May 2022 by RSE NetAdmin

ANNUAL MEETING INVITE MIKE GRIZZEL & TIM SMITH RETIRE

ELECTRICAL SAFETY MONTH

4-5

RUSHVILLE & SHELBYVILLE CELEBRATE BICENTENNIAL

VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPT TRAINING

QUICK LINKS

4-H Fair Schedule

www.rse.coop

Our employee group and our directors are looking forward to the opportunity to connect face-to-face with the members. This annual meeting "festival" event allows us to use, and proudly display, our working facilities, along with demonstrating our varied skill sets that serve you daily. RushShelby Energy's annual meeting gives you, the member, another opportunity to have your voice in the cooperative, by sharing your thoughts. As your cooperative, we want to provide a comfortable environment where you can speak with us. To assist in these discussions, we will once again feature "Chat with the CEO," a booth where you can ask Chris Chastain, P.E., President & CEO, a question, make a comment or share a concern. • The meeting will run from 4-8 pm, to better accommodate working families. • Chick-fil-A will provide the meal. • The bluegrass band Moon Cave Ramblers will perform. • Raffle prizes for adults and children. • The winner of the grand prize will be announced at the end of the meeting, but you will not have to be present to win. • To receive the $10 bill credit, you must register at the meeting. The annual meeting is one very important way we can demonstrate our commitment to you. This is the day we set aside for you to meet your elected board of directors, co-op employees and visit with fellow co-op members. On behalf of the employees and directors of your organization, we are excited to see you at RushShelby Energy's annual meeting, which will be held Wednesday July 13, 2022, at our office in Manilla, Indiana.

two journeymen linemen retire

Mike Grizzell with 17 years of service and Tim Smith, 43 years and 9 months, have decided to hang up their hooks. RushShelby Energy wishes Mike and Tim the very best as they begin this

tim smith

Contributors: Cathy Rhoades, Brad Rogers, Jared Seiffert and David Toll Publication Office: 2777 S. 840 W. Manilla, IN 46150 Periodical Postage paid in Indianapolis, Indiana 46206 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: ELECTRAWATT P.O. Box 55, Manilla, IN 46150

Through our annual meeting, we wish to have an event allowing the cooperative to give back to the membership, while demonstrating our commitment to those members. We look forward to serving our youth, increasing our interactive educational opportunities, answering questions, welcoming comments, entertaining and seeing new faces.

mike grizzell

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RushShelby Energy Board of Directors, staff and employees would like to take the opportunity to invite you to this year's annual meeting. This year marks our 86th year of service to our membership. Successfully providing a service so many years, proves that a member cooperative business model is just as strong now as when we started in 1936. The principles that electric cooperatives were founded on still exist today and are used by our board of directors, management and employees.

May is Electrical Safety Month At RushShelby Energy, we recognize Electrical Safety Month every May, but we also know the importance of practicing safety year-round. From our co-op crews to you, the members we serve, we recognize that everyone has a part to play in prioritizing safety. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation International, thousands of people in the U.S. are critically injured or electrocuted as a result of electrical fires and accidents in their own homes. Many of these accidents are preventable. Electricity is a necessity, and it powers our daily lives, but we know how dangerous electricity can be because we work with it 365 days a year. We want to help keep you and all members of our community safe. That's why you'll see RushShelby Energy hosting safety demonstrations at community events and in schools throughout the year, to demonstrate the dangers of electricity. We discuss emergency scenarios, such as what to do in a car accident involving a utility pole and downed power lines. We caution students on the dangers of pad-mounted transformers and overloading circuits with too many electric devices. Electricity is an integral part of modern life, given the prevalence of electrical devices, tools and appliances. We'd like to pass along a few practical electrical safety tips. Frayed wires pose a serious safety hazard. Power cords can become damaged or frayed from age, heavy use or excessive current flow through wiring. If cords become frayed or cut, replace them, as they could cause a shock when handled. Avoid overloading circuits. Circuits can only cope with a limited amount of electricity. Overload happens when you draw more electricity than a circuit can safely handle - by having too many devices running on one circuit. Label circuit breakers to understand the circuits in your home. Contact a qualified electrician if your home is more than 40 years old and you need to install large appliances that consume large amounts of electricity. Use extension cords properly. Never plug an extension cord into another extension cord. If you "daisy chain" them together, it could lead to overheating, creating a potential fire hazard. Don't exceed the wattage of the cord. Doing so also creates a risk of overloading the cord and creating a fire hazard. Extension cords should not be used as permanent solutions. If you need additional outlets, contact a licensed electrician to help. We encourage you to talk with your kids about playing it safe and smart around electricity. Help them be aware of overhead power lines near where they play outdoors. Our top priority is providing an uninterrupted energy supply 24/7, 365 days per year. But equally important is keeping our community safe around electricity.

