Issuu

MA R C H 2 0 1 6

T H E M AGA Z I N E YO U C O M E H O M E TO

When the lights went out Historic blackouts that changed the grid

PLUS

Little corner of history Good to the last drop Choosing efficient appliances

CONTENTS

MARCH 2016 Vol. 51 • No. 3 EDITOR Peter A. Fitzgerald SENIOR EDITOR/WRITER Katherine Hackleman CONTRIBUTING COLUMNISTS Yvonne Butts-Mitchell Janette Hess Patrick Keegan LAYOUT & DESIGN W. Douglas Shirk ADVERTISING & CIRCULATION Vonnie Kloss MEDIA & MARKETING SPECIALIST Michelle M. Smith Penn Lines (USPS 929-700), the newsmagazine of Pennsylvania’s electric cooperatives, is published monthly by the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266. Penn Lines helps 166,000 households of co-op consumer-members understand issues that affect the electric cooperative program, their local co-ops, and their quality of life. Electric co-ops are notfor-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed, and taxpaying electric utilities. Penn Lines is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. The opinions expressed in Penn Lines do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, or local electric distribution cooperatives. Subscriptions: Electric co-op members, $5.42 per year through their local electric distribution cooperative. Preferred Periodicals postage paid at Harrisburg, PA 17107 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes with mailing label to Penn Lines, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266. Advertising: Display ad deadline is six weeks prior to month of issue. Ad rates upon request. Acceptance of advertising by Penn Lines does not imply endorsement of the product or services by the publisher or any electric cooperative. If you encounter a problem with any product or service advertised in Penn Lines, please contact: Advertising, Penn Lines, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Penn Lines reserves the right to refuse any advertising.

4 KEEPING CURRENT News from across the Commonwealth

6 ENERGY MATTERS

Electricity: best choice for cost-savings, environment

COVER: WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT Historic blackouts that changed the grid

12 SMART CIRCUITS

Ensuring high-quality, energy-efficiency work

14 SPOTLIGHT

50th Anniversary Contests

14A COOPERATIVE CONNECTION

Information and advice from your local electric cooperative

16 FEATURE: LITTLE CORNER OF HISTORY Group preserves past through restoration efforts

20 COUNTRY KITCHEN

Good to the last drop

21 RURAL VIEWS

The chick next door

22 CLASSIFIEDS 24 TIME LINES

Your newsmagazine through the years

25 TECH TRENDS

How to choose efficient appliances

26 PUNCH LINES

Earl’s friends come down with a bad case of lottery fever Board officers and staff, Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association: Chairman, Leroy Walls; Vice Chairman, Tim Burkett; Secretary, Barbara Miller; Treasurer, Rick Shope; President & CEO, Frank M. Betley

27 RURAL REFLECTIONS

A ‘new’ Rural Reflections year

Visit with us at Penn Lines Online, located at: www.prea.com/Content/ pennlines.asp. Penn Lines Online provides an email link to Penn Lines editorial staff, information on advertising rates, and an archive of past issues.

| MARCH 2016

ON THE COVER Penn Lines remembers historic blackouts that affected millions of people.

keepingcurrent

News from across the Commonwealth

Tour Susquehanna’s West Branch while sitting in your living room The Chesapeake Conservancy has launched a virtual tour of the Susquehanna West Branch. The tour — found at http://www.chesapeakeconservancy. org/apps/westbranch — allows interested parties with a computer, cellphone or tablet to interact with the river through exploration of its geography, recreational amenities and ecological resources. The virtual tour, which is presented from the perspective that a kayaker

might see while paddling down the river, highlights access sites, flora and fauna, along with historic and cultural sites along the river. “The mighty Susquehanna is an ancient river that is full of history, wildlife and adventure,” says Chesapeake Conservancy President & CEO Joel Dunn. “It also provides nearly half of the freshwater entering the Chesapeake Bay. While making the Susquehanna virtually accessible to everyone, we also want to inspire people to visit the unique natural and historical resources and become stewards of the river to protect it for future generations to enjoy.” To develop the tour, the conservancy worked with Terrain360, a Richmond, Va., company that used a one-of-akind handmade pontoon raft equipped

with six cameras mounted 10 feet above the water’s surface to capture the 360-degree images every 50 feet. The company then “stitched” the images together to create the virtual tour that anyone with internet access can take.

Lyme disease changes announced Scientists have discovered that Lyme disease, a tick-borne disease long thought to have been caused by a single bacterium (Borrelia burgdorferi), can also be caused by a bacterium different enough from anything seen before that it is considered a new species. Called Borrelia mayonii (after the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where researchers first discovered it), the new bacterium was highlighted in a recent article in the journal “The Lancet Infectious Diseases.” Patients whose tests show infection by the new bacterium have slightly different symptoms from the typical Lyme disease symptoms, and all were residents of Minnesota, Wisconsin or North Dakota. Instead of the telltale bull’s-eye pattern associated with Borrelia burgdorferi, rashes on the other patients were widespread or spotty. They also experienced nausea and vomiting instead of the more typical fever, headache, rash and neck pain that has been reported by previous Lyme disease patients. Samples of the new bacterium have been isolated in black-legged ticks in Wisconsin. The more common form of Lyme disease is also carried by the black-legged tick (also known as a deer tick), which scientists say is continuing

| MARCH 2016

to spread its range across the United States. Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness in the United States. It is concentrated heavily in the Northeast and upper Midwest. In 2014 (the latest information available), Pennsylvania had the highest number of reported cases of Lyme disease in the United States: 6,470 confirmed cases and 1,017 probable cases. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports the most active time for ticks that can transmit Lyme disease is in the spring and summer when they are most active. To prevent tick bites, the CDC recommends avoiding direct contact with ticks, repelling ticks with DEET or Permethrin, and finding and removing ticks from the body as quickly as possible after coming indoors.

Senators propose legislation designed to reduce overdoses Two state senators who represent residents of electric cooperative territories are among three legislators who are introducing legislation to limit the quantity of opioid products dispensed by emergency room providers. State Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), who represents areas served by Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative (REC), Sullivan County REC and Tri-County REC; state Sen. John Wozniak (D-Cambria), who represents areas served by Bedford REC, New Enterprise REC, REA Energy Cooperative, Somerset REC, United EC and Valley REC; and state Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington) say the proposed legislation is in direct response to the soaring number of emergency room treatments and resulting hospital admissions for heroin and prescription painkiller overdoses across Pennsylvania. l

