaes, floats, malts and shakes made from Fair Oaks Farms’ homemade ice cream. Order Fair Oaks’ famous grilled cheese sandwich or pick up some awardwinning cheese while you’re there.

This northeastern Indiana shop’s shakes can literally go from “simply” to “extremely” delicious: your choice. Made from super premium ice cream, shakes can be garnished with sweet treats like cotton candy, Rice Krispie treats, cookies, and doughnuts. Or, milkshake purists can opt to crown their icy delights with just whipped cream and maraschino cherries.

Gordon’s Milkshake Bar Indianapolis 317-453-1360 Located in Indy’s trendy Mass Ave district, this newbie business (open since December 2019) has already been voted one of the capital city’s best dessert bars by readers of The Indianapolis Star.

Ivanhoes

north of Indianapolis: Dutch chocolate milk with vanilla ice cream, whole milk with chocolate ice cream and Dutch chocolate milk with chocolate ice cream.

Besides chocolate, try shakes in a variety of seasonal flavors like wildberry and pumpkin spice at the Creamery’s Dairy Bar.

Silver Dipper Ice Cream West Lafayette silverdipper.com

Started in 1920 as Valparaiso Home Ice Company, this northwestern Indiana company makes ice cream, sherbet, sorbet and frozen yogurt. A variety of frozen gourmet novelties including ice cream cakes and pies, custom cookiewiches and chocolate-dipped bananas are available.

Enjoy a chocolate shake made by trained “soda jerks,” otherwise known as “expert scoopers.”

Zaharakos Columbus zaharakos.com A trip to Zaharakos is like a journey to the past. This national historic landmark is part ice cream parlor/soda fountain and part museum (with a display of mechanical musical instruments and soda fountain relics). Come for the ice cream treats and shakes and enjoy the old-timey atmosphere featuring music from an onsite player piano.

Silver Dipper’s chocolate shake won’t disappoint. Neither will the 50-plus flavors of ice cream that have Purdue students — and other locals — coming back for more.

Upland ivanhoes.info

Traders Point Creamery

With 100 different flavors of shakes and 100 different flavors of sundaes, there’s something for everyone at this ice cream institution. You’ll have a tough time choosing which variety of chocolate shake

There are three ways to make a chocolate milkshake at this family-owned artisan creamery and organic dairy farm just

Zionsville traderspointcreamery.com Zaharakos’ Chocolate Milkshake

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food CRACKER-CRUSTED BUFFALO SHRIMP ½ cup hot pepper sauce ¼ cup butter, melted 36 round buttery crackers, crushed (about 1 ¼ cups) 25 uncooked large shrimp (about 1 lb.), peeled with tails left on, deveined ¾ cup blue cheese or ranch dressing Hot pepper sauce for serving, optional Celery stalks Heat oven to 350 F. Mix hot pepper sauce and butter in a shallow bowl. Place cracker crumbs in another shallow bowl. Dip shrimp in sauce mixture, then in crumbs, turning to evenly coat both sides of each shrimp. Place in a single layer on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 20 minutes or until shrimp are done. Serve with dressing, extra hot pepper sauce if desired, and celery.

Cook’s note: Can substitute panko bread crumbs, crushed potato chips or pretzels, or crushed crackers of your choice for the crushed buttery crackers

BREAKFAST NACHOS Marilles Mauer, Greensburg, Indiana 3-4 medium/large potatoes 2 T. oil ½ t. salt 1 lb. roll pork sausage 4 eggs 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Other favorite toppings, optional

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Preheat oven to 425 F and place a baking sheet with a raised edge in oven.

Wash the potatoes and slice them thinly (about 1/8 inch thick). Place the sliced potatoes in a bowl and toss them with the oil and salt until evenly coated. Place the prepared potatoes on the heated baking sheet in a single layer. (Try not to let them touch or overlap for even cooking.) Return the baking sheet to the oven and cook the potatoes for about 25 minutes. Halfway through baking time, turn the potatoes over. While potatoes are baking, brown and crumble sausage in a skillet; set aside. About 10 minutes before the potatoes are done, scramble eggs in another skillet; set aside. Once the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and sprinkle with half the cheese. Sprinkle the sausage on top and then cover with scrambled eggs. Add the diced tomatoes on top. Can add other favorite toppings if desired. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Return the pan to the oven for about 3-4 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

food

Have a

THAT’S ALL IT TAKES TO PREP THESE READER FAVORITES

half hour?

