Wisconsin Energy Coop News December 2015 by American MainStreet Publications

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December 2015

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CooperaN

COOPERATIVE

News

Wisconsin

ENERGY Cooperative

contents December 2015

News

WHO’S NEXT?

Co-op employers manage generational change. Photo by Keith Wohlfert.

THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

Smart homes help manage energy use.

on the

COVER

Light up your holidays at the Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville.

Young

MEMBERS

Cute co-op kids get cozy with their critters.

Photo by Tom Rife.

6 7

NEWS BRIEFS

Keep up with the news of the industry.

WECA MANAGER’S COMMENTARY

RECIPES

Prepare these delicious treats for Santa’s visit.

EDITORIAL

Give gifts with fire and home safety in mind.

Keep on track by developing relationships with elected officials.

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MY CO-OP

Find out what’s happening at your local electric cooperative.

CLASSIFIEDS

Buy, sell, and trade with readers from across Wisconsin.

EVENTS

Festive holiday activities abound across the state. December 2015

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LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR Dana Kelroy, Editor

Wishing you jumper cables under the tree

I come from a very practical family, so knick-knacks and trinkets don’t usually elicit oohs and aahs on Christmas morning, but a sturdy snow shovel under the tree is remembered. My brother has been a volunteer firefighter for a number of years, and it has definitely influenced his gift giving. So mix my brother’s practical nature with his fire department training, and you have the recipe for some of my favorite Christmas gifts. Over the years, I’ve received a carbon monoxide detector, fire extinguisher, and my favorite: an emergency car jump starter with air compressor, light, and portable outlet. (I used that thing MANY times on my old Bonneville). So in honor of all those big brothers who go the extra mile to keep people out of trouble in co-op country, consider giving some of these safety gifts this year. If your family is anything like mine, they’ll get a bigger reaction than a pair of diamond earrings.

1. Carbon monoxide detector 2. Smoke detector 3. Fire extinguisher 4. Jumper cables 5. Car ﬁrst-aid kit 6. Smart power strip (with built-in circuit breaker that will trip if the strip becomes overloaded) 7. NOAA Weather-alert radio 8. Flashlights and batteries 9. Radon-testing kit or 10. Second-story ﬁre escape ladder

December 2015 Vol. 76 No. 6 The Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News (Formerly Wisconsin R.E.C. News) has been published monthly and distributed since July 1940 to members of Wisconsin’s non-profit, consumer-owned rural electric cooperatives. It is available to non-members for $10 per year or $28 for three years. Published for the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association by Cooperative Network, 1 S. Pinckney St., Suite 810, Madison, WI 53703. Tom Liebe, president & CEO. USPS number: 688-480. Postmaster: please send address changes to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, 1 S. Pinckney St., Suite 810, Madison, WI 53703. Periodicals postage paid at Baraboo, Wis. Send correspondence to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, 1 S. Pinckney St., Suite 810, Madison, WI 53703. Phone (608) 258-4400. Web site: www.wecnmagazine.com. Co-op Members: Please send address changes to your local electric co-op. Contact information can be found on page 18. Steve Freese Dana Kelroy Mary Erickson David Hoopman Ann Bailey Tina Walden Geri Miller

WECA manager editor associate editor contributing writer graphic designer editorial assistant advertising consultant

For advertising opportunities please email ads@cooperativenetwork.coop. The appearance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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NEWS BRIEFS

Statewide directors elected

Votes taken in November at the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA) annual meeting in Bloomington, Minnesota, confirmed the executive committee of the association’s 10-member board: front row, left to right: Board Chairman David Paudler, Riverland Energy Cooperative; and Vice Chairman Tim Stewart, Clark Electric Cooperative. Back row, left to right: Larry Dokkestul, Pierce–Pepin Cooperative Services; Secretary–Treasurer Elaine Eckendorf, Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative; and Diane Zimmerman, East Central Energy. The remaining members of the board are: David Stute, representing Dairyland Power Cooperative; Dallas Sloan, Barron Electric Cooperative; Steve Truver, Jump River Electric Cooperative; Judith Anibas, Eau Claire Energy Cooperative; and Bill Fischer, Rock Energy Cooperative. WECA has 24 distribution cooperative members and one generation and transmission cooperative member.

CO-OP ELECTRONIC VOTING BILL ADVANCES

Governor Scott Walker last month signed into law a bill clarifying that electronic voting can be used in coop elections for purposes of electing or removing directors. Introduced in mid-October with co-op support and bipartisan sponsorship, the bill received unanimous Senate and Assembly committee endorsement and passed both houses in early November. Cooperatives are already authorized by Wisconsin law to use electronic

TRANSMISSION SEGMENT ENERGIZED

A new segment of the CapX2020 transmission project was energized in Wisconsin and Minnesota last month. The 345-kilovolt line—50 miles in Wisconsin and 40 miles in Minnesota— connects a new substation at Holmen, Wisconsin, with Pine Island, Minnesota, as part of the half-billion dollar Hampton-Rochester-La Crosse project due for completion next year and jointly owned by Dairyland Power Cooperative, Rochester Public Utilities, Southern Minnesota 6

voting to accommodate eligible members not present at a meeting, but a drafting oversight specified that it could be used for voting on motions—for instance, bylaw changes or adoption or rejection of resolutions—leaving uncertain its legality in director elections. The clarifying legislation was authored by State Senator Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls), State Rep. Adam Jarchow (R-Balsam Lake), and a bipartisan group of 23 co-sponsors.

Municipal Power Agency, WPPI Energy, and Xcel Energy. CapX2020, the biggest Midwest transmission build-out since the 1970s, is a joint undertaking of 11 transmission-owning utilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas. It includes four 345-kilovolt lines and one 230-kilovolt line spanning almost 800 miles at a projected cost of $2 billion. Its primary purpose is the transmission of wind energy from the Great Plains to Eastern and Midwestern population centers.

RATINGS AGENCY SEES CREDIT UNCERTAINTY

An October report from Standard and Poor’s (S&P) credit rating agency says the Environmental Protection Agency’s new carbon dioxide regulation “essentially recast the operational landscape for electric generation in the U.S.” and does not address “the uncertainties surrounding some important issues that might hurt credit quality.” One such uncertainty particularly relevant to electric cooperatives arises from their service to more than 90 percent of the U.S. counties considered “persistent poverty” areas. S&P says it doesn’t foresee imminent credit threats “primarily because of utilities’ rate-setting ability” and the seven-year window to meeting the agency’s interim emission reduction targets. But if co-ops’ rate-setting ability is constrained by the lower-than-average incomes of their members, S&P’s optimism could quickly fade. If compliance costs prove “very onerous and rate-setting bodies—whether residing within the utility or vested in outside agencies—can’t set rates at levels that can simultaneously be affordable for customers and preserve utility credit measures, we could downgrade utilities whose credit measures materially weaken,” S&P said. Twenty-eight states, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, and others have requested a judicial stay of the new regulation, citing “irreparable harm” to cooperatives and their consumer–members.