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Electricity: best choice for cost-savings, environment By Paul Wesslund

eith Dennis says electricity is a good energy choice for the environment. He cites a thought-provoking list of reasons in an article published in The Electricity Journal in November, titled “Environmentally Beneficial Electrification: Electricity as the End-Use Option.” Dennis is the senior principal of end-use solutions and standards at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). His article challenges basic assumptions about electricity and the environment that make a difference for top-level policymakers, as well as for co-op members. His focus on water heaters is especially significant since heating water and air account for more than half of a home’s energy use. Here are answers Dennis gave to questions about his article: Explain the contention that buying a gas water heater locks you out of future efficiency improvements. Once you install a gas appliance, you are stuck with that technology for its 10- to 20-year life. Meanwhile, solar panels and wind turbines will be generating a bigger share of the nation’s electricity. Coal power plant efficiency will be improving. The only way to benefit from those trends would be to have an electric appliance. You make a point that using an electric appliance can make you part of a broad, national solution to improving energy efficiency. In addition to the high efficiency of the electric appliance itself, there are electric system efficiencies that can be achieved through the ability to choose the time when you use the electricity. For example, your water

heater is able to operate as a type of battery, and better batteries are part of what’s needed to make renewable energy more useful. Solar panels only make electricity when the sun shines, and wind turbines only make electricity when the wind blows. A hidden value of water heaters is that they can serve as a storage technology — the water they heat stays hot for a long time because they are well insulated. An electric car can work the same way — once it’s charged, it stores energy for when it’s going to be driven. By storing energy when it is available and then using it when it is needed, these technologies are increasing the overall efficiency of our energy resources. Many electric co-ops have load control programs that take advantage of that energy storage ability to more effectively manage the flow of power. This benefits all cooperative members. You claim there’s a flaw in the way we calculate the leading energy-efficiency standards, from Energy Star ratings to construction standards. How do they miss the mark? The formulas being used to calculate

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energy efficiency for these major programs don’t take into account several realities. Those include the increases in renewable energy and natural gas to generate electricity, power plant efficiencies, load management programs and other advantages of electricity. Those metrics for calculating energy efficiency were designed before a lot of these trends and they still treat all electricity as coming from inefficient coal plants. That’s clearly wrong. These incorrect efficiency metrics lead to bad energy decisions. The Natural Resources Defense Council says that these metrics “have serious deficiencies for the purpose of setting a product standard; they are simply not the right numbers to inform good standards decisions.” NRECA and others have been working with policymakers to change those metrics. What is the status? Very positive. It’s a long bureaucratic process, but we are hoping the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency will work with us to address these issues. l Paul Wesslund writes on cooperative issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives.

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When the lights went out Historic blackouts that changed the grid By Richard G. Biever

lame it on a Q-29, a safety device the size of a shoe box, at a remote Canadian electrical substation near Niagara Falls. Blame it on human error for setting the suspect Q-29’s limit too low for the transmission line it protected. Or blame it on the hubris of those who never fathomed so small an error could cascade into such a cultural benchmark of failure.

No matter who or what was to blame: when power use rose along the eastern Great Lakes at dusk that crisp November day just over 50 years ago, that small safety device prematurely tripped, as it was mistakenly set to do, and shut down its transmission line. The Great Northeast Blackout of 1965 — a power failure the likes of which the world had never seen — had begun. Like dominoes, equipment down the interconnected lines overloaded. The failures rippled — then cascaded. Within minutes, most of New York and parts of seven neighboring states and Canada were in the dark. Manhattan’s glittering skyscrapers became black hulking monoliths against a moonlit sky. Almost everything electrical shut down over 80,000 square miles. It was “The Twilight Zone” in real life. Some 800,000 people in New York City had to walk from stalled subway trains in the dark tunnels, while others were trapped in elevators. Stranded commuters filled every darkened hotel room and slept in lobbies. The Nov. 9, 1965, blackout affected some 30 million

people and lasted up to 13 hours. Not until the August 2003 blackout in much the same area did North America see another blackout that compared. “Where were you when the lights went out?” became a catch phrase for the decade and even the title of a big-screen Doris Day comedy about crazy events set in motion that night. The blackout was joked about in popular TV shows of the day. But to utilities and policymakers, the blackout was no laughing matter. It exposed issues in the humongous North American electrical highway called “the grid” that interconnects power generators, power lines and end-use electric consumers. “That was the first blackout of that scale in the United States and really got the attention of our government,” says Barry Lawson, associate director of power delivery and reliability with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “It was a significant wake-up call for everybody.” Congress demanded improvements. Utilities that generated and transmitted electricity came together to create the National Electric Reliability Council (NERC) to establish standards and policies and provide peer oversight. Since then, innovations in technology have allowed for better gathering of data and monitoring of the flow of power across the grid. But at the same time, changing laws and regulations fundamentally shifted the way the grid and utilities operate. A whole new set of challenges has arisen —

| MARCH 2016

affecting the largest power producers down to the smallest distribution cooperatives.

Growth of the grid North America’s electric grid may be the largest interconnected machine on earth and a marvel of engineering, but it wasn’t designed that way. It was created as needed — over the course of 100 years — one section at a time. The traditional utility model that grew with the use of electricity in the early 20th century was vertically integrated. Within a given service territory, one utility owned and operated the power plants and the transmission and distribution power lines to meet the needs of their consumers. Over time, utilities connected with neighbors for mutual benefits — like backup power. The networks grew. Today’s grid includes 3,000 utilities and other entities operating 10,000 power plants sending energy across 450,000 miles of lines. There are three power grids in the 48 contiguous states: the Eastern Interconnection (for states east of the Rocky Mountains); the Western Interconnection (for states from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean); and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (covering most of Texas). The three grids operate as islands, independent of each other. The power grid envisioned in the 1900s was not built for today’s population and profusion of electrical devices. The grid is now stretched to capacity. After NERC came along in 1968, overall reliability improved for 30 years. “It worked well in the vertically-integrated, industry-

owned transmission model,” Lawson notes. Congress tossed the monkey wrench of unintended consequences into the complicated grid works in 1992 when it deregulated the generation of electricity. The “vertical” began to break down as competitive independent generators with no transmission operations or load-serving obligations entered the wholesale marketplace. Owners of existing transmission lines were required to allow open access to the network. By the late 1990s, with all comers allowed to enter the fray, voluntary compliance with NERC standards and policies became inconsistent. New reliability problems began to surface. Lawmakers and utility industry folks talked about establishing additional oversight. “It was not clear if this voluntary regulatory group using peer pressure would be able to continue to ensure the high level of grid reliability that the utility industry provided,” Lawson says. That answer became clearer Aug. 14, 2003.

Another blackout During that hot afternoon when power use was high, a series of malfunctions and mistakes escalated into the worst blackout in North American history. It started when heavily loaded transmission lines sagged into overgrown trees in Ohio, causing those lines to fail. Alarms to warn operators of the growing malaise malfunctioned, and the severity of the situation went unrecognized until it was too late. Just as in 1965, a blackout cascaded across the Northeast. Some 300 transmission lines failed. Well over 50 million people were affected throughout Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New

| MARCH 2016

York, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont. The outage also spread into Ontario, Canada. An estimated $10 billion economic loss was attributed to the blackout. While the vast majority of consumers had electricity restored within 48 hours, some parts of the U.S. did not have power for four days. The 2003 blackout pushed reforms into hyper-speed mode. The ensuing Energy Policy Act of 2005 gave the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority over reliability. FERC chose NERC as the oversight organization, giving NERC, now called the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, new powers. In 2007, NERC’s 83 Reliability Standards were approved by FERC as the first set of legally enforceable standards for the U.S. bulk power system. In collaboration with NERC, the power industry has adopted and implemented a preventative approach to maintain and improve bulk power system reliability. The idea is to aggressively go after the many small failures that can aggregate into larger problems. Even though electricity is at our fingertips almost 100 percent of the time, getting it to our homes and workplaces from where it’s generated is challenging. Because large amounts of energy cannot be stored, electricity must be produced as it is used.