SAUSAGE DRESSING Kathleen Tooley Berne, Indiana 1 (6 oz.) box long grain and wild rice mix 1 lb. sausage 1 small onion, diced 1 small bell pepper, chopped 1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms Prepare long grain and wild rice mix as directed on package. Meanwhile, saute sausage, onion, pepper and mushrooms

BAKED FISH PARMESAN Patricia Piekarski, Harvey, Illinois 3 T. butter, melted ½ cup seasoned bread crumbs ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 ⅓ lbs. fish fillets, about ½ inch thick

Combine butter, bread crumbs and cheese in a bowl. Place fish in single layer in a

in a skillet. When rice is done, add to the skillet.

Mix well.

Cook’s note: Serve as a side dish or main dish.

shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with crumb mixture and bake in a 450 F oven for 10 minutes or until done.

FO O D PREPARED BY I NDI ANA CO NNECTI O N STA FF PHO TO S BY TAYLO R M ARAN I O N

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UNLEASHING HOPE ICAN is a win-win for two groups of people in need of help Collin Kreiner was just 6 months old when doctors told his parents he had cerebral palsy.

The condition affected the right side of his brain and left him with a partial paralysis. The diagnosis came after his parents had noticed Collin was not using his left hand. He kept it clenched in a fist — as if he needed something to hold on to.

Vanessa was an adult when she was convicted of a crime and sentenced to the Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis. Life was spinning too fast, she noted, and she had not slowed down to see and appreciate the beauty in things. The future seemed empty behind bars. What she had had of a life on the outside, she let slip through her hands.

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SEPTEMBER 2020

Ryan and Claudine Kreiner react with tears as they see their son Collin receive his ICAN service dog, Maj, at the graduation ceremony at the Indiana Women’s Prison in June of 2019.

And then, as Collin’s parents shed tears among a room full of others like them, Vanessa handed Maj’s leash to Collin at the graduation. It was an act

F

Vanessa together with Maj is Indiana Canine Assistant Network.

between other inmate handlers, like

Since its beginning in 2002, ICAN

Collin, taking home an individual

A L L PH OTOS B Y L IZ K AY E /IC A Ndog.or g

The program that brought Collin and

repeated several times that evening Vanessa, and other recipients, like Collin Kreiner is all smiles posing with his service dog, Your Majesty (Maj for short), at the Indiana Canine Assistant Network graduation ceremony in June 2019.

STARS AL I G N

service dog, like Maj. “It was amazing to see him the night of graduation and all the people that were coming up to him,” Ryan Kreiner said of Collin, the third of his four

has fostered 201 similar unions. The statewide nonprofit has brought new hope and possibilities to individuals living with a disability who need a service dog and to the offenders who train them. It repairs the brokenness those in both groups often feel through

sons. “I’ve never seen him like that

the unconditional love of these dogs.

rom these seemingly divergent

before. He was beaming. You could see he was just so excited to have

“They’re very parallel experiences,”

paths came a common band

Collin and Vanessa could firmly

Maj. And I was watching Vanessa and

cling to. Staring down an uncertain

him when they were going to meet on

implacable future, both found hope

the stage, and you could just see the

and redemption on the end of a leash

connection with those two.”

of a dog named Your Majesty.

Collin even noticed how his normally

In June of 2019, Collin, now 14 and

stoic dad responded, asking afterward,

an eighth grader from Noblesville,

“Dad, are you crying?”

and Vanessa, still incarcerated at the Women’s Prison, met for two weeks inside the prison walls. That’s where Vanessa, who had become a dog trainer and spent months handling and living with Maj at her side, taught Collin and Maj how to work together.