PROPOSAL WOULD LIFT NUKE MORATORIUM

Amid a rash of nuclear power plant retirements that could complicate reaching the Environmental Protection Agency’s carbon dioxide reduction goals, state lawmakers have introduced legislation lifting Wisconsin’s 33-year-old moratorium on construction of new nuclear-fueled generation. The proposal also adds new reactor technology approved by federal regulators since 2010 to the state’s list prioritizing choices for the addition of new generation capacity. Energy conservation and efficiency would still head the list, followed by non-combustible renewables.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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DEVELOP T ON TRACK:

his month I’m thinking about the importance of electric co-op members making personal contact with legislators and policymakers about issues affecting their cooperatives. Our members purchase electricity for their homes, farms, and businesses, and trust their co-ops to deliver it safely, effectively, and affordably. Often, they’ve come to rely on their co-ops for help when issues arise beyond their purchase of electricity. An issue we’ve been working on for some time relates to railroads. The severe winter of 2014 created major issues with grain car backlogs, storage constraints, and rail car premiums, adding up to higher transportation and commodity costs. There were weeks when we weren’t sure if Steve Freese coal would be delivered in time WECA Manager to generate electricity. While coal deliveries directly affect each of our electric cooperatives, the ability to transport products made in Wisconsin affects businesses and industries served by co-ops in very significant ways. Last summer Barron Electric Cooperative hosted Congressman Sean Duffy to meet with employees and co-op members, and he learned firsthand about the rail service challenges affecting industry in the northern counties that make up his congressional district. Congressman Duffy heard from Barron Electric members who produce agricultural and timber products, frac sand, and manufactured products. He heard about significant problems they were having with rail service. Clearly understanding the impact on Wisconsin’s economy, he put together a meeting with the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Pennsylvania Congressman Bill Shuster. It was my privilege to join Barron Electric members telling the two congressmen what was

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happening in Wisconsin. The relationship Barron Electric members had developed with Congressman Duffy helped us make the case before the chairman of a major committee about needed rail reforms. We connected what’s happening in Wisconsin with his Pennsylvania district and the national economy. Almost 33 percent of all freight in Wisconsin moves by rail. That includes cheese and wood products headed for the west coast and markets in Asia. Canned sweet corn, peas, green beans, and potatoes move by rail, as does the steel for the cans those vegetables ship in. Farmers were completing the field-corn and soybean harvest, and we connected their challenges shipping those products by rail with the equal challenge next spring obtaining bulk fertilizer by rail. These farmers are our members. They grow the crops and buy the electricity from us to operate their irrigation pivots and dry their grains. We had the ability—and the duty—to speak on their behalf. In the meeting with Duffy and Shuster, we supported reauthorization of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). This federal agency is charged with economic oversight of the nation’s freight rail system. Its previous authorization expired in 1998, and we shared with the congressmen the importance of a reauthorization spelling out pro-consumer reforms of its procedures. We made the case why the STB needs authority to initiate investigations of matters other than routine rate-setting, establish timelines for review of complaints, and create a complaint database updated quarterly. We also talked about a deadline extension for Positive Train Control (PTC) technologies designed to automatically stop a train before certain types of accidents occur. Congress passed this as an unfunded mandate requiring America’s privately owned railroads to finance, develop, install, and test the unproven and now somewhat outdated technology across 60,000 miles of the rail network by the end of this year. It couldn’t be achieved by the deadline, and we appreciated the congressmen supporting a three-year extension to avoid rail-service disruption. Congress did approve our recommendation, and the President signed it into law. Our progress on these issues shows the importance of developing relationships with elected leaders and policymakers. Without it, a productive meeting like this one might not have occurred.

Barron Electric Cooperative General Manager Dallas Sloan explains rail service challenges to Congressman Sean Duffy and Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Pennsylvania Congressman Bill Shuster. December 2015

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Who’s Next?

Co-op employers manage generational change

“Eau Claire Energy Cooperative has a wide range of age groups—a little bit of everything,” said Monica Obrycki, executive assistant, Eau Claire Energy. Photo courtesy of Mary Kay Brevig.

t was the first Thursday in November when a Madison television station aired a news story about waves of baby-boomer retirements forcing a scramble by area electric utilities to keep up. Posted online under the headline “An aging workforce could soon cripple the power grid”—a bit of hyperbole, perhaps— the story reported on a local electricians’ union official worrying about power companies being able to recruit enough people for their line crews, technical college utility training programs full-up for the 2015–16 academic year, and challenges posed by the lead time involved in four-year apprenticeships. An odd coincidence: Only four days later, hundreds of leaders in the management and governance of all manner of cooperatives across Wisconsin and Minnesota would be gathered in Minneapolis for the Cooperative Network annual meeting, organized around the theme of “Next Generation Cooperation.” One big difference was that rather than making news about an impending personnel crisis, the coops had already been gearing up for years to manage a smooth changing of the guard as workforce responsibilities are handed off between generations.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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An Early Wake-Up Call

In September 2007, a feature story in this magazine reported on the importance of doing the simple arithmetic and realizing that the electric power industry had a limited and pretty specific period of time to line up large numbers of people with the skills and temperament to replace workers who would soon be putting on golf gloves instead of lineman’s gloves, and staying warm and comfortable during foul weather instead of climbing power poles. Co-ops had taken note of a 2006 report to Congress from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) warning that the aging utility workforce could pose a significant problem for the industry. In some utility organizations, the report said, as many as half the electric line workers were on track to retire within the next 10 years—meaning now. There were 58,000 line workers in the United States, the report said, estimating that there could be a shortage of as many as 10,000 line workers by this year, an estimate perhaps relevant to the Madison TV story citing the union’s difficulty meeting the personnel needs of electrical contractors. “This could eventually limit the nation’s ability to maintain and/or increase electricity supply, potentially impacting the economic and national security of the United States,” the DOE report said. David Jenkins, then statewide manager of the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, wrote that the problem had been compounded by the 1990s enthusiasm for electric utility restructuring—often but for the most part inaccu-

rately referred to as deregulation. The prospects for widespread restructuring “seemed so certain that utilities began shedding assets and scaling back operations to become ‘lean and mean’ for the expected cutthroat competitive environment,” Jenkins wrote. For some utilities, “lean and mean” translated into a smaller workforce. The restructuring movement fizzled out by about 2001, but then came the recession in 2008 and—as last month’s Madison TV story pointed out—many utilities froze hiring in the face of flat or reduced power demand. There’s no way to know how many people who might have joined the workforce between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, didn’t. Long before any of those issues cropped up, Wisconsin’s electric cooperatives were vigorous supporters of the utility training programs at the state’s technical colleges.

Training, Retraining, Reimagined

Located in the heart of Wisconsin electric co-op country, Eau Claire’s Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) is a training hub for electric utility workers and has had a long and strong relationship with the cooperatives. Six years ago, looking ahead to the changing and growing personnel needs of the energy sector, CVTC convened a visit with businesses and industries to determine their future requirements. One thing learned through that interchange was that more than training people for altogether new energy-related jobs, the school could help integrate new technologies into existing jobs.