The future of the grid The grid must respond quickly to shifting demand and continuously generate and route electricity to where it’s needed. But significant changes and challenges are coming, including: k A ge. Parts of the U.S. electrical transmission facilities are many decades old; some existing lines have to be replaced or upgraded and new lines may be needed to maintain the system’s reliability.

k N ew technology. Technology now lets consumers connect their home-generated electricity to the grid — using solar panels or wind generators. The federal government is also investing in smart grid digital technology to more efficiently manage energy resources. The smart grid project will extend the reach of the grid to access remote sources of renewable energy like geothermal power and wind farms. k Cost. The smart grid and better reliability will not be free. According to a study done by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), creating a smart grid could cost up to $476 billion over the next 20 years. Utilities are likely to be stuck with a large chunk of the bill, which could impact consumers’ energy costs. But EPRI notes the country is likely to recoup those costs — and then some. The report says the smart grid could provide up to $2 trillion in benefits over a 20-year period, such as power reliability, integration of renewable energy, stronger cybersecurity and reduced electricity demand. enewables. Federal climate change policy will rely on k R boosting energy efficiency and developing more sources of renewable energy. Both will impact the grid. Increasing transmission efficiency to better move and use electricity can potentially reduce the need for more generation and related transmission in the near future. Renewable energy resources will likely require construction of entirely new transmission lines. Wind, solar, geothermal and other forms of renewable energy typically share a common setback: the areas where the power can be generated best are not population centers. For remote renewable facilities to be as beneficial as possible, associated transmission lines must be built to move the power. Wind and solar also present intermittency challenges for grid operators. k S ecurity. The grid may be vulnerable to both physical and cyberattacks. The cybersystem is used to control the bulk power system and an attack can cause a blackout just as surely as if the transmission line was taken out of service. One solution may be microgrids — localized grids that are normally connected to the traditional electric grid, but can disconnect to operate autonomously. Microgrids could also be used to provide reliable power during extreme weather events. Are these new challenges capable of creating a cascading blackout on the scale of 2003 or 1965? Utilities, agencies and regulators have worked hard to mitigate and eliminate such events and are cautiously optimistic. But fail-safe reliability may never be possible. Weather, the main cause of power outages, always remains a risk. And newer concerns like terrorist acts and cyberattacks have added to the overall complexity and cost of keeping the power flowing. l This article was compiled, written in most part, and edited by Richard G. Biever, senior editor of Electric Consumer with information from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Wikipedia, American Public Power Association and NERC.

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IMPORTANT CONSUMER INFORMATION: WE TALK offer valid on 400 minute plan and applies to new GreatCall customers only. Offer valid until plan is changed or cancelled. Jitterbug is owned by GreatCall, Inc. Your invoices will come from GreatCall. All rate plans and services require the purchase of a Jitterbug phone and a one-time set up fee of $35. Coverage and service is not available everywhere. Other charges and restrictions may apply. Screen images simulated.There are no additional fees to call GreatCall’s U.S. Based Customer Service. However, for calls to an Operator in which a service is completed, minutes will be deducted from your monthly balance equal to the length of the call and any call connected by the Operator, plus an additional 5 minutes. Monthly minutes carry over and are available for 60 days. If you exceed the minute balance on your account, you will be billed at 35¢ for each minute used over the balance. Monthly rate plans do not include government taxes or assessment surcharges. Prices and fees subject to change. We will refund the full price of the GreatCall phone and the activation fee (or set-up fee) if it is returned within 30 days of purchase in like-new condition. We will also refund your first monthly service charge if you have less than 30 minutes of usage. If you have more than 30 minutes of usage, a per minute charge of 35 cents will be deducted from your refund for each minute over 30 minutes. You will be charged a $10 restocking fee. The shipping charges are not refundable. Jitterbug and GreatCall are registered trademarks of GreatCall, Inc. Samsung is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. ©2016 Samsung Electronics America, LLC. ©2016 GreatCall, Inc. ©2016 firstSTREET for Boomers and Beyond, Inc.

smartcircuits

Ensuring high-quality, energy-efficiency work By Patrick Keegan

ear Pat: I want to make my home more energy efficient. When I’m hiring contractors to do these projects, how can I be sure that the work is of good quality? — Jerry C. Dear Jerry: The good news is there are many contractors performing high-quality, energy-efficiency work. You’re smart to first figure out what you can do to ensure your contractors deliver quality work. The best quality-assurance solution is to start with a home energy audit by a qualified and experienced energy auditor. Ask the auditor to specify the products and the quality standards for each recommended efficiency measure. This will cost several hundred dollars, but it will provide information about the work that needs to be done. Your electric cooperative may offer a free or discounted audit by one of its energy advisers, or it may have a list of trusted energy auditors. An energy audit can help you with questions to ask potential contractors: k Is the contractor licensed and insured in your state? Do they have any additional training? k For heating and cooling projects, how will the contractor decide what size equipment is needed? Will they inspect duct work and insulation throughout the home? k For insulation and weatherization upgrades, what is your insulation level now? What should it be? Will the contractor find and seal any air leaks before installing insulation? k For all projects, who will be working at your home — the person you are talking to? An installer employed by the same company? A sub-contractor?

Make sure to do plenty of research before fully engaging a contractor: k Don’t take the first offer. Try to get at least two itemized bids. The lowest quote might not be the best. If one quote is significantly lower than others, inquire about the reasons for the difference. k Check their work. Ask for and check references, read online reviews and ask local experts about experiences they have with the contractor. Once you have chosen a contractor, make sure you and the contractor agree on the written description of the work to be performed, the expected time frame for completion and the price. Some common areas of tension between contractors and their customers are also worth discussing: k How often and when will the contractor communicate with you about the status of the project? k How clean does the work area need to be at the end of each day?

| MARCH 2016

k What is the daily work schedule? It is best not to pay the contractor until work is completed and inspected. You and your energy auditor should both inspect the work. Your cooperative’s energy adviser may also be able to inspect or give you advice for what to look for. For example, is the window flashing installed correctly? Are the ducts sealed properly? Finally, if you have a good experience with a contractor, pass the information along to friends and neighbors, or write a helpful review — a good home contractor can be hard to find! l Amy Wheeless of Collaborative Efficiency contributed to this article. Patrick Keegan writes on energy efficiency for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives.