“All the stuff he’s been through,” Ryan continued. “It’s so great to see him get something that he wanted and succeed in something and be ...”

explained Jillian Ashton, ICAN’s president. “Even though their reasons may be different, the sense of isolation and not being able to participate in the community wholeheartedly for whatever reasons — barriers of intimacy, barriers of physical abilities, whatever — and then the dog just changes all that.” She added that the trainer and the client come together with the sole purpose of just helping each other. “And the dog is the conduit. There’s restitution and

“… the star!” injected Collin’s mom,

restoration.”

Claudine, completing her husband’s

CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

thought.

SEPTEMBER 2020

21

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

The professional training and experience the offenders gain handling the dogs has given most of those who have been released from prison the encouragement, confidence

ICAN, which just this summer moved

• facilities — for occupational

its office from Indianapolis’ west

physical therapy units, rehab

side to a new location in Zionsville,

centers, schools and courthouses

primarily serves residents of Indiana.

(to help children in CASA — Court

ICAN also works with other similar

Appointed Special Advocate —

organizations in surrounding states.

situations).

and skills to succeed and not repeat

ICAN currently works with 60 adult

the poor choices that put them there.

men and women offenders in three

level of the spectrum to assist with

prisons: Pendleton Correctional

disorders affecting developmental,

Facility at Pendleton, the Correctional

communication and other skills.

BEGI N N IN GS ICAN was founded with that two-fold mission: to train and place high-

Industrial Facility at Pendleton, and the Indiana Women’s Prison in

quality service dogs with individuals

Indianapolis.

with disabilities; and to provide

ICAN’s service dogs assist:

foundational life skills to inmates through their experiences as trainers.

The dual purpose makes ICAN stand out as one of the few organizations like it in the U.S.

• autism — for those on the higher

• diabetics — for those who have a hard time sensing rapid changes in blood sugar, dogs are trained to

• mobility/stability — for those who have suffered strokes or other

detect the chemical changes and alert the diabetic of the onset of low or high blood sugars and assist.

traumatic brain injury. Dogs help

Puppies for the program are raised by

stabilize the clients as they get up

trained volunteers who help socialize

and move, clear

the dogs and teach basic obedience

pathways and

skills. They also work at stimulating

open doors. This

the dogs’ cognitive abilities and acuity

is ICAN’s primary

through rubbing, touching and noises.

clientele, Ashton

At about 16 weeks of age, each dog is

said.

assigned an offender inside a prison

• veterans — for service men

to begin the first round of its Level 1 training.

and women

From there, ICAN uses a 6-weeks-in/

who live with

3-weeks-out training schedule that

physical and/

repeats until the dog is about 2 years

or brain injuries

old and is ready for its permanent

with a secondary

placement. For six weeks, the dog is

diagnosis of

trained in various skills by its selected

PTSD. Just by

inmate handler. For three weeks,

their calming

it is taken out of prison and placed

nature, dogs help

with a trained volunteer known as a

reduce PTSD.

“furlougher” who socializes the dog

ICAN at a glance Founded in 2002, Indiana Canine Assistant Network is a non-profit organization that trains and places

• Number of active client/dog teams — 108 • Number of inmate handlers — 60

assistance dogs with children and adults

(recidivism rate of past handlers is

living with disabilities AND provides

less an 15%, Indiana average is 33.8%

foundational life skills to carefully

in 2017)

• Number of outside volunteers — 140 • Number of people waiting for a dog — 85 • Average wait for client/dog pairing — 2-3 years • Accreditation — ICAN is accredited

screened incarcerated adults through

• Number of dogs in program — 60

by Assistance Dogs International and

their experiences as trainers.

• Average graduation rate for dogs in

is the only accredited service dog

22

SEPTEMBER 2020

program — 60%

program based in Indiana

to the noises and distractions of the

dog specialized skills based on the

outside world it will face with a client.

selected client. About six out of

The dog then returns to the handler for

10 dogs that enter the training will

another 6-week training session.

graduate and serve ICAN clients.