The upshot was a plan for a unique facility that would be something beyond the conventional arrangement of classrooms and labs. CVTC’s Energy Education Center would be a state-of-the-art facility designed to serve frequently related needs in several areas, including electric power distribution and alternative energy sources; air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration technology; landscaping, plant, and turf management; agriculture; and truck driving. The college recognized it couldn’t fund the project entirely with taxpayer dollars and would need to enlist financial support from stakeholder businesses and industries that would benefit. The school asked Lynn Thompson, CEO of Eau Claire Energy Cooperative, to coordinate fundraising within the utility sector. Electric cooperatives pitched in. The Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association’s distribution co-op members contributed as a group. Dairyland Power Cooperative and several distribution co-ops contributed individually. Alongside his praise for the generosity of the Wisconsin cooperatives, Thompson acknowledged the investor-owned Xcel Energy, which he called “a huge supporter.” Co-op influence on project design was less specific but only because the relationship between co-ops and CVTC was firmly established before the Energy Education Center was proposed. “We’ve always been very involved in preparing the next generation of the workforce,” Thompson told Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, noting the

1. Dunn Energy Cooperative CEO Jim Hathaway and Eau Claire Energy Cooperative CEO Lynn Thompson outside the CVTC Smart Grid Control Room. The room was partially funded by Wisconsin’s electric cooperatives. Hathaway is a trustee on the CVTC Foundation Board. 2. Inside the Smart Grid Control Room. 1

December 2015

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Lineworker Apprenticeship student Kris Dubiel of Eau Clarie Energy Co-op uses a hot stick to close a circuit cutout at the high-voltage transformer banking test bench in the hot lab at Chippewa Valley Technical College, while fellow apprentice Landan Rosmos of Dunn Energy Co-op looks on.

cooperatives’ longstanding advisory role in the apprenticeship program’s curriculum and adding, “Our employees present some of the training programs.” An open house at the brand-new facility was held at the end of September. Executive director of the Chippewa Valley Technical College Foundation, project manager for creation of the Energy Education Center, and former dean of the programs offered there, Aliesha Crowe recently told Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, “The building itself is the learning environment—not in the sense of conventional classrooms but in the sense of the students interacting with the building.” How that happens is a function of what’s likely the building’s most unique design concept: direct, visual access to areas and equipment ordinarily concealed in the basement or tucked away out of sight on the roof. Peering through glass walls, students and visitors 10

alike are able to observe the up-to-date technology used to heat and cool the building. “Most buildings have dropped ceilings to cover up the wiring, the pipes, all of the infrastructure,” Crowe explained. “In this building all those systems are visible. You can look up and see where everything is. Things you would normally try to hide, you can see firsthand.” That means instead of just manipulating a control—or simply being told about how it’s done—students are able to observe the changes they make as they operate geothermal or solar photovoltaic systems. Simulator equipment helps students in the electric power distribution program understand components of solar and wind energy systems. In a high-voltage demonstration area, power distribution personnel have the opportunity to train safely in a live-voltage environment. Crowe said she was unaware of

other schools that have “a live hot lab with comparable technology.” In addition to new students, the Center welcomes people already employed but with a need to learn about new technologies. “People who are currently employed can come back for retraining and to add new skills; they now have a facility with the equipment to provide that training,” Crowe said.

Coming Home to the Country

In March 2014, the National Rural Electric Cooperative’s (NRECA) Electric Co-op Today reported that over the coming five years, electric co-ops would need to fill almost 14,000 jobs. That number will be harder to reach because, according to Shaara Roman, NRECA senior vice president for human resources, “The folks that are coming out of our educational system don’t have the skills to do the jobs that are going to be needed in the future. The most critical shortage is

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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Lynn Thompson

Monica Obrycki

going to be in engineering and skilled technician jobs.” Compounding the challenge, NRECA reported, were the job preferences of recent college graduates who rated education, media, and health care as the most desirable fields and ranked energy and utility work 23rd out of 25 categories. “We need to get into the conversation with kids earlier and earlier, and form partnerships across the board with colleges and universities and schools,” Roman said. That’s a familiar prescription among Wisconsin co-ops. Monica Obrycki, executive assistant at Eau Claire Energy Cooperative, recently told Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, “We have to do a better job telling our story of job satisfaction and co-op employees’ happiness with their employment situation. And we have to start young: Kids start talking about what they want to do when they grow up in the third or fourth grade.” Obrycki’s work includes finding ways to recruit talented people in their late 20s or early 30s to come to work for the cooperative. She acknowledges that those age groups don’t place utility jobs among their priorities, adding, “Most co-ops are pretty rural, and attracting young people to work outside urban areas is a challenge.” “Gone are the days of posting an ad in the newspaper,” Obrycki said. “You have to be aggressive and go looking.” One method: Review local high school yearbooks looking for people who might have taken urban jobs, search them out on LinkedIn, and see if you find 30-year-olds in needed professions who might be ready to come back home and raise families.

Aliesha Crowe

“We hear about the ‘brain drain’ and rural areas losing their young people but I think we should be more optimistic,” Obrycki said. “People want to go back home, live near their parents, and give their kids the chance to grow up where they did.” An advantage she identiﬁes is that co-ops tend to be “smaller organizations—especially in the engineering area—and young people like to work in small organizations where they have bigger impact.” Obrycki emphasized that recruitment mustn’t focus on just one age group. “We need to look at veterans and retirees who have knowledge and experience and want to work part-time,” she said, stressing the importance of “having the experienced worker’s body of knowledge transferred to somebody within the organization so it’s not lost when they retire. That’s a huge part of preparing for the next generation workforce and the long-term good of the organization.”

Good Attitudes Wanted Along with Bill Gneiser and Chris Krause of Adams-Columbia and Oconto Electric Cooperatives, respectively, Obrycki represents all of Wisconsin’s electric cooperatives in the Wisconsin Energy Workforce Consortium, a group bringing all the state’s investor-owned and municipal utilities and the co-ops together with the technical colleges to make sure their curriculum prepares students with the job skills utilities need. The needs aren’t necessarily obvious or conﬁned to the hard skills of the job itself. For instance, Obrycki said, “If the program doesn’t require participants to maintain a driving record that keeps them eligible for a CDL (commercial

driver’s license,) nothing else will matter.” Technical colleges are aware of the interviewing and screening techniques cooperatives use to assess an employment candidate’s “soft skills,” Obrycki said. “Co-op hiring strategy looks for things like integrity, honesty, communication skills, and good habits like showing up on time,” she explained. “You can teach the job skills but you can’t teach integrity. If you hire good people, the job skills and the technical aspects will come naturally to a person with a good attitude.” Good attitudes can make a lot of things happen. Aliesha Crowe told us CVTC wouldn’t have been able to build its Energy Education Center without “many great partnerships involving local businesses, the energy sector, and especially the rural electric cooperatives.” The next step is to build “great partnerships” between electric cooperatives and the thousands of people who will soon be working for them but don’t know it yet. —Dave Hoopman