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50th Anniversary Contests Penn Lines staff

ozens of Penn Lines readers entered one (or more) of the five Penn Lines 50th Anniversary Contests. Entries for the contests are now closed. Throughout 2016 – our anniversary year – we will be printing winning entries, plus selected other entries, in the magazine. This month’s winning entry is for the “Most Well-Traveled Penn Lines.” Magazine readers nn Lines Pe were asked to submit photos of themselves holding a Penn Lines magazine in front of a years recognizable landmark, with 19 6 6-2016 the winner to be the person who had carried the magazine the longest distance from where Penn WINNER: Clyde Gilbert, Tri-County Rural Electric Lines is published in Harrisburg, Pa. Cooperative, submitted this photo from Apia, The winning entry was submitted by Samoa, making it the winner in the “Most WellClyde Gilbert, a member of Tri-County Traveled Penn Lines” 50th Anniversary Contest. Rural Electric Cooperative who lives in Millerton, Pa. The photo was taken 7,000 miles from the measuring point in Apia, Samoa, which is just over in Harrisburg, Pa. For submitting the

Here are some of the essay entries: “How Does Penn Lines Help you as a Cooperative Member?” While building our house in this area 10 years ago, I made the call to establish electrical service. Being curious about the advertisements I had seen that encouraged residents to research their “electric provider choices,” I inquired about our choices and was told these two options: Tri-County REC or no electric. Apparently, Tri-County REC is the only electric service in our area. And, since we weren’t prepared to become Amish (no offense to the Amish), we chose Tri-County REC. One perk with this “choice” has been receiving the Penn Lines magazine. Who doesn’t get joy, and a sigh of relief, when finding something other than bills inside the mailbox? Penn Lines contains a variety of interesting topics from energy conservation and gardening tips, to the serious issues our area is facing (like the rise in Lyme disease and how to prevent it, or about new, invasive insect species). It also provides ads, coupons (my husband particularly enjoys the free tools from Harbor Freight), recipes and contests such as this one. The Rural Reflections section, which often inspires me to get out my own camera, is another part of the magazine that always catches my attention. There’s always something new to learn or enjoy. So, thank you, Penn Lines, for “choosing” to bring some insightful and entertaining reading into our lives. 14

winning entry, Gilbert will receive a $50 gift card. Several readers submitted photos of themselves and Penn Lines in locations from Pennsylvania to as far away as Europe and Hawaii. Our readers are a well-traveled bunch indeed. Announcements coming up later in 2016 will include one winner in each of the following essay categories: “My Earliest Memory of Penn Lines,” “How Does Penn Lines Help you as a Cooperative Member?” and “What Does Penn Lines Mean to Rural Pennsylvania?” One essay contest winner was drawn from each set of entries. The winning entry from each of the three essay contests and two photography contests will receive a $50 gift card (the winning entry for the “Oldest Penn Lines” was announced in the February issue). l

I’m not Earl Pitts, but I am a satisfied reader of the Penn Lines magazine. Andrea Kovacs Rose — Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative “What Does Penn Lines Mean to Rural Pennsylvania?” In 2016, Penn Lines is celebrating 50 years of keeping its cooperative members informed, updated and knowledgeable. Every monthly magazine is filled with current events from across the Commonwealth. It highlights the latest technologies on energy matters and features an interesting story on various topics. There are updates on your local electric cooperative and it offers delicious recipes to try and articles on what we need to know, as well as outdoor adventures, ending with classified ads, a humorous story, and seasonal photos sent from members that can win money prizes. Also, student loan information, long lists of names of members who did not receive their annual ownership rewards check due to no current address, and annual meetings and cooperative fair information. Penn Lines has something for everyone who lives in rural Pennsylvania. Congratulations on 50 years of your hard work and we, as members of the electric cooperative, are looking forward to another 50 years. Sarah J. Davis — Adams Electric Cooperative

| MARCH 2016

Portable Generator Safety Tips As storm season approaches, take precautions for your safety and the safety of those working to restore your power Always k Read and follow all manufacturerâ€™s operating instructions k Use your generator outdoors, away from open windows, vents or doors k Allow the generator engine to cool at least 2 minutes before refueling k Store the recommended type of fuel for the generator in an approved, properly

labeled safety can k Maintain your generator according to the manufacturerâ€™s schedule k Have a battery-operated carbon monoxide alarm to check for deadly buildup k Start or stop the generator ONLY when no electrical loads are connected k Allow at least 4 feet of clearance on all sides of the generator when it is operating k Keep children away from generator at all times

Never k Never use a generator inside your home, garage, basement, crawl space or other

enclosed area, even with ventilation, as carbon monoxide buildup can kill k Never operate the generator near combustible materials k Never plug your generator directly into your home outlet as this presents an

electrocution risk to utility workers and neighbors served by the same utility transformer â€“ have a qualified electrician install a power transfer switch instead k Never operate a generator under wet conditions or touch it with wet hands (put it

on a level, dry surface under an open, canopy-like structure) k Never overload the generator or connected appliances and components can be

damaged k Never cut corners when it comes to safety

| |F EMBARRUA C HRY2 021061 6

Little corner of history Group preserves past through restoration efforts By Kathy Hackleman Senior Editor/Writer

ith few transportation options and little money or time, many early Pennsylvania settlers followed the custom of the day when a family member died: they held a private service and buried them in a small rural cemetery. As time passed and church growth flourished, cemeteries were more often located near the houses of worship rather than on family farms. As the decades, and finally centuries, passed, the old cemeteries were overgrown with weeds and brush, turned into grazing lands for cattle, or simply plowed and planted.

So it was in the Bedford County area known as “Dutch Corner.” The Bedford Township community — bordered by Evitts Mountain to the north and east with less obvious south and west boundaries — is known for its farming heritage, with many of the residents able to trace their family’s local roots back to the 1700s. By anyone’s measure, the area is less than 20,000 acres, but it contains a number of these small burial grounds.

For posterity Enter the Dutch Corner History Group, the members of which decided they would restore this specific portion

| MARCH 2016

of the past for future generations. Carl Sellers, co-president of the Dutch Corner History Group and a member of Bedford Rural Electric Cooperative (REC), explains how the group members began their quest to identify forgotten cemeteries — now numbering nearly 20, locate the graves and do their best to make sure those buried there are never forgotten. “In April 2010, my cousin called me and asked if we could help straighten and repair some headstones in the Charles Christopher Dibert Cemetery,” Sellers recalls. “Charles Christopher Dibert was the son of John Dibert, who was massacred along with his

wife and seven of their 12 children during an Indian attack in 1732 at Fort Wingawn.” Sellers explains that Charles Christopher Dibert, born in 1719, died in a similar attack in 1757. He was buried on his farm, making his grave the oldest marked resting place in Bedford County. (It is not known where his parents and siblings are buried.) The restoration of the tiny cemetery piqued the interest of community residents, and it wasn’t long before other Dutch Corner landowners expressed interest in having the group work on other time-worn burial grounds. “Once we had done a couple more, we began to search out others, relying heavily on (the late) Tom Imler’s map from the Bedford County Historical Society, which shows the location of many of the farm graveyards in Dutch Corner,” Sellers says. “My brother (Gary, who is also part of the Dutch Corner History Group’s cemetery restoration crew, as well as the organization’s secretary) and I have ancestors in nearly all of these cemeteries,” Sellers adds. “Restoring one cemetery would sometimes take us weeks,” Sellers says. “But the more we did, the easier it became to figure it out. Lots of times, the headstones were missing. Vandals had broken them or stolen them. Some had been removed by farmers and dumped in fencerows. Most of the cemeteries were so overgrown that we had to use chainsaws to clear them out.” Once the volunteers had removed all the limbs, trees and debris, they could determine the number and position of the graves by the way the ground had been disturbed. “When you look at it long enough, you can see where the rows of graves are,” he says. “Then, because most of these were Christian burials, you know the coffins are buried so that

if the deceased sat up, they would be facing east.” After the volunteers recovered the headstones, they carefully cleaned them and repaired them as necessary, before placing them at a gravesite. (The ones that were still in place were returned to the same location; the ones that were found at a distance from an actual grave were placed at an unmarked grave in the same cemetery.)