Cathy Rhoades, Marketing/Member Services Coordinator and David Toll, VP-Administration & Member taught electrical safety at Shelby County Farm Safety Days.

Students at St. Gabriel School enjoyed learning about electrical safety and enjoyed dressing up as lineworkers.

Rushville & Shelbyville History of Rush County:

In the early 1820's Dr. William Laughlin donated 25 acres for the new town, Rushville. The city was named in honor of Dr. William Laughlin's teacher, Dr. Benjamin Rush. While Dr. Benjamin Rush never visited Rush County, his legacy lives on thanks to Laughlin's dedication to him two centuries ago. A portion of the land that Laughlin donated proudly holds one of Rush County's most notable landmarks, the Rush County Courthouse. Rush County has been celebrating all year, but their big celebration will be on September 17, 2022.

Events: Willkie Days/Bicentennial Parade - The parade starts at 10 am and proceeds downtown, ending on Second Street. RushFest - Vendors, shops, Kidz Zone activities, live music, a student art show, along with a photography show will begin at 9 am and run through the day until 3 pm. Some of the activities include Touch-A-Truck, kids having their handprints painted on the snowblades of city and county snowplows, bounce house, obstacle course, Elite Game Truck, dunk tank, barrel train, food vendors, Farmers Market and more. The exhibitor's fee is $20 for approximately a 10X10 sq ft. If electricity is needed, add $10. Covered Bridge Dinner - Events will kick off with The Moscow Covered Bridge Dinner. Tickets are available by calling Joe Rathz at 317-519-9043. 5 in 50 Bicycle Ride - The third annual 5 in 50 starts in Rushville and includes 12-mile, 24-mile and 50-mile routes. The 50mile route will take bicycle riders through five historic covered bridges and five additional Rush County towns (Milroy, Moscow, Gowdy, Homer and Arlington). Money raised by the "5 in 50" will be split between the preservation of Rush County's Covered Bridges and other historic sites and organizations supported by The Rush County United Fund (RCUF).

Riverside Park Amphitheater Bicentennial Concert Series 2022 June 11 - Pearl Jam Tribute - Opening act Craig Moore & Tom Baumgardner June 18 - Departure (The Journey Tribute) - Opening act Zach Comer

July 9 - Dirty Deeds (Tribute to AC/DC) - Opening act Sean Lamb & Janet Miller Band July 23 - Simply Elton (Tribute to Elton John) - Opening act Rusty Bladen August 27 - London Street Band - Opening act Tyler Hornback September 17 - Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry & Molly Hatchet - Opening act Tyler Booth

Source: rushcountybicentennial.weebly.com

Celebrate Bicentennials History of Shelby County:

Shelby County was named for General Isaac Shelby, who defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain in the Revolutionary War. Shelby then became the first governor of Kentucky. During the War of 1812, he led the army of Kentucky into Canada and defeated the British at the decisive Battle of the Thames in 1813. Shelby County's Grover Museum has a gallery featuring a railroad diorama with running trains. Display cases show a wide range of signage and tools to implement everything associated with trains. You can also stroll through time and history as you walk along the streets of Old Shelby circa 1900 as part of your museum visit. Bears of Blue River - Charles Majors wrote The Bears of Blue River. In the popular book, he describes the adventures of a young boy growing up in early nineteenth-century rural Indiana on the Blue River. Thomas Hendricks, a Democrat from Shelbyville, Shelby County, served Indiana as a United States senator, a United States representative, governor and vice president under Grover Cleveland. Shelby County's Bicentennial was in 2021, and the City of Shelbyville is in 2022. To accommodate both milestones, events began on July 4, 2021, and will continue through July 4, 2022. The Waldron Freedom Festival kicked off the celebration with a large fireworks show and Shelby County Commissioner President Kevin Nigh read a proclamation.

Events: Legacy Tree and Trail Walks - June 11 - 10 am and June 12 - 1 pm. Learn about Shelby County's rich heritage from the past, today and for the future through Legacy Tree and Trail Walks. These walks are conducted by Shelby County's arborist, Kris Schwickwrath. Kris will navigate you through Indiana's oldest hardwood forest at Meltzer Woods, a state Bicentennial Legacy property. Downtown Dedication, Ribbon Cutting and Strawberry Festival - June 3 - Times to be announced. Taste of Shelby County - International Fest - June 10 - 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm - Downtown Shelbyville. Great food, wine, brews, car show, music, art and fun! Polkamotion will be performing great music that spans all nations and cultures. Southern Indiana Taiko performance group will perform with authentic Japanese drums - and even give lessons on site. Waldron Freedom Fest - July 1-2 Join the Waldron community in one of the Midwest's biggest and best fireworks show. Food, fun and special music events.