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There’s an app for that Smart homes help manage energy use

ver-growing numbers of U.S. households subscribe to highspeed, broadband Internet service, and most of them are blanketed in WiFi networks. This means those households are already high-speed Internet gateways, and Americans are increasingly filling them with more connected devices than ever—expanding their universe of products beyond “traditional” networked devices like computers and smartphones to include smart appliances, streaming media players, smart thermostats, and other devices that can communicate with each other and the Internet. These growing home networks—often referred to as smart homes, connected homes, or referenced as the “Internet of Things” by technology media—can be leveraged for a variety of applications, including security, convenience, health, entertainment, and energy management.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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Homeowners use networks for a variety of purposes, including security, productivity, and entertainment, but as network connectivity and control expand to larger residential end uses like appliances, HVAC, lighting, and electronics, these networks can increasingly be leveraged for energy monitoring and energy efficiency. At their most basic, home energy networks provide information on energy use and control over connected devices. Forget to turn off the lights or turn down the thermostat before going on vacation? Need to see how much money your home is spending to run laundry equipment? With home energy networks, there’s an app for that. Advanced home energy networks can analyze use trends, suggest behavior changes, automate/optimize the setup of certain devices, and frequently provide mobile apps to centralize settings and controls. A well-known example is the Nest Learning Thermostat, which users train to recognize their temperature preferences and away-from-home schedules. The more complicated the network and the greater number of connected devices, the deeper the potential energy savings and the more sophisticated these “orchestrations” become. In the most advanced systems, homeowners can create scenarios that effectively provide a “sleep” or “standby” mode for the entire house. Of course, home energy networks require a lot more than a smartphone and

software wizardry. There can be significant hardware investments, and many times products from one vendor can’t control products from another. Getting everything to work seamlessly from one app is the goal, but often homeowners have to use multiple apps from multiple vendors for products to work. We are still in the early stages of the smart home revolution, but there’s no denying it—advancements are taking place every day, and more and more people are discovering the convenience of controlling things remotely.

Home Smart Home

Communications modules inside some appliances and wall outlets can use a home’s Wi-Fi to send and receive simple messages from a connected home energy network. Other smart home components include remotely controlled thermostats and, potentially, the capability to link to the electric grid so appliances can better take advantage of off-peak rates, when electricity is less expensive. “Smart homes have a lot of potential, but whether that potential can be realized depends on so many factors— namely, whether your home has highspeed Internet,” said Brian Sloboda, a senior program manager specializing in energy efficiency for the Cooperative Research Network, the research and development arm of the Arlington, Va.based National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. “You also have to talk to your electric cooperative about whether it has special rate structures that will allow you to use smart appliances to

A “smart plug” is a wall outlet with a communications module that uses a home’s Wi-Fi to send and receive simple messages from a connected home energy network. It plugs into the regular outlet like any other device. Source: GE.

In 2011, Nest Labs released the Nest smart thermostat, which takes the guesswork out of personal energy management by learning from your behaviors and setting itself. Source: Nest.

their full value.” The aim of smart homes, Sloboda explains, is to increase convenience for homeowners while saving energy and money for both consumers and the utility. Consumers would be able to control various devices and potentially see lower electric bills, while their electric utility could shift load from peak times—which ends up saving money for everyone by avoiding the need to purchase expensive peak-time power or even build new power plants to meet growing demand. A few electric cooperatives around the country are performing studies to determine if home energy networks might benefit co-op members, but all are December 2015

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in the early stages. Currently, the biggest bang for the buck comes from remotely controlling a home’s automated thermostat because many consumers do not program them. To see real energy savings from a home energy network, consumers should work in partnership with their local electric cooperative, Sloboda emphasizes. “Some app developers have suggested that consumers could use their smartphones to pre-heat the oven while driving home—is anybody really going to use that? We have to see more research before this concept gets off the ground.” Laura Moorefield consults for utilities, state and federal governments, and non-profits on energy efficiency, renewables, and program design. Laura founded Moorefield Research & Consulting, LLC in 2013. Peter May-Ostendorp is the founder of Xergy Consulting. He has been investigating emerging energy savings opportunities in buildings since 2004. Brian Sloboda is a program manger specializing in energy efficiency for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. Magen Howard wrote on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service organization for the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, notfor-profit electric cooperatives.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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Santa Claus

is coming to town It’s time to start baking your Christmas treats, and no treat is complete without butter. This month’s recipes are courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board.

Candy Cane Cookies 1 cup unsalted butter 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp almond ﬂavoring 1 cup chopped almonds 2 cups all-purpose ﬂour

Icing

2 cups powdered sugar 2 to 3 Tbsp milk Approximately 4 to 6 crushed candy canes 20

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine butter, sugar, salt, and flavoring into large electric mixer bowl and beat until fluffy. Stir in almonds and flour until well blended. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a rope and form into a candy cane shape. Place on well-buttered or parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat using all of the dough to make 20 to 24 cookies. Bake until slightly browned, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on pan until slightly firm, then carefully remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Icing: Stir powdered sugar and milk together. Add food coloring, if desired. Drizzle on cookies and sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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Eggnog Sparkle Cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large egg yolks 1/2 cup purchased eggnog 2-1/2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Topping

2.25 ounces (1 jar) red decorating sugar (1/3 cup) 1 tsp ground cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and granulated sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks until combined. Add eggnog. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and nutmeg; add to butter mixture beating until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate dough 2 hours or until firm. Topping: Combine topping ingredients on paper plate. Roll dough into 1-inch diameter balls; roll in topping mixture. Place 2 inches apart on lightly buttered cookie sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until set.

St. Nicholas Day Cookies 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed 3 Tbsp milk 3 cups flour 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1-1/2 tsp ground cloves 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg 3/4 tsp ground ginger 1/8 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp salt 2-1/2 sticks (1-1/4 cup) butter, cut into pieces In small bowl, whisk together brown sugar and milk; set aside. In a large bowl or the work bowl of a food processor, whisk together flour, cinnamon,

Spritz Cookies

3 sticks (1-1/2 cups) butter, room temp. 1 cup granulated sugar 1 large egg, plus 1 yolk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp almond extract 3-1/2 to 4 cups flour, sifted 1 tsp baking powder Colored sugar, decorative sprinkles and cinnamon candies for decoration

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly cream together butter and sugar, beating for 2 minutes. Add egg, egg yolk, vanilla, and almond extracts; beat well. Sift together 3-1/2 cups flour and baking powder; add gradually to creamed mixture, mixing to form a soft, but not sticky, dough. (If dough is sticky, add additional flour in small amounts until proper consistency is reached.) Fill cookie press; press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets. Decorate with colored sugar or cinnamon candies or decorative sprinkles. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Store in airtight containers. May be frozen.

Gingerbread Men 3-1/4 cups flour 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground cloves 1 cup butter

cloves, nutmeg, ginger, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or drop into feed tube of processor with machine running. Blend until mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in brown sugar mixture, mixing well. Form dough into two 7x2 inch rolls and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll dough out on lightly floured board to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Dip cookie cutters in flour before cutting out cookies. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until cookie edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 1 minute and then transfer to wire racks. Cool and decorate with favorite icing or royal icing.