Volunteers Sellers says the Dutch Corner History Group typically is assisted in their restoration efforts by the owners of the land where the cemeteries are located. Once the restoration is complete, many of the landowners have volunteered to maintain the cemeteries. The Dutch Corner History Group maintains the remainder of them. Bedford REC member Don Hoagland is one of the group members who volunteers his time to assist with the cemetery renovation project. “My main responsibility is to cut the grass and weeds,” Hoagland explains. “I also help to repair stones and set them.” Hoagland says that early on, group members knew they would have to figure out a relatively inexpensive way to salvage broken headstones. For each broken marker, they make a plywood

GRAVE CONCERN: Members of the Dutch Corner History Group, rural Bedford County, are saving old cemeteries one stone at a time. Although most of their efforts are focused on tiny rural cemeteries, many of which have been overgrown for years, they also work to repair broken markers at the cemetery at the Messiah Lutheran Church, opposite left and above, where the group meets monthly.

form, line it with plastic, and fill it with mortar strengthened by rebar. When the stone is re-laid, the shape of the original stone, along with any remaining words or dates, is retained in a strong, stable base. Most of the volunteers, including Hoagland, are residents of the Dutch Corner community, but not all. Brinton “Buck” Howard, a resident

WORKING TOGETHER: Some of the members of the Dutch Corner History Group who work to restore area cemeteries include, from left: Alan Hammond, Brinton “Buck” Howard, Carl Sellers, Gary Sellers, Lora Sellers and Dorothy Egolf.

| MARCH 2016

of work at the larger Messiah Lutheran Church Cemetery. The church allows the group to use its meeting room. In return, the group has done considerable work in the church cemetery. One grave in the church cemetery that is of particular interest to the group is that of “Indian Eve,” a Bedford County woman who was taken captive, along with two of her sons, by Native Americans in 1777. According to local history, Eve Ernst, the wife of Adam Ernst, was captured after Indians killed her husband. It is said she and the children were made to walk to Fort Detroit (within what is now Detroit, Mich.), SAVING THE PAST: The first cemetery renovation project undertaken where they were sold. by the Dutch Corner History Group is the Charles Christopher Dibert As the story goes, after Cemetery. Dibert, born in 1719, died in an Indian attack in 1757. His working nine years grave is the oldest marked one in Bedford County. to earn her freedom, she bought a pony, and she and the of Duncansville in neighboring Blair children took turns riding the pony County and a member of Valley REC, and walking back to Bedford County. A actually travels to the area to work on marker at her grave notes she was born the cemetery renovation projects. He in 1740 and died in 1815, and “her says his specialty is “whatever needs descendants are from coast to coast.” to be done,” including repairing stones The Dutch Corner History Group and general cleanup. celebrated the 200th anniversary of “We used to come up here as kids Eve Ernst’s death in late 2015, an and stay with my grandparents during event coinciding with the rededication the summers,” Howard explains. “I of the Dutch Corner Old Stone School, always enjoyed my time here. My which is the oldest stone school still mother’s father’s home was just down standing in the county and one of the road, so while I am not certain that the oldest schools in the western part any of my relatives from long ago are of Pennsylvania. It was built around buried in these old cemeteries, I would 1810, with renovations by the Bedford imagine they are.” County Historical Society beginning in 2002. It was recently completed with Local stories the help of the Dutch Corner History In addition to renovation work Group. at the tiny family cemeteries, group Another Dutch Corner group was volunteers have also done quite a bit 18

| MARCH 2016

recently successful in having the area designated as a National Historic Agricultural District in the National Register of Historic Places, the largest Historic Agricultural District in the state. In recognition of the national designation, along with the Old Stone School renovation and the Indian Eve commemoration, late last year the Bedford County Commissioners proclaimed Oct. 25, 2015, as “Dutch Corner Day” in the county. In addition to placing signs at all of the renovated cemeteries, the Dutch Corner History Group has also placed signs at all of the area’s historic schools and keeps a running list of information about early families. For more information about the group or how to save an old cemetery, check online at www.dutchcorner.org or call 814-623-6303. l

RESTORED CEMETERY: One of the small cemeteries restored by the Dutch Corner History Group is the Smith Crossing Cemetery located on a farm now owned by Alan Hammond, pictured. All of the graves in the cemetery are believed to be Hammond’s relatives. Members of his family have lived on the farm for more than 200 years.

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Good to the last drop By Janette Hess

e’ve all done it: We’ve purchased buttermilk for a favorite recipe and then let the half-full carton sit in the back of the refrigerator until the expiration date is as scary as the buttermilk itself. This month’s recipes will help you address the on-going problem of leftover buttermilk. First, use 2 cups to mix up a loaf of Irish Soda Bread in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. Next, celebrate the beginning of spring — March 20 — by baking a sweet but tangy Coconut Buttermilk Pie. Finally, before your buttermilk has a chance to turn shamrock green, continue the food party with a big batch of Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls. Delicious! Never again let a carton of buttermilk “age out” in your refrigerator. l

Irish Soda Bread 4 cups flour 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup raisins

2 cups buttermilk 1 egg, beaten Soft butter for preparing pan, coating hands and brushing on bread (1 to 2 tablespoons)

Coconut Buttermilk Pie 1 1/2 cups sugar 3 tablespoons flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled slightly 3 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups flaked, sweetened coconut, divided Pastry for 9-inch, 1-crust pie Whipped topping or sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Buttermilk Cinnamon Rolls 2 packages active dry yeast (1/2 ounce total) 1/2 cup lukewarm water (100 to 110 degrees) 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 2 eggs 3/4 cup soft butter, divided 1 cup white sugar, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 5 1/2 to 6 cups flour, plus more for rolling dough 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon Vanilla frosting, if desired

| MARCH 2016

A trained journalist, Janette Hess focuses her writing on interesting people and interesting foods. She is a Master Food Volunteer with her local extension service and enjoys collecting, testing and sharing recipes.

Lightly butter and flour 9-inch pie dish or round casserole dish. Set aside. Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Add raisins. Combine buttermilk and beaten egg. Stir into dry ingredients, mixing until smooth. Using buttered hands, form dough into ball and transfer to prepared dish. Smooth top. Using sharp knife, cut an “X” design into top of dough. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes, or until bread is nicely browned. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and brush over bread as soon as it is removed from oven. Cool before slicing. Makes 1 large, round loaf.

In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, flour and salt. Add butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract and 1 cup coconut. Stir to combine. Pour into formed, unbaked pie crust. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set and lightly browned. Serve chilled with a dollop of whipped topping. Makes 8 servings.

In bowl of electric stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. Blend in buttermilk, eggs, 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup white sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Blend in enough flour to create a soft, slightly sticky dough. Using dough hook, knead 5 minutes. Transfer to well-floured surface and roll into an approximately 10- by 30-inch rectangle. Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter. Using pastry brush, coat desired baking dishes. Brush remainder on dough. Combine remaining 1/2 cup white sugar with brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over buttered dough. Roll and tuck into long cylinder of dough. Using sharp knife, cut into 1 to 1 1/4-inch slices. Lay slices in buttered baking dishes. Cover and let rise in warm area until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, or until browned. Frost when cooled. Makes a 9- by 13-inch pan plus a 9-inch round or square pan of rolls, or 3 9-inch pans of rolls.

ruralviews

The chick next door By Mitchell Kyd “News from the Path Valley Hotel”

here are many beautiful truths about rural living. One of them is that we don’t need to wait for a trend to embrace our pioneer spirit. In the new quest to know more about our food source, the trendsetters are choosing to buy local and consume more of what comes directly from the land. There’s an upswing in the micro-ag movement as we plant more gardens and place more herb pots on the windowsill. We’re also seeing more chicks moving in next door.