To be a trainer for ICAN, the offender

The overall cost to train a service

must not have committed a crime

dog is about $25,000. To receive an

against children or animals. Handlers

ICAN dog, the client is asked to cover

must also have four years or more

10% to demonstrate a commitment

of their sentence remaining, have

to the dog and the training. But once

high school diplomas or GEDs, and

that partnership is created, ICAN

be referred by their counselors. They

continually monitors and maintains

then complete an application and go

that relationship and provides support

through an interview process with

to the client throughout the working life

Sean Diamond, ICAN’s director of

of the dog, usually about 8-10 years.

training, and key staff at the prison.

“When you’re placing a dog with

Diamond, himself, is an ICAN success

somebody with a health concern,

story. He turned his life around after

especially a degenerative health

he turned his love and experience of

concern like MS, the client

working for ICAN while in prison into

experiences changes,” noted Ashton.

his career after he was released.

“So we may have to do some tune-up

As the dog approaches its second birthday, a client is carefully matched to the strength of each dog. Bigger, stronger dogs, might be assigned to bigger clients needing mobility

work on the dog to make sure that the dog’s skills are keeping up with the individual’s changes.”

P ROMISING F UT UR ES

and stabilization help. A dog who

Over the years, Collin Kreiner has

has shown a keener sense of

had surgeries to help his mobility.

smell might be trained in sensing

But he’s also been diagnosed with a

hypoglycemia and be matched with

seizure disorder and attention-deficit/

a diabetic. “Finishing school” for the

hyperactivity disorder.

dog is with a handler at the Indiana Women’s Prison who teaches the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

ICAN costs Training a dog to become an ICAN service dog takes two years. The total cost for training and for ICAN to provide lifetime support for the dog and its partner is $25,000. Here are some of the costs based on just one year in training:

$600 dog food, bedding and crates

$2,000 veterinary care, and heartworm and flea prevention

$75 grooming and hygiene

$750 An ICAN trainer at the Pendleton Correctional Facility cradles the dog he’s training. Offenders become attached to the dogs they train and the dogs give unconditional love back to the offenders, many who grew up never knowing the love of a pet before. It helps them in their relationships with others inside the prison and with their families.

team training/graduation (per client-canine team)

$300 x-rays for joint health

$500 balance and training vests, bandanas, collars, leashes

$500 spay/neuter

$125 toys, Nylabones and treats SEPTEMBER 2020

23

volunteer

HOW YOU CAN

Do you like dogs? Want to help ICAN meet its multipurpose mission? Here are three ways to volunteer: PUPPY RAISERS

• Welcome a future service dog into their home when the dog is approximately 8 to 16 weeks old.

• Go through training with ICAN volunteers.

• Socialize the puppy to home life and world experiences.

• Begin basic obedience training.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23

“If you met him, he doesn’t use his disability as an excuse. He makes his own adaptations, but sometimes he does get frustrated,” said his mom.

With the arrival of Maj, who’s also been trained to assist Collin during a seizure, Collin, his parents and his

“super nice, super welcoming” trainer.

“I think it’s taught her to do good in life, and not just throw away your life and act like it doesn’t matter.”

ICAN has shown offenders and their clients, two groups of people broken in different ways, that their lives do matter. ICAN brings hope.

three brothers are all sleeping easier.

“Hope is defined as a promise for a

Even though Maj takes up most of his

better future,” noted Vanessa. “With

bed and pushes Collin to the edge as

the training and character-building

dogs do, Collin said, “She makes me

skills that ICAN has provided for me,

feel safe at night. I’m not afraid I’m

I can now say that my future looks

going to wake up and have a seizure.

promising — not only for me but, more

And if I do, she’ll be next to me.”

importantly, for my children.”

Collin is grateful for what Maj has

This story was written by senior editor Richard G. Biever using some source material from ICAN.

brought to his life and recognizes what ICAN has done for Vanessa, the

• Attend puppy-raiser classes with their puppy.

FURLOUGHERS • Give dogs the opportunity to leave their prison training environment and practice skills in real-life situations.