3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 large egg 1/2 cup molasses 1 cup powdered sugar, divided 2 Tbsp milk

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Scrape bowl, add egg and molasses, and beat until smooth. Scrape down bowl and add reserved flour mixture. Blend on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix. Separate dough into 3 balls and flatten into disks. Place each disk in a re-closable plastic bag and remove excess air. Refrigerate 1â€“2 hours. On a floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Flour a gingerbread man cookie cutter and cut out dough with cutter. Place on a greased baking sheet about 1/2-inch apart. Gather scraps and re-roll dough until all is used. Bake 9 to 11 minutes in 350 degree heated oven. Transfer to a flat surface and cool. In a small bowl, combine powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Spoon icing into a pastry bag with a small round tip and decorate cookies as desired. December 2015

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Eggnog Sparkle Cookies 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 2 large egg yolks 1/2 cup purchased eggnog 2-1/2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Topping

2.25 ounces (1 jar) red decorating sugar (1/3 cup) 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Spritz Cookies

Gingerbread Men 3-1/4 cups flour 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground cloves 1 cup butter

ginger, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender or drop into feed tube of processor with machine running. Blend until mixture resembles cornmeal. Stir in brown sugar mixture, mixing well. Form dough into two 7x2 inch rolls and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out. Roll dough out on lightly floured board to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Dip cookie cutters in flour before cutting out cookies. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until cookie edges are lightly browned. Cool on baking sheet 1 minute and then transfer to wire racks. Cool and decorate with favorite icing or royal icing.

3/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 large egg 1/2 cup molasses 1 cup powdered sugar, divided 2 Tbsp milk

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RECIPE EXCHANGE WECN incorrectly credited Ms. Geraldine Withrow of Tomah for providing us with a blood sausage recipe in our September magazine. Shirley Washebek, Pound, Wis. actually submitted the recipe. We regret the error.

Cucumber Salad

3 medium cucumbers peeled and sliced 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup mayonnaise 4 Tbsp sour cream 1/4 cup sugar 4 Tbsp chopped onion 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp mustard

3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup vinegar 1 onion, cut 1 green pepper, cut

Jo Ann Fenlon, Francis Creek

Sandra Fritz, Owen

Sprinkle peeled and sliced cucumbers with 1/2 tsp salt and let sit for 30 minutes. In a small bowl combine mayonnaise, sour cream, sugar, onions, pepper, and mustard. Stir well and pour over cucumbers.

Gerald Majors, Pardeeville

3 cucumbers sliced 1 large onion 1 cup Miracle Whip 1/2 tsp sugar 4 Tbsp milk Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill for 1 hour before serving.

REQUESTS from our

READERS

Dorothy Oesterreich, Phillips, is looking for a recipe for Swedish meatballs. If you can help, have a request of your own, or would like to submit a recipe for publication, please write to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, What’s Cooking? 1 S. Pinckney St., Suite 810, Madison, WI 53703-2869 or contact us via our website, www.wecnmagazine.com. Thanks!

{

Marietta Papenthien, Platteville

7–8 cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1 red onion, sliced 1 green pepper, sliced 2 tsp celery seed 1 Tbsp salt 2 cups sugar 1 cup vinegar Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate.

Peel and slice cucumbers. Place in a bowl of cold water and sprinkle with salt and let sit for about an hour. Drain water. Mix together sugar and vinegar until sugar is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and add green peppers and onions.

Cucumber Salad

Russ’ Cucumber Salad Russ Myers, Necedah

2 medium cucumbers 1 medium onion 1/3 cup cider vinegar 1/3 cup water 2 Tbsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper Thinly slice cucumbers and onion. Place vegetables in a medium-size storage container. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate (stirring occasionally) for at least three hours.

THROWBACK RECIPE

from our first year (1940–1941) Each month through next June, we’ll highlight a retro recipe.

Norwegian Fattigamand Bakkles (Poor Man’s Cake) From the December 15, 1941 Edition of Wisconsin REA News

1 Tbsp cream 1 Tbsp sugar

1 egg Flour to roll out

Beat egg well. Add sugar and cream and enough ﬂour to roll out. Roll thin, cut in diagonal shape, and fry in deep fat until a golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar. Keep in a cool place.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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Light up your holidays AT ROTARY BOTANICAL GARDENS

f you’re looking for some holiday spirit, you’re sure to find it at Rotary Botanical Gardens in Janesville. You can’t miss it, really—not with the 370,000 twinkling lights that illuminate the 20-acre grounds at this time of year. If the lights alone don’t do it, there are still all the animated displays, the child-size elf workshop and Santa house, the festive music performed by area musicians, and the electric model train winding through a miniature Christmas village to fill you with holiday cheer.

Beautiful at any time of the year with its 24-plus themed garden areas, Rotary Botanical Gardens really shines in December during the annual Holiday Light Show. During this season, the grounds come alive with rows of decorated evergreens, icicle lights dangling from the tallest trees, 100 brilliantly lit archways, 2,500 glowing luminarias lining the wintry garden paths, 50 giant candy canes, and 100 individual displays, all designed to give visitors an up-close and personal holiday experience. “This light show is unique because it’s a walk-through,” said Susan Melton, marketing director for the Rotary Botanical Gardens and a member of Rock Energy Cooperative. “It’s the only one of its kind in the region. There’s no drive-through at all, so it’s a very interactive experience.”

Photo courtesy of Marsha Mood; inset photo courtesy of Caitlin Duncan

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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WISCONSIN FAVORITES Now in its 20th year, the light show has grown steadily each year since it started as the much more modest Winter Wonderland Walk with 15,000 lights. This year’s light show promises to be even bigger and better than ever, with 15,000 more lights than last year’s display featured. “We’re really excited about a couple of new offerings this year,” Melton said. “First, we’ve expanded the route so the path will go through the Woodland Walk Garden, right out to where the gazebo is. We’re also going to have a free shuttle on the busiest nights, December 17–23, to make getting to and from the show easier.” Melton explained that on those evenings, visitors can park at Dawson Field a couple of blocks away and hop on a shuttle that will take them right to the front door of the Gardens. Also, Selfie Stops & Photo Opps will be back by popular demand. Introduced last year, these are places within the garden paths that are set up with fun holiday props and stunning backdrops where guests can pause and take pictures. (see photo inset on opposite page). Those who stop for selfies are invited to post their photos on the Rotary Botanical Gardens Facebook and Instagram pages between December 11 and January 3, 2016. All who post selfies will be entered in a drawing to win $50. Melton attributed some of last year’s explosion in attendance—more than 27,000, double the attendance figure from the previous year—to the success of the Selfie Stops & Photo

Opps feature, which generated a lot of enthusiasm among visitors and helped spread word of the Holiday Light Show far and wide. “We had people of all ages, from parents with little kids to grandmas and grandpas, post some great selﬁes,” she said. Although the spectacular light displays are the main event of the Holiday Light Show, added attractions turn it into a full holiday experience. Santa makes his visit December 19–23, arriving about 5:30 p.m. each of those evenings. Melton said families are welcome to take their own photos with Santa at no additional charge. Live reindeer and camels will be on hand in the Reception Garden on December 21 and 22. Inside the Gardens’ Parker Education Center, guests can warm up with seasonal concessions including hot cocoa, cider, pizza, and cookies; enjoy the 20-foot model train display by the Wisconsin Garden Railway Train Society; marvel over the hand-sewn quilts by the Rock County Quilter’s Guild; and shop for unique holiday gifts created by Wisconsin artists in the Cottage Garden Gallery. A variety of local musicians provide a backdrop of holiday music throughout the season. Melton said the Holiday Light Show’s success is in large part thanks to the many dedicated volunteers who work alongside staff each year transforming the Rotary Botanical Gardens into a magical winter wonderland. As the show has grown each year, so has its impact.