The lure of fresh brown eggs sizzling in the skillet is too enticing not to jump on the idea of raising a few backyard chickens. You don’t even have to drive over to your local grain elevator to place your order or wait for your Murray McMurray catalog to arrive. All you need to do is search online for backyard chickens and bingo! You’re on your way to becoming an egg baron. Long before the internet robbed us of the joy of anticipation, I remember waiting for those mail order chicks to arrive. We’d visit the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January and then pore over the spring catalogs at the beautiful, exotic varieties we’d seen on exhibit. We’d “ooh” and “ahh” at the crested breeds with their top hat plumage sprouting out like Einstein’s hair on a bad day. The feather-footed fancies were my favorites. They always looked so comfy in their fuzzy bedroom slippers. In the end, we’d stick with what we knew, Rhode Island Reds or golden Buff Rocks. There is a minimum order to ship mail order chicks as they help ensure each other’s survival. I remember our Buff Rocks arrived with a packing slip that read: Extra chicks packed for warmth. The translation? Some of the peeps you are receiving will never lay eggs because they have the wrong equipment. No hen house will ever be happy with too many roosters so it’s good to think ahead about how you

will execute a plan to eliminate some players. Ordering chicks is the fun part. The real investment is in lumber, chicken wire, nesting boxes, roosts, waterers, mash, and later, cracked corn and oyster shells. Eventually, your brood will grow out of their baby fuzz and move out of your basement. Those incessant little peeps will be replaced with calming clucks and chatter. The grating sounds that pierce that calm will be crows of your young rooster as he tries to find his voice, all while sounding as if he’s being throttled. Don’t make my mistake in naming your chicks, especially if you’ve decided to add some fryers to your order. It’s hard enough to accept that Gertrude or Bessie was the one who didn’t make it back to roost if there’s been a coyote on the prowl. If you can’t bear the thought of Festus or Barney breast-down on your dinner plate, stick with layers. You’re not made for meat production. Personally, I’ve never been able to eat anything that I had named. All of our White Rocks expired naturally, mostly from old age. And I’d rethink free-ranging. Here at the Path Valley Hotel, we babied our first batch in the kitchen. After the move to the chicken house, they refused to return, preferring instead to roost in the hemlock outside the back porch. They had imprinted on me and forever preferred our company. Every morning when I left the house, they

| MARCH 2016

LOCALLY SOURCED: City residents are catching up with what rural residents have always known: the best food is raised, grown or laid on the farm.

floated down on me like Central Park pigeons. I once got to work to discover they had left a reminder of their affection running down the back of my jacket, just like baby spit. However you decide to manage your backyard chicken ranch, have fun! And make a ceremony of that first omelet. If you do the math, you might find the real cost of an egg in the first dozen is about $90 each. l YVONNE BUTTS-MITCHELL writes and blogs (deadmousediaries.com) under the pen name Mitchell Kyd. The “News from the Path Valley Hotel” series was inspired by her encounters with contractors, critters and assorted creepy crawlies while rehabbing her family cabin after its 17-year stint as a giant closet.

Classified Advertisements

ISSUE MONTH AD DEADLINE May 2016 March 18 June 2016 April 18 July 2016 May 18

Penn Lines classiﬁed advertisements reach nearly 166,000 rural Pennsylvania households! Please note ads must be received by the due date to be included in the requested issue month. Ads received beyond the due date will run in the next available issue. Written notice of changes and cancellations must be received 30 days prior to the issue month. Classiﬁed ads will not be accepted by phone, fax or email. For more information please contact Michelle M. Smith at 717-233-5704.

PLEASE SUBMIT A CLEARLY WRITTEN OR TYPED SHEET WITH THE FOLLOWING REQUIRED INFORMATION: o Cooperative members should please submit the mailing label from Penn Lines as proof of membership. o Non-members should submit name, address, phone number, and email address, if applicable. o Month(s) in which the ad is to run. o Ad copy as it is to appear in the publication. o Heading ad should appear under, or name of special heading (additional fee). See below for FREE heading options. FREE Headings: • Around the House • Business Opportunities • Employment Opportunities • Gift & Craft Ideas • Livestock & Pets • Miscellaneous

• Motor Vehicles & Boats • Nursery & Garden • Real Estate • Recipes & Food • Tools & Equipment • Vacations & Campsites • Wanted to Buy

AROUND THE HOUSE

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RESTAURANT: Building, ample parking ground, all equipment and inventory. Grill and desserts. Near resort. Faithful clientele. Leave message 814-599-7906. CHURCH LIFT SYSTEMS

Make your church, business or home wheelchair accessible. We offer platform lifting systems, stair lifts, porch lifts and ramps. References. Free estimates. Get Up & Go Mobility Inc. 724-7460992 or 814-926-3622.

CLASSIFIED AD SUBMISSION/RATES Electric co-op members: $20 per month for 30 words or less, plus 50¢ for each additional word. Non-members: $70 per month for 30 words or less, plus $1.50 for each additional word. Ad in all CAPITAL letters: Add 20 percent to total cost. SPECIAL Headings: $5 for co-op members, $10 for non-members. Fee applies to any heading not listed under “FREE Headings”, even if the heading is already appearing in Penn Lines. For ads running a special heading in consecutive months, the fee is a onetime fee of either $5 or $10 for all consecutive insertions. PAYMENT: Please make CHECK/MONEY ORDER payable to: PREA/Penn Lines. Insertion of classiﬁed ad serves as proof of publication; no proofs supplied. SEND COMPLETED AD COPY AND PAYMENT TO: Penn Lines Classiﬁeds • P.O. Box 1266 • Harrisburg, PA 17108

CONSULTING FORESTRY SERVICES

NOLL’S FORESTRY SERVICES, INC. performs Timber Marketing, Timber Appraisals, Forest Management Planning, and Forest Improvement Work. FREE Timber Land Recommendations. 30 years experience. Call 814-472-8560.