• Go through training with ICAN volunteers.

• Take a dog for three weeks at a time.

• Attend monthly meetings to maintain skills.

OTHER VOLUNTEERING ICAN does a lot of outreach and special events. One, for example, is “Puppy Love Valentines,” a fundraising program in which volunteers deliver gift boxes with one of the dogs-in-training.

FOR MORE INFORMATION If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, sponsoring ICAN dog training or making a financial donation or know someone who can benefit from a service dog, please contact Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN) at 317-672-3860 or visit www.icandog.org.

24 SEPTEMBER 2020

The Kreiner Family — dad Ryan, Collin and mom Claudine — gather around Maj and Vanessa.

Vanessa served as Maj’s final ICAN trainer at the Indiana Women’s Prison.

WINE & WAGS GOES ONLINE ICAN’s largest annual fundraising event, Wine & Wags, is going virtual this year because of the pandemic. The incredible online experience will be filled with stories of clients, handlers in prison, released handlers and community members.

OCTOBER

8

Thursday, Oct. 8, 6:30 p.m.

There is no cost to view the virtual event. Visit www.icandog.org to register.

The link will then be emailed to you. Questions? Contact Dino at 317-6723864 or dino@icandog.org.

safety

safety

Be safe

AROUND ELECTRICITY WHEN MOVING FARM EQUIPMENT With the arrival of harvest time,

• Watch out for power poles, too.

Indiana’s farmers are shifting into high

If you strike one, it may break,

gear as they move into their fields to

dropping a live line on your metal

bring in their crops. The increased

tractor or combine.

activity puts farmers and farm workers at greater risk, warns John

• When considering the height of equipment, don’t forget about the

Gasstrom, CEO of Indiana Electric

radio antennas and GPS receivers

Cooperatives.

that may reach another couple of

“Combines and grain augers are large

feet above the roof.

pieces of equipment,” says Gasstrom.

• Remember new equipment could

“People assume everything will fit

be bigger and taller than what it

under the power lines, but that isn’t

replaced. Don’t assume the new

always the case. The biggest cause of

equipment will fit in the same space.

electrocutions on farms is equipment accidentally touching power lines.”

Here are some tips Indiana Electric Cooperatives recommends for farmers

• When moving equipment near power lines, have a spotter on hand to ensure your safety.

• If you’re not completely sure

to protect themselves and their

equipment will fit under a power

workers:

line, find an alternate way to

• Always look up and around before moving or raising equipment. Keep in mind power lines sag between poles, especially on hot days. A good rule of thumb is to stay at least 30 feet from all power lines and power poles.

• Never try to raise power lines to allow passage of tall equipment.

move it.

• If you’re in equipment that touches power lines, stay in the cab and call for help. Tell others to stay away. In the rare case of a fire that requires you to escape, jump clear of the equipment. Keep both feet together and shuffle or hop at least 30 feet away.

Even non-metallic objects such

“Working the land has enough

as wood poles or branches can

hazards in the work itself,” says

conduct electricity.

Gasstrom. “With care and planning, moving to and from the fields shouldn’t

26

SEPTEMBER 2020

be one of them.”

Knowledge is power for farm safety Anyone who operates farm equipment and augers should be educated about safe operating procedures and hazards, including the possibility of coming in contact with electric lines. Your electric cooperative reminds you to be alert when you’re at work.

• Remember: Lower grain augers to a horizontal position before moving from location to location.

Pay attention to where power lines are located before raising an auger into position.

• Think safe, think 10 — the 10-foot rule, that is!

When working with farm equipment or machinery, stay away from power lines at least 10 feet in every direction. If you need to work within 10 feet of an overhead power line, call your electric cooperative first.

product recalls

Gas fireplaces recalled due to burn hazard Miles Industries has recalled two models of Valor H5 propane gas fireplaces: Model 1150ILP with serial number ranging from 20001 through 20365 and model 1150JLP with serial number ranging from 20366 through 21502. A delayed ignition, due to pilot degradation, can cause gas in the fireplace to accumulate prior to burner ignition. When ignition takes place, it can cause the glass window to shatter, posing burn and laceration hazards.