Photo courtesy of Tom Rife

“In addition to being a beloved community and regional event, the Holiday Light Show serves as a major fundraiser for Rotary Botanical Gardens and creates signiﬁcant economic impact to Janesville,” Melton said. “Last year, the show attracted a record-breaking 27,035 attendees. Many of the Holiday

“This light show

is unique because it’s a

walk-through.” Susan Melton, Rotary Botanical Gardens marketing director Light Show visitors came from not only local communities, but also traveled from Madison, Milwaukee, Rockford, and Chicago.” That’s a lot of holiday spirit to deliver; fortunately, there’s more than enough of it to go around at the Rotary Botanical Gardens Holiday Light Show.— Mary Erickson Rotary Botanical Gardens is located at 1455 Palmer Drive, Janesville. The Holiday Light Show will be open December 11–13, 17–23, 26–27, with bonus days (light show only) January 2–3, 2016. Tickets are available online at rotarybotanicalgardens. org or at the Cottage Garden Gallery Gift Shop as well as several local businesses. For more information, visit the website listed above or call 608-752-3885.

Photo courtesy of Marsha Mood December 2015

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YOUNG MEMBERS

Kids and Critters December 2015

1. Samuel and Diesel are all decked out in their Christmas sweaters. Photo submitted by Samuel’s grandma, Renee Leidel, a member of Riverland Energy. 2. Liberty serves as a useful armrest for Jordan while on her phone. Photo submitted by Judy Gilles, member of Eau Claire Energy. 3. Irie loves feline friends Moe and Milo. Photo submitted by Lacy Boone. Irie is the great granddaughter of Joyce Emmert Frisbie, a member of Jump River Electric.

4. Kinsley and Sadie are the best of buds. Photo sent in by grandparents Mike and Dori Conlin, members of Oakdale Electric. Send photos of kids with animals, along with a brief description, to WECN Magazine, 1 S. Pinckney Street, Suite 810, Madison, WI 53703. By submitting, sender implies that he/she has rights to and owns the image, and grants WECN permission to use the image. By submitting, the parent or legal guardian also authorizes us the right to publish the image. Please include the name of your electric co-op. Photos will be returned. If in good-resolution, electronic format, photos may also be submitted via email to tina.walden@cooperativenetwork.coop. Thanks!

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TV Talk Show Doctor’s Shocking revelation. If you suffer bouts of acid reflux, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas or IBS; beware of digestion remedies like Prilosec ®, Prevacid ® and Nexium ®... They Can Cripple You! By Damian Wexler, Freelance Health Reporter Recently, medical professionals and alternative medicine experts have taken to the airways to reveal a simple secret that amazed millions who suffer with digestion nightmares. And people haven’t stopped talking about it since. Real Customer Testimonial:

For the better part of my life I purposely avoided a lot of foods. Especially ones with even a tiny bit of seasoning. Because if I didn’t, I’d experience a burning sensation through my esophagus- like somebody poured hot lead or battery acid down my throat. Add to that those disgusting “mini-throw ups” and I was in “indigestion hell”. Doctors put me on all sorts of antacid remedies. But nothing worked. Or if they did, it would only be for a brief period. And then boom! My nightmare would return. Then one day at dinner, a friend of mine said, “Why don’t you try an aloe drink?” I said, “Aloe drink? Jeez. That doesn’t sound good at all!” The next day he brought me a case of something called AloeCure® I was shocked! AloeCure® tasted pretty good too. It has a pleasant grape flavor that I actually enjoy drinking. I decided to experiment. I stopped taking the PPIs altogether and replaced it with a daily diet of AloeCure® Then something remarkable happened - NOTHING! Not even the slightest hint of indigestion. And here’s the best part. The next day we had Italian food - my worst enemy. But for the first time in 40 years I didn’t need pills or tablets to avoid indigestion. Thank you AloeCure®! - Ralph Burns

“I’d give anything to make it stop!”

That’s what most people will tell you when asked about their digestive problems. “It’s just horrible,” says Ralph Burns, a former digestion victim. “I was tortured for years by my Acid-Reflux.”

FDA Warns About Popular Antacids

A recent FDA warning explained that excessive use of antacids could lead to an increased risk of hip, wrist, and spine fractures. Especially in people over the age of 50. So when AloeCure® was presented on National TV, you can imagine how thrilled people were to find out they could finally get relief. Now, your stomach problems could be over by simply drinking a small amount of a tasty Aloe Vera extract everyday. It’s as simple as that!

Finally There’s Hope...

At first, the thought of drinking aloe vera might make some people back away. But in fact, this delicious “digestion cocktail” is doing amazing things for people who suffer with digestive problems --- even if they’ve had them for years. Here’s how it works…

Stop Stomach Indigestion

Your stomach naturally produces acid so strong, it can dissolve an aluminum spoon in just 30 minutes! And when excess acid escapes into your esophagus, throat and stomach lining, it unleashes discomfort and more misery. Add the problems of stress, and “all heck breaks loose.” Dr. Liza Leal, a well known expert on chronic pain management explains... “The AloeCure® can work genuine miracles. It buffers high acid levels with amazing speed. So your stomach feels completely at ease just moments after drinking it.” In fact, it could wipe out stomach discomfort and frantic runs to the bathroom.

Until Now, Little Could Be Done...

But “AloeCure® can help virtually anyone. Even people with chronic stomach indigestion can start to feel better right away,” says Dr. Leal. And what’s really exciting is AloeCure® aids in keeping your digestive tract healthy, so with regular use intestinal distress stops coming back. As Ralph Burns goes on to say, “I know AloeCure® never claimed to be a substitute for drug store products and is only meant to be a helpful supplement. Now though, AloeCure® is the only product I need for all my digestion issues”

Digestion Defender #1: Balances Stomach Acid

Your first line of defense is calcium malate. This natural acid buffer instantly sends stomach acid levels plunging. And holds acid levels down so they are not likely to return!

Doctor recommended AloeCure® may be the most important application ever discovered for digestive health!

Digestion Defender #2: Instant, Soothing Relief

AloeCure® is brimming with polysaccharides, a “wonder” compound that gently coats the throat, esophagus and stomach, carrying instant relief to cells scorched by excess acid.

Here’s What Doctors Are Saying!

AloeCure® is backed by important scientific studies that confirm... aloe calms stomach acid and allows your body to heal itself. Dr. Liza Leal, M.D & Chief Medical Officer at Meridian Medical. says, “That’s why I recommend it to patients who suffer from bouts of heartburn, Acid-Reflux, ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome...” Dr. Santiago Rodriguez agrees. “Just two ounces of AloeCure® reduces the acids in your stomach by ten times.” Francisco DeWeever, a Certified Nutritional Microscopist, “My patients report their IBS, Crohn’s, Colitis, Constipation, Acid-Reflux and a host of other digestive problems have all but disappeared.” After conducting an unpaid investigation about AloeCure® claims and success stories, pure Aloe Vera extract like AloeCure® may be the most important application ever discovered for digestive health.