Brandywine Creek Vineyards and Winery

Head out to Brandywine Creek Vineyards and Winery for a taste of specially blended wines exclusively for the Bicentennial! Pegasus White - in honor of artist Victor Higgins and Racer Red - a hat tip to Wilbur Shaw, threetime winner of the Indianapolis 500 and one of the saviors of the IMS. Sources: Shelby County Post, in.gov & bicentennialshelbycounty.com

As a cooperative, RushShelby Energy endeavors to embody the Seven Cooperative Principles: • Open and Voluntary Membership • Democratic Member Control • Member's Economic Participation • Autonomy and Independence • Education, Training and Information • Cooperation Among Cooperatives • Concern for Community Arguably chief among these is the 7th, Concern for Community. Most of our members live in smaller communities and do not have the luxury of a large fire department nearby. As such, volunteers serve a pivotal role and are often the first to arrive on the scene of an emergency. While the title of these men and women contains "volunteer," they are very much real firefighters. They must undergo strict training to ensure that they can fulfill the essential functions of the role physically and efficiently. The role of a volunteer firefighter is diverse and very similar to that of a full-time firefighter. Duties range from community outreach or general fire station chores to fire suppression, search and rescue or EMT services (with the appropriate training and credentials). On April 9th, approximately 30 volunteer firefighters from 7 Rush County fire departments participated in 3 hours of classroom training at the Rush County Fairgrounds. After the classroom training, these firefighters had the opportunity to take part in hands-on training under the supervision of Ron Huffman with Response Training Enterprises, LLC. Established in 1989, Response Training Enterprises, LLC specializes in propane training and response equipment. Ron travels across the country providing this valuable training to volunteer firefighters. During this training, teams of seven firefighters would slowly work their way up to the burning propane tank and turn the tank off. Ron closely monitored this simulation, and many safety measures were employed; the propane could be shut off at a second's notice. Hands-on experience of this nature is extremely valuable training for the firefighters. The training was sponsored by Rush County LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee), with Phil Dearinger coordinating the training event. Making this training possible was Rush County Fair Board, Rush County EMA, RushShelby Energy and Co-Alliance providing the propane truck and driver throughout the entire exercise. We want to extend a special thanks to all the volunteers who offer their time and put themselves at risk, our unsung heroes. Please take the time to thank a volunteer firefighter today!

Volunteer Fire Fighters participating in hands on training.

RSE Board of Director, Dean Bacon is ready for training.

Quick Links Scholarship Winners

RushShelby Energy is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 RSE Scholarship. This year's awards go to Megan Bogemann, Waldron Jr/Sr High School and Annika Marlow, Rushville Consolidated High School. Megan plans to attend Purdue University in the fall and major in Speech, Language and Hearing Science. Annika plans on attending Indiana University majoring in Biology. The award was based on academic achievement, citizenship, school activities and an essay. The topic of the essay was In your lifetime, how do you intend to leave your mark on the world and make it a better place? RSE would like to wish all graduates of the class of 2022 the very best!

Legislative Conference 2022

Chris Chastain, P.E., President and CEO, and Bob Stroup, RSE Board of Directors, recently attended the Legislative Conference in Washington D.C. They joined other electric cooperative leaders to hear from members of Congress and administration officials to discuss timely and pressing legislative issues affecting electric co-ops and their member-owners. Representatives from all 38 Indiana cooperatives were in attendance.

Energy Efficiency Tip

June Festivals June 4-5 Metamora Strawberry Festival -Metamora June 10 Taste of Shelby County -Shelbyville June 11 Greenfield Strawberry Festival -Greenfield June 11 Main Street Covered Bridge Festival -Westport June 11-19 Friendship Flea Market -Friendship June 16-18 31st Annual Johnson County Antique Machinery Show -Edinburgh June 24 Henry County Bicentennial Basketball Shootout -New Castle June 24-25 New Pal Summer Fest -New Palestine June 25 Greenwood Freedom Festival -Greenwood June 25-26 Indian Market & Festival -Indianapolis

Even in summer months, adding insulation to your attic can keep your home more comfortable and save energy used by your cooling system. If your attic insulation is level with or below your floor joists (meaning you can easily see your joists), you should add more. If you can't see any of the floor joists because the insulation is well above them, you likely have enough insulation. Attic insulation should be evenly distributed with no low spots. Make sure the areas along the eaves are adequately covered. 2022 Festival Guides are available at RSE.

PERIODICAL POSTAGE PAID

4-H County Fair Schedule Shelby County June 13-19 Hancock County June 17-24 Bartholomew County June 24-July 2 Rush County June 25-July 2 Decatur County July 9-15 Henry County July 9-15 Franklin County July 11-16 Johnson County July 17-23 Fayette County July 30 - August 6