The recalled fireplaces were sold in seven different trim and front options with a log set and a mesh barrier screen that was installed in front of the glass.

The fireplaces are a fully enclosed rectangular sheet metal box with a glass front. The exhaust is vented to the outside through a ventilation duct.

The fire places were sold at Southern Fireplaces & More, Custom Hearth, On Fire, Abercrombie & Co., Southern Hearth & Patio stores and other specialty hearth stores from July 2014 through March 2020 for between $3,700 and $5,500 (not including installation).

Call 866-420-3360; or go online at valorfireplaces.com and click on H5 Recall Notice for more information.

Christmas tree’s mode-switching controller can overheat Willis Electric has recalled its Home Accents Holiday Artificial Christmas Trees due to a burn hazard. The Christmas tree’s foot-pedal controller can overheat. This recall involves mode-switching foot-pedal controllers included with 2019 Home Accent Holiday 7.5-feet and 9-feet artificial pine Christmas trees. Multiple model numbers are involved. The recalled trees were sold exclusively at Home Depot from June 2019 through December 2019 for between $80-$360.

Call 866-210-5958; or go online at www.williscorporation.com and click on the recall tab for more information.

As a service to our readers and to promote electrical safety, here are some recent recall notices provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Visit www.cpsc.gov/en/recalls for full details of these recalls and for notices of many more.

co-op news

Member Service Representative Danielle Nomina enjoys the membercentered environment at Carroll White REMC.

Nomina

JOINS REMC TEAM

T

his summer, Danielle Nomina was hired as a Carroll White REMC (CW REMC) member

service representative. A graduate of Twin Lakes High School, Nomina was raised in Monticello and worked most summers at Indiana Beach. She has an associate degree in general studies from Ivy Tech Community College, and personal training and Emergency Medical Technician certifications.

Prior to joining the CW REMC team, Nomina worked as a receptionist with Miracles Rehabilitation. She previously did transport work as an EMT-B. At Sculptures Sports and Fitness Club and Miracles Rehabilitation, Nomina led personal training and group fitness classes.

Nomina said the biggest challenge of her new job at CW REMC is “learning all the ins and outs of my new space.

There are so many unique scenarios as a member service representative.

All the gals up front do a great job of assisting and directing me!”

Although she is a new CW REMC employee, Nomina has embraced the governing principles of the cooperative. “I am eager to bring my

28

SEPTEMBER 2020

unique contributions to the CW REMC

“I feel strong ties to our community,”

team to best serve our members!”

Nomina continued. “This is the

she said. “We are a non-profit

community I grew up in, the

organization. This is the first time I

community I am choosing to raise

have worked for a non-profit group. I

my daughter. The best part of my

love how member-centered the work

work is interacting with and getting

is … you can tell the team is here to

to know our members and getting to

serve the members to the best of each

know more about the community I live

of their unique abilities.”

within.”

Concern for Community is one

Nomina lives in Monticello with her

of the Seven Cooperative Principles

10-year-old daughter, Lily. “Lily loves

and one of the reasons that Nomina

books, Cub Scout activities and

was drawn to CW REMC. “I was most

games (board, card and video!) Lily

interested in the community focus of

has the kindest soul and is a bright,

CW REMC,” she said. “I was hoping

sassy little girl. Her family is confident

to reinvest my skills locally and this

she will go on to move mountains!”

seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I love the dynamic of community involvement and the genuine way we care about our members.

Lily sounds a lot like her mother.

Nomina enjoys reading and is a member of the Wolcott-Remington Book Club. “I also enjoy spending

co-op news time outdoors, staying active and traveling, which I have not been able to do much of recently,” Nomina said.

“Once a year, I try to participate in a major fitness event. I have completed 5Ks, mud runs, a half marathon and a triathlon.” In their free time, mother and daughter enjoy “chillaxing at home, spending time with family and friends and enjoying the outdoors.”