Safe And Easy To Use

With no sugar, no stimulants, and zero calories, AloeCure®is safe and all-natural. It’s tasty, drug-free, and simple to use. Just drink two ounces, once in the morning, and once at night, and start enjoying immediate relief! The makers of AloeCure® have agreed to send you up to 6 FREE bottles PLUS 2 free bonus gifts with your order— they’re yours to keep no matter what. That’s enough AloeCure® for 30 days of powerful digestive relief, absolutely free! To order simply call our toll free hotline: 1-800-443-6858. But hurry! This is a special introductory offer, reserved for our readers only. Call now, supplies are limited!

THESE STATEMENTS HAVE NOT BEEN EVALUATED BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT INTENDED TO DIAGNOSE, TREAT, CURE, OR PREVENT ANY DISEASE. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY. *ALOECURE IS NOT A DRUG. IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY TAKING A PRESCRIPTION DRUG YOU SHOULD CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE USE. FOR THE FULL FDA PUBLISHED WARNING PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.FDA.GOV/DOWNLOADS/FORCONSUMERS/CONSUMERUPDATES/UCM213307

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CLASSIFIEDS MISCELLANEOUS

COLLECTOR BUYING WAR SOUVENIRS: German, Japanese, U.S. weapons, medals, helmets, daggers, swords, military items. 715-344-5031. INDUSTRIAL POND LINERS, “THE LINER GUYS!” Frac Sand Lagoon liners, industrial Liners, Farm Pond Liners, GCL Liners, Geotextiles; materials and labor will meet or exceed NRCS and state specifications. www.thelinerguys. com Canamer Services Inc. 608-687-9800 Fountain City, WI. QUALITY ANTIQUES & CLOCKS, COLLECTIBLES, HOME-DONE GIFTS, 100+ VINTAGE TRACTORS. Historic Farmer’s Store building. Please call for hours 715-837-1919. Old Farmers Mercantile, Dallas, WI. GOT WOOD! NEW PORTABLE SAWMILLS. We sell Forestry Equipment for the hobbyist to the professional. Band Sawmills, Firewood Processors, Skidding Winches & More. A-F County Market an authorized Hudson Forest Equipment Dealer. Adams WI 53910. Phone Joe or Rich 608-339-6703. WANTED: PAYING CASH FOR WW-2 GERMAN, JAPANESE FLAGS, DAGGERS, SWORDS, GUNS, ETC. 715-340-1974. USED PORTABLE SAWMILLS! Buy/Sell. Call Sawmill Exchange 800-459-2148, 205-969-0007, USA & Canada. www.sawmillexchange.com. TARPS—HEAVY DUTY, 16’ x 50’, hemmed. Expired billboard faces. $50 each or 12’ x 38’ – $35 each. Shipping not included. Tarps can also be picked up at Jones Sign, 1711 Scheuring Road, De Pere, WI 54115. 800-536-7446. DOG/CAT BEDS. Durable comfort—made of marine grade mesh and PVC. Washable. Money back guarantee. Small-X-large 715-559-4439. WANTED: DEER TAGS, back tags. Trapping, bear, hunting, and fishing licenses. Otter, bobcat, fisher tags. Any old traps. David Schober, W4234 Rock Creek Rd., Loyal, WI 54446. 715-255-9284. TORNADO/STORM SHELTERS. 4 person-30 person. TimberLake Homes; corner of Hwys. 13 and 21. Friendship, WI. 608-339-4663. WANTED TO BUY, Late 20’s through 30’s panel truck to fix up. Will consider any condition. Call Sam 715–864–5715.

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MISSISSIPPI RIVERFRONT COMMERCIAL PROPERTY FOR SALE. 1.125 acres, 3 buildings, boat docks, south of Trempealeau dam #6. Option to purchase existing bar, grill, bait business. Contact hungrypoint@gmail.com or 608-792-2567.

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REAL ESTATE MANUFACTURED, MODULAR HOMES, SINGLEWIDES USED HOMES. TimberLake Homes; corner of Hwys. 13 & 21. Friendship, WI 608-339-4663. NORTHWEST WISCONSIN BAR AND DINER. Priced to sell. Please call for details. 715-264-2646. Serious inquiries only please. LAND FOR SALE. Two approx. 10-acre wooded parcels in Portage County. Merryland Road, Town of Sharon. $6,000 per acre. Also, 1.55acre lakefront property with 173 feet of Lake Frontage in Three Lakes on Virgin Lake in Oneida County. Great for residential development $149,000.00 Contact 715-592-4138 or 715-347-6495. VICTORIAN. 5 bedroom home with the opportunity to personalize it, many of the components have been upgraded and needs your finishing touches. Coldwell Banker Hilgenberg Realtors, www.hilgenbergrealtors.com, 715-526-6148. $150,000 SR6075.

PLANTS & SHRUBS SPRUCE TREES 7-8 FOOT TALL AND THICK. They are balled and burlaped and ready to plant for $79.99. Delivery and planting may be available depending on distance. Call Peter Stellas Farm at 608-981-2169, or go to peterstellasfarm.com. HARDWOOD AND CONIFER SEEDLINGS AND TRANSPLANTS. Thousands available, Oak, Maple, Cherry, Highbred Poplar, Dogwoods, Hazelnut, Balsam Fir, Fraser Fir, Spruce, Pine, Cedar, Fruit trees, Jumbo transplants, Large bareroot shade trees. Hundreds of 3-5 foot conifers of all species at wholesale prices. Check us out on the web at www.paintcreeknursery.com, Facebook and YouTube also. Paint Creek Nursery, Cadott, WI. 715-723-2072.

TRAVEL & CAMPING WINTER GET AWAY! Travel to south Texas (RGV). For rent or sale. 40’ 5th wheel with 3 slide outs. 14 x 14 bedroom with a full bath addition. Nice sub-division living. Call Frank Smith at 715-505-2705. TRAVEL TRAILER. 1996 Layton 19’, sleeps 3, in Adams County. Excellent condition. Call Dennis 414-405-1910. MISSISSIPPI RIVER—CHECK IT OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST! Multi-day, assisted cruises. You rent the houseboat; as your guest, I pilot the vessel. Prefer Retirees. 414-731-8241. Ferryville, WI. LOOKING FOR A GIFT IDEA? Consider giving a gift subscription to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News! The price is just $10 per year for 12 issues or $28 for three years (36 issues). Include subscriber’s name, address, city, state, Zip Code, and check payable to WECN. Mail to: WECN, 1 S. Pinckney Street, Ste. 810, Madison WI 53703.

Classified ads reach more than 163,000 mailboxes. RATES: For non-members of Wisconsin rural electric co-ops: one insertion, $25 minimum (up to 20 words); additional words, $1.25 each. For members of Wisconsin rural electric co-ops: one insertion, $14 minimum (up to 20 words); additional words, $.70 each. Count name, address, and phone number as part of ad. Please include zip code. FOR PROOF OF MEMBERSHIP, please include your address label from your copy of the magazine. FREQUENCY DISCOUNTS: 2% discount for 3 months; 5% for 6 months; 10% for 12 months. DEADLINE: 1st of the month prior to the month in which the ad is to appear. All classified ads must be paid in advance. There is no agency discount on classifieds. Make check or money order payable to: Cooperative Network. Mail to: WECN, Attn. Tina Walden, 1 S. Pinckney St., Suite 810, Madison, WI 53703. Ph: 608-258-4400. Email tina.walden@cooperativenetwork.coop.