CENTRE FOREST RESOURCES. Forest Management Services, Wildlife Habitat Management, Timber Sales, Appraisals. College educated, professional, ethical foresters working for you. FREE Timber Consultation. 814-5717130. CRANE SERVICE

NEED A LIFT? Crane service for all your lifting needs. Experienced, fully insured, OwnerOperated and OSHA Certified. Precision Crane LLC, Linesville, PA 814-282-9133. ELECTRIC MOTORS

FARM, COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL, NEW AND USED MOTOR SALES. Complete repair facility with over 30 years experience. Most sizes in stock. Emergency repair available. Ludwig Electric LLC. 814-948-4471. FINANCIAL FREEDOM

DO YOU NEED CASH NOW? No buying - No selling - No boss. Computer needed. Jim Vargo 314-614-6039. www.smileyougotcash.com. GIFT AND CRAFT IDEAS

| MARCH 2016

HEALTH AND NUTRITION

Tired of all those medicines — Still not feeling better? Do you want to feel better, have more energy, better digestion, less joint stiffness, healthier heart/circulation and cholesterol levels? Find out how to empower your own immune system — start 1-26 today! It’s safe, affordable, and it works. Call 800-557-8477: ID#528390. 90-day money back on first time orders or call me 724-454-5586. www.mylegacyforlife.net/believeit. HEALTH INSURANCE

DO YOU HAVE THE BLUES regarding your Health Insurance? We cater to rural America’s health insurance needs. For more information, call 844-591-2797 (PA). Call us regarding Medicare supplements, too. LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT

HARRINGTONS EQUIPMENT COMPANY, 475 Orchard Rd., Fairfield, PA 17320. 717-642-6001 or 410-756-2506. Lawn & Garden equipment, Sales – Service – Parts. www.HarringtonsEquipment.com. LIVESTOCK AND PETS

PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI Puppies — AKC, adorable, intelligent, highly trainable. Excellent family choice. Reputable licensed breeder guaranteed “Last breed you’ll ever own.” 814587-3449. BEAUTIFUL ALPACA and also agora goat yarn. Some wool added. Various weights and colors. All from our own animals. No synthetics. Call Sue Graver at 717-487-0785.

NIGERIAN DWARF GOATS. These are small dairy goats. Beautiful and friendly. Now taking reservations for 2016 babies, both doelings and bucklings. Please call Sue Graver at 717-4870785.

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LOG CABIN RESTORATIONS

VILLAGE RESTORATIONS & CONSULTING specializes in 17th and 18th century log, stone and timber structures. We dismantle, move, re-erect, restore, construct and consult all over the country. Period building materials available. Thirty years experience, fully insured. Call 814-6961379. www.villagerestorations.com. MISCELLANEOUS

FOR SALE: Buckets, forks, thumbs, grapple buckets and pallet forks for skid loaders, backhoes and excavators. Tires for backhoes, rubber tire loaders and excavators also. Call 814-329-0118. MOTORCYCLE-SNOWMOBILE INSURANCE

For the best INSURANCE RATES call R & R Insurance Associates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800442-6832 (PA). PENNSYLVANIA HUNTING LAND WANTED

OUR HUNTERS WILL PAY TOP $$$ to hunt your land. Call for a free base camp leasing info packet and quote. 866-309-1507. www. BaseCampLeasing.com. REAL ESTATE

TIOGA COUNTY, Gaines Township, approximately 4 acres mountain property, 1 1/2 story home, 1,713 sf, glass front, 468.38 sf deck, cathedral ceilings, balcony, LR/DR, kitchen, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, laundry area, 4 LP heaters, wood stove, 4-car garage, security system, water cond., 52” crawl space, tool/wood shed, heated work shop 16x24, attached bay 44x24, $195,000, 814-435-3547, shooting range. PEACEFUL PLACE in the country — Lake and gamelands access, 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 3-car garage. Year round or seasonal. Highland Lake, Warren Center, PA. 570-637-1459 Patricia Them. ‘A’ FRAME - 6½ acres, bedroom loft living. Kitchen, screened porch, decks front and back, electric heat, wood stove. Clean, tasteful furnishings. Large storage shed. Sleeper sofa, two double beds, microwave, dining table, chairs. 717-664-3344. CAMERON COUNTY PA: Luxury 20+ room 5,000 Sq. ft. exquisite 1935 estate mansion. Period correct wide plank oak floors, 2 kitchens, 7 fireplaces, 8 bathrooms, 2 garages. A must see! Excellent hunting and fishing area. Elk viewing area nearby. $549,000 w/38 acres or $649,000 w/100 acres. Motivated seller! Serious inquiries only. 570-439-8025 or Email: stceellc@gmail.com.

SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY — 2,800 SF log home on 68+ acres. 3 bedroom/3 bath. 2 car attached/2 car detached garage. Asking $579,000. Available to view after April 1, 2016. Need prequalification. Call 570-778-6504.

RECIPES AND FOOD

USED PORTABLE Sawmills and COMMERCIAL Sawmill Equipment! Buy/Sell. Call Sawmill Exchange 800-459-2148. USA and Canada. www.sawmillexchange.com. SHAKLEE

FREE SAMPLE Shaklee’s Energy Tea. Combination red, green and white teas that are natural, delicious, refreshing, safe. For sample or more information on tea or other Shaklee Nutrition/ Weight Loss Products: 800-403-3381 or www.sbarton.myshaklee.com.

Farms are part of our electric cooperative.

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

FOR SALE: Like new Erskine Rotary Snow Blower. Front mounted Quick-A-Tach needs 65+hp tractor $7,500. Call 724-331-1512. JOHN DEERE 450B bulldozer with 6-way blade. Good condition with only 2,785 hours. $10,000 or best offer. Call 610-585-1489.

NEW HOLLAND 575E backhoe/loader. 4-wheel drive with extend-a-hoe. Very good condition with only 3,212 hours. $29,500 or best offer. Call 610585-1489.

Grind Away ANY Size Stump FAST! LOWEST

TRACTOR PARTS – REPAIR/RESTORATION

PRICE EVER!

ARTHURS TRACTORS, specializing in vintage Ford tractors, 30-years experience, online parts catalog/prices, Indiana, PA 15701. Contact us at 877-254-FORD (3673) or www.arthurstractors.com. VACATIONS AND CAMPSITES

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Florida condo rental. Two bedrooms, two baths, pool. 200 yards from beach. NA February. No pets. $500 weekly, $1,800 monthly. Call 814-635-4020.

THINK SPRING! Raystown Vacation House Rental — Sleeps 11, four bedrooms, table for 12, 2 satellite TVs, 2 flbaths, 2 hfbaths, linens/towels provided, boat parking. Mile from boat launch. Call 814-9316562. Visit www.laurelwoodsretreat.com. WANTED TO BUY

TRACTOR OR JEEP. 1940’s Empire tractor or 1940s Willys or Ford Army Jeep. Rusty or broken down in field OK. 570-395-4127. Email: ironrider111@yahoo.com.

See what a difference it makes…

The DR® STUMP GRINDER uses carbide-tipped cutting teeth (taking 360 “bites” per second) to reduce any stump to a pile of woodchips. Grinds stumps below ground level so they are gone forever! • Quickly eliminate any stump without digging, burning, or chemicals. • New, more powerful and lower-priced models. • Now towable with your riding mower or ATV.

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FENCE INSTALLATION — Rohrs Farms LLC installs, maintains, and repairs all types of livestock fencing. Contact us now to schedule your fence project for the spring. 814-279-5167 or RohrsFarms@yahoo.com.

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| MARCH 2016

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timelines

Your Newsmagazine Through the Years

1986

Rural areas of Pennsylvania have more overweight children than cities, but some community leaders are taking steps to battle the bulge.

any small independent telephone companies built rural telephone lines in the 1920s, connecting farmers 15 to 20 years before they had electricity. But many of those companies neglected maintenance, depending on their customers to do repairs. As a result, rural phone systems began to have major problems between the 1920s and 1940s. There were actually fewer people with telephone service in the late 1940s than there had been in the 1920s. The disarray in the nation’s rural phone service in 1949 prompted Congress to amend the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, the law that established the Rural Electrification Administration (REA) as a government lending agency to promote rural electrification. The change allowed REA to lend money to ensure adequate and dependable rural telephone service. Using those loans, a number of telephone companies formed across Pennsylvania. Just as electric cooperative members buried their oil lanterns when they were hooked up for electricity, rural residents held mock funerals for their handcrank phones when they got modern dial service through the REA program. This edition of Penn Lines examines how the REA program helped to end rural isolation by connecting people with their neighbors and with the rest of the nation.

| MARCH 2016

2006

1996 With proper “packaging,” the public’s desire to get back to nature can become a key component in rural economic development efforts.