Nomina’s all-time favorite author is Stephen King. “He is not necessarily my favorite author because of the type of books he writes, but it’s the truth that exists in his writing … it’s powerful stuff!” said Nomina. For instance, in “The Stand” he writes, “No one can tell what goes on in between the person you were and the person you become.

No one can chart that blue and lonely section of hell. There are no maps of the change. You just come out on the other side. Or you don’t.”

“While it is not necessarily the most hopeful or cheery quote, I think it is a reminder we cannot assume anything about the lives of others,” reflected Nomina. “We each chart our own course and try our best — in the end the courses are full of successes and failures, but an individual’s course is their own.”

In charting her own course, Nomina has a bright future at CW REMC and

dle d i a m ng a u o y ki a Are m r ur e o l y o n o sch rence i y? t e i f f n i u d m m co You could be a winner.

Tell us your story.

Are you an Indiana fifth through eighth grader making a difference in your community?

APPLY NOW! Five winners will each receive $500 and be featured in an upcoming issue of Indiana Connection.

Interested? Submit an application, examples of how you have been involved in your local community, and a reference letter from a trusted adult.

Parents, visit indianaconnection.org/?p=230 for an application and to learn about past recipients.

Questions? info@IndianaConnection.org or 317.487.2220

members will benefit from her cheerful disposition. Her favorite quote/ philosophy is Hakuna Matata. “While

Applications are due Friday, Oct. 2.

I definitely have worries, I repeat this to myself. It helps me put a pause on sweating the small stuff!”

SEPTEMBER 2020

29

Wabash Valley Power news

Don’t Fall Behind!

PREP YOUR HOME FOR AUTUMN & WINTER As school buses resume roaming roads and the sun starts

CHECK AND SEAL AIR LEAKS:

setting sooner, it won’t be long before autumn arrives. Yet before

windows are the reason that their homes are expensive to heat in

pumpkin pie aroma fills the air and Halloween costumes decorate

the winter and cool in the summer. In many circumstances, air

storefronts, you can still take advantage of the late summer

leaks at the top and bottom of the home are the culprit, letting

to prepare your home for the fall and winter. Some suggested

treated air escape the house while at the same time bringing in

considerations include:

unwanted outdoor air. You can check on common air leak sources,

People frequently think that drafty

such as gaps near plumbing stacks and ductwork. While isolated

TACKLING DIY PROJECTS : You can take advantage of the warmer

gaps may not seem like a big deal, together they can add up to

weather and longer sunlight hours. Fortunately, the most intense

a lot of air escaping your home, leading to your HVAC system

heat is (likely) past, making it more comfortable to be working on

working harder than it should – and costing you money.

your home to-do list. If there is a project you’ve been meaning to tackle, there’s no time like the present. And if you’re looking for

CONSIDER A HOME ENERGY AUDIT:

inspiration on some energy efficiency projects that can lower your

energy use (and waste), consider an energy audit. This will include

home’s energy use, we have ideas at www.PowerMoves.com to get

an in-depth analysis of your home’s energy consumption, a blower

you started.

door test, and actionable steps you can take to improve your

If you want a deeper dive into

home’s energy efficiency. Taking those steps will help reduce your

HVAC INSPECTION: You may feel relaxed since your air conditioner

home’s energy use, helping to save money on your monthly energy

just got you through summer. Though temperatures are milder,

bill.

now’s not the time to forget about your HVAC system! It won’t be long before you’ll be reaching for your thermostat to turn

Taking steps now can prepare your home for the bitter winter

on the heat. Before you do, it will be a good time to schedule an

temperatures. You can help minimize your energy costs, and taking

inspection of your heating and cooling system. You can consider a

care of any HVAC issues now will lower the risk of your system

“clean and tune,” in which an HVAC professional will inspect and

breaking down and needing emergency repairs. You also can contact

clean the blower, coils, and the elements or burners.

your local electric cooperative’s energy advisor for information about scheduling a home energy audit, and you can get more energy efficiency ideas at www.PowerMoves.com.

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SEPTEMBER 2020