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Dec 15_adsPasted.indd 29

11/2/15 2:34 PM

WISCONSIN EVENTS 1-31 Holiday Boutique––Brule. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Gifts-Drawings-Free Demos. 715-372-4160.

6 Holiday Craft Fair—Fountain City. CFC School, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. 160 booths, free admission, food, entertainment, more.

7 Polka Variety Dance—Pound. Equity Park Ballroom, 1–5 p.m., Valenta Orchestra.

5 Opening for Festival of Trees—Tigerton. Village Hall. 715-535-2110.

6 Christmas Fair—Fall Creek. Fire House, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Door prizes, noon lunch, crafts, cookies, Lefsa, more. 715-286-5014.

7 St. Charles Advent Breakfast—Cassville. St. Charles School, 9 a.m.–12:00 p.m., Santa’s workshop, rafﬂe, and visit from Santa. 608-725-5173.

6 Holiday Marketplace—Holcombe. Lake Holcombe School, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Crafts, fresh wreaths, food, pictures with Frosty. 715-595-4241.

12 Free Movie, Popcorn, and Candy— Fairchild. Church of Hope, 7 p.m., It’s a Wonderful Life. 715-533-5650.

5 Christmas Parade & Tree Lighting— Phillips. Courthouse lawn and downtown, 6 p.m. Parade, tree lighting, caroling. 715-339-4100. 5 Scandinavian Bake Sale––Tomah. Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 8 a.m. 608-372-4758. 5 Polka Variety Dances—Pound. Equity Park Ballroom, 1–5 p.m. Valenta Orchestra. 5 Art Show—Holmen. American Legion, 10:00 a.m.–4 p.m., ﬁne crafts show, free admission.. 608-526-2255. 5 Christmas Fair––Fall Creek. Fire House, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Crafts, baked goods & more. 5 Christkindl Festival––Black River Falls. Black River Country Bank. Parade at 3 p.m. 715-284-4658.

6 Kitchen Extravaganza—Phillips. The 5 Senses, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 715-339-2777. 6 “Creative Christmas” Christmas Cookie, Bake Goods, and Homemade Crafts Sale— Redgranite. First Congregational UCC, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. 920-566-4666.

12 Cookie Walk––Bowler. Grace Bible Church, 9 a.m.–1p.m. 13 Snowshoe Habitat Hike—Necedah. National Wildlife Refuge, 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. Free. 608-565-2551.

6 Christmas in Cassville—Cassville. Parade of Homes, decorating contests, wagon rides, parade, ﬁreworks, holiday open houses. 608-725-5855.

13 4-H Cookie Walk and Craft Sale— Pleasant Valley. Town Hall and Fire Station, 10 a.m.–1 p.m., hot lunch.

5-31 Annual Holiday Show––Brule. Oulu Glass Gallery, Glassblowing-GiftsPrizes-Classes. 715-372-4160. 5, 6 Christmas Craft Sale—Wittenberg. WOWSPACE, Fri. 3–8 p.m.; Sat. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. One-stop Christmas shopping. 715-253-3525.

6 Finnish Independence Day Celebration— Brantwood. Comm. Cen., 2 p.m. dinner; 4 p.m. Finnish history program. Mojakka (stew) meal. 715-564-2520.

5, 6 Christmas Open House––Mauston. Boorman House, 12–7 p.m. 608–847–7661.

6, 7 Nutcracker Christmas—Mauston. Boorman House, 12–7 p.m.

6 Santa Visit and Bake Sale—Rio. Community Library, 10 a.m.–noon. Santa arrives by ﬁre truck at 10 a.m. Visit with Santa and get a free picture. Goody bags, kids crafts. 920-992-3206.

12 Christmas Home Tour—Ladysmith. 100 E. Park Ave., 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Many Christmas trees, gifts, refreshments. Tickets $5. Proceeds beneﬁt Harvest of Talents.

6 Bazaar—Phillips. United Methodist Church, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Luncheon and cookie walk. 715-339-4406.

6 Barn Quilts Workshop—Phillips. Friends of Fred Smith Wisconsin Concrete Park, 1–4 p.m. Registration, $6 fee required. 715-339-7282.

5–7 Madrigal Dinner—Phillips. Club 13, Fri. & Sat. 6:30–9 p.m.; Sun. 5:30–8 p.m. Dinner, fun, Renaissance style. Reservations required. 715-339-2057.

December 2015

6, 7 Old-Fashioned Christmas—Coon Valley. Norskedalen Center, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 608-452-3424. 6 Farm Toy Show and Breakfast–– Lancaster. High School, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Breakfast; $6/adults and $3/ children 6–12. 608-794-2488.

6 Christmas Bazaar—Phillips. United Methodist Church, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. Luncheon, crafts, bakery, door prizes.

6, 7, 13 “A Northwoods Noel”—Danbury. The Forts Folle Avoine Historic Park, Sat. 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sun. 11 a.m.–4 p.m. Sleigh rides, Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus, live holiday music, storytelling, food. 715-866-8890.

6 Christmas Bazaar—Muscoda. St. John’s, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Gifts, crafts, bake sale, lunch. 608-669-0806.

6,7,8,13,14,15, 20, 21, 22 A Great Christmas Gift: Beginner Glassblowing classes––Brule. 715-372-4160.

13 Fill Your Stockings—Fairchild. Church of Hope, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., homemade cookies, crafts, gifts, treasures. 13 Christmas in Bruce—Bruce. Fire Hall for craft show, 9 a.m. Village Hall, free soup; horse-drawn rides; pie/ice cream at Legion Hall. 715-532-5972. 14 Cookie Walk & Christmas Item Sale— Wittenberg. Community Bible Church, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., 715-881-0148. 14 Christmas Concert—Loyal. Trinity Lutheran Church, 2 p.m., Free, refreshments following performance. Wisconsin Events is a public service for our readers. Submissions should be received by the first of the month prior to the month in which the event will occur. Due to space limits, we may need to eliminate details, so be sure to include a phone number (with area code) where callers may obtain more info. If we receive more listings than space allows us to print, we reserve the right to select those we believe will be of interest to the greatest number of readers. Send listings to: Events, WECN, 1 S. Pinckney St., Suite 810, Madison, WI 53703 or to tina.walden@cooperativenetwork.coop.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

Events Dec 2015.indd 1

11/17/15 12:24 PM

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WATERFURNACE UNITS QUALIFY FOR A 30% FEDERAL TAX CREDIT

You may not realize it, but your home is sitting on a free and renewable supply of energy. A WaterFurnace geothermal comfort system taps into the stored solar energy in your own backyard to provide savings of up to 70% on heating, cooling and hot water. That’s money in the bank and a smart investment in your family’s comfort. Contact your local WaterFurnace dealer todayto learn how to tap into your buried treasure. YOUR LOCAL WATERFURNACE DEALERS

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