Locust Court, headquarters for the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc., is under construction in Harrisburg.

1976

techtrends

How to choose efficient appliances By TJ Kirk

t’s never a good day when you realize you need to replace a large appliance in your home. However, when that unfortunate time comes, be sure to take a moment and consider what you will purchase — especially for appliances that haven’t been replaced in a number of years, as the technology may have changed substantially. Instead of rushing out to buy the same make and model of appliance you had, consider this an opportunity to assess the market and make a smart purchase that will save you money in the long run. According to the Department of Energy, appliances account for about 13 percent of the average household’s energy use. Clothes dryers, refrigerators/freezers, computers, microwaves, dishwashers and washing machines are the appliances that tend to use the most energy in a typical American home. Every appliance you buy has an operating cost, which is the cost of the energy needed to power the appliance. To facilitate more informed comparison shopping, the federal government

As the research and development arm of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, CRN pursues innovative solutions that help Pennsylvania electric cooperatives deliver safe, reliable, and affordable power to their consumer-members.

requires some appliances to have an Energy Guide label stating the approximate energy consumption and operating cost of the appliance. Appliances with an Energy Star label use 10 to 50 percent less energy than standard appliances and are generally more expensive than their standard counterparts. So, it’s important to compare the lifetime costs of each (up-front cost + operating cost) to ensure that purchasing the efficient appliance is the best choice. In addition to looking at the efficiency of your new appliance, make sure to consider its size. Purchasing an appliance that is too large for your needs will lead to more energy being used. For example, laptops or small desktops (e.g., the Mac Mini) use only one-quarter of the energy of typical desktop PCs and have sufficient memory and processing speeds for many common applications. This same prin-

| MARCH 2016

ciple applies to refrigerators, air conditioners and more. As you begin your search for a new appliance, check with your electric cooperative to see if they offer incentives for energy-efficient appliances, and remember to use the Energy Star website, www.energystar.gov, as an additional resource. Dramatic advancements in the efficiency of many electric appliances now can provide the same level of end-user comfort with substantially less electric input. With a little research and thought, you can save money over the life of your appliance without sacrificing any benefits. Good luck, and happy shopping! l Thomas J. Kirk is a technical research analyst specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy for the Cooperative Research Network (CRN), a service of the Arlington, Va.-based National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

punchlines

Earl’s friends come down with a bad case of lottery fever By Earl Pitts, American

’m here to tell you that the recent record lottery drawing gave a major case of lottery fever to the boys down at the Duck Inn. Every time one a’ them idiot lottery jackpots gets big, the get-rich-quick Meeker boys and Runt Wilson figure we’re gonna pool our money and hit it big. And you will notice that after 15 years of this, there ain’t a one of us driving a Rolls Royce pickup.

Yeah, it’s kind of scary when Earl Pitts is the voice of reason. But I like to remind these daydreamers of the statistical nature of your lottery jackpots. I told Dub Meeker, “You know you got a better chance of being attacked by a shark than winning a lottery jackpot.” He goes, “Earl, last time me an’ my better half was on vacation, there was a guy in the water that actually almost got bit by a shark. Earl, that could have been me ...” I says, “I ain’t done. I was about to say, ‘You got a better chance of being attacked by a shark, while being struck by lightning, in the middle of proposing to Faith Hill, while sitting in the end zone of a Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl game.’” He looks at me, and then stares at the ceiling like he’s doing math in his head. And he goes, “So, you giving me five bucks, or what?” Of course I gave him five bucks. On account of, I figure if they all chip in on lottery tickets and I don’t, then their chances of winning go to something like one in 20. And the only thing I can think of worse than wasting money on some stupid bazillion-to-one shot at striking it rich on a lottery ticket, is not wasting money on a winner.

The first thing I do when they read them numbers is hope and pray I won. And when I don’t, the second thing I do is hope and pray nobody I know won. I couldn’t take that. Wake up America. The second reason I agreed is that every time they trot the latest billionaire out on the TV, it seems like it’s always some toothless hillbilly with crazy hair and a IQ of 20. That would be Runt Wilson. I got to stick close to this guy ‘cause it’s clear he’s a winner.

y better half, Pearl, has been on my case all month on account of I don’t want to do nothing. She says I’m getting old and crotchety. That I’m set in my ways and just hanging out until I keel over and kick the bucket. That’s an interesting theory, but I do have to disagree with the woman. I don’t believe I’m getting old. What I have done is that I have developed a rather restrictive “comfort zone.” Think about this — every man, as he travels through life, finds things that are agreeable to him. And the older you get, the smaller the list gets. Now, Pearl will tell you that’s a “rut.” I will tell you, that’s a comfort zone. Like, when our kids was small, we

| MARCH 2016

used to take them putt-putt golfing. I ain’t doing that no more. It is out of my comfort zone. I know that sounds kind of dumb, but I am not one to fight nature. In fact, I have come up with a list of stuff that is no longer in my comfort zone. Sitting down in a public toilet. Eating anywhere that the waiters might sing to you. Shopping for, well, anything! Line-dancing. Heck, that never WAS in my comfort zone. Sitting through any child’s game, event or performance. When my kids have kids, they’re going to have to tape it for Grandpa. Monkeying with electronics. Seasonal beers. Wearing button-down shirts. Trying a new barber. You get the point. Wake up, America! Some people say you should always be learning new things. Go new places. Meet new people. To me, the people that say that are just idiots. My suggestion would be — just don’t do it. l Social commentary from Earl Pitts — a.k.a. GARY BUR BANK, a nationally syndicated radio personality — can be heard on the following radio stations that cover electric cooperative service territories in Pennsylvania: WANBFM 103.1 Pittsburgh; WARM-AM 590 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; WIOO-AM 1000 Carlisle; WEEO-AM 1480 Shippensburg; WMTZ-FM 96.5 Johnstown; WQBR-FM 99.9/92.7 McElhattan; WLMI-FM 103.9 Kane; and WVNW-FM 96.7 Burnham-Lewistown. You can also find him at earlpittsamerican.com.

ruralreflections

Katarina Leonardo REA Energy

George Replogle New Enterprise REC

Carol M. Shepherd United EC

A ‘new’ Rural Reflections year

lor Carol B. Bay C E s am d A

hile March is the third month of 2016, it’s the first month of the new Rural Reflections year. We want to print photos from across Pennsylvania throughout the year. Contest winners in five categories will receive $75 and runners-up will each receive $25. Amateur photographers are encouraged to send photos to Penn Lines Photos, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg PA 17108-1266. Include name, address, phone number and the name of your electric cooperative. Winners will be named in five categories: artistic, landscape, human, animal, and editor’s choice. Please send spring photos by mid-March; summer photos by May; fall photos by July and winter photos by September. 2016 photos will be returned in early 2017 if you include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. l | MARCH 2016