Ohio Cooperative Living – April 2025 - Midwest

Electric lineworkers put their lives on the line to power Ohio. Honor fallen lineworkers and support their families when you renew your Ohio license plates.

OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • APRIL 2025

Thank you, lineworkers

Ithink we all can relate to the amazing feeling of those sunny, 70-degree days that start coming regularly in April, giving us hope that winter is finally over. We also know that crushing feeling of 30 degrees and snow the next day — bringing us back to the reality that winter isn’t quite finished with us yet.

It’s a time of year I mentally prepare myself for a new golf season, and many of our farmers start to deploy the planting strategies they put together during the winter. It’s also a time to honor those who work tirelessly — in all weather — to ensure our safety and comfort.

April is Lineworker Appreciation Month, a time to recognize and celebrate the invaluable contributions of the individuals who diligently work to keep our lights on. It’s a chance for us to express our gratitude for their dedication and the sacrifices they make to keep our communities powered and safe.

It’s easy to take for granted the comforts and conveniences that electricity provides — from the lights that illuminate our homes to the devices that keep us connected. Our lives are dependent on lineworkers, whose work is not only physically demanding but also requires a high level of skill and expertise to handle the complex and potentially dangerous tasks involved in maintaining our power infrastructure. Their dedication and commitment to their jobs ensure that we can continue to enjoy the amenities that make our lives easier and more comfortable.

Whether facing freezing cold, scorching heat, or unpredictable storms that can strike at any time, lineworkers are always on the front lines, making sure electricity keeps flowing to our homes and businesses.

There are lots of ways we can acknowledge the vital role that lineworkers play in our lives. They always appreciate a simple wave, a note of thanks, or members participating in events that honor their work.

So, to our co-op lineworkers around Ohio, let me be the first to extend my thanks and appreciation for your hard work and dedication. Your contributions are truly invaluable, and we are grateful for all you do.

Craig Grooms PRESIDENT & CEO OHIO’S ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES

Their dedication and commitment to their jobs ensure that we can continue to enjoy the amenities that make our lives easier and more comfortable.

Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives

6677 Busch Blvd. Columbus, OH 43229 614-846-5757 www.ohiocoopliving.com

Craig Grooms President & CEO

Caryn Whitney Director of Communications

Jeff McCallister Senior Managing Editor

Amy Howat Assistant Managing Editor

Neal Kindig Graphic Designer

Contributors: Jodi Borger, Colleen Romick Clark, Getty Images, W.H. “Chip” Gross, Catherine Murray, Theresa Ravencraft, Craig Springer, and Margie Wuebker.

OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 134-760; ISSN 2572-049X) is published monthly by Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. It is the official communication link between the electric cooperatives in Ohio and West Virginia and their members. Subscription cost for members ranges from $6.48 to $7.92 per year, paid from equity accruing to the member.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to editorial and advertising offices at: 6677 Busch Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43229-1101. Periodicals postage paid at Berne, IN 46711, and at additional mailing offices. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. All rights reserved. The fact that a product is advertised in Ohio Cooperative Living should not be taken as an endorsement. If you find an advertisement misleading or a product unsatisfactory, please notify us or the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection Section, 30 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, OH, and at additional mailing offices.

DEPARTMENTS

4 POWER LINES

Light and joy: A group of Ohio co-op lineworkers spent much of their January bringing electricity, and a better life, to a remote village in Central America.

After the storms: Lineworkers brought both power and hope in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

10 CO-OP PEOPLE

No boundaries: Co-op member combines business and creativity in lineworker-inspired art.

12 WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE

Telling their story: Ohio’s newest state park adds another way to keep Shawnee history alive.

15 GOOD EATS

Greasy spoon: Got a taste for nostalgia? Turn back the clock with these diner-inspired dishes.

19 LOCAL PAGES

News and other important information from your electric cooperative.

National/regional advertising inquiries, contact Cheryl Solomon

American MainStreet Publications 847-749-4875 | cheryl@amp.coop

Alliance for Audited Media Member

37 CALENDAR

What’s happening: April/May events and other things to do around Ohio.

40 MEMBER

15 12 10 4 40 37

INTERACTIVE

Spring break: Members show how they recharge after winter’s long and frigid grip.

Cooperative members: Please report changes of address to your electric cooperative. Ohio Cooperative Living staff cannot process address changes. Visit Ohio Cooperative Living magazine online at www.ohiocoopliving.com!

Read past issues and watch videos about our articles or our recipes. Our site features an expanded Member Interactive area, where you can share your stories, recipes, and photos and find content submitted by other co-op members across the state.

Empowering

Ohio lineworkers bring electricity, and a better life, to a Central American village.

BY JEFF MCCALLISTER

It takes a certain mindset to be a lineworker. Those in the profession must be fearless yet completely committed to safety; procedure-followers who are also able to adapt and problem-solve; individuals with a work ethic that makes it unthinkable to leave a job undone.

So when a crew of 15 Ohio electric cooperative linemen boarded a plane to come home from Guatemala after a 17-day mission to electrify the remote village of Barejones in January, there certainly were some heavy hearts. They had performed an extraordinary amount of work in that short amount of time — they ran five miles of primary and secondary line; extended service wire and added meters to all of the village’s 93 homes, two churches, and two elementary schools; wired the 60 remaining unwired homes (crews from Oklahoma had completed the first stage of the project in October), including needed boxes, receptacles, lights, and switches in each home; and for good measure, installed 15 streetlights around the village.

“You couldn’t ask for a better team to do this work,” says Kyle Hoffman, chief operations officer at Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative and North Central Electric Cooperative, who led the team on-site. “Everyone had a

The 15 lineworkers from 10 electric cooperatives who powered Project Ohio 2025: Taylor Harris, Bradley Plummer, Jake McIntosh, Curtis Schmidt, Wesley Yors, Nick Buxbaum, Cody Leitner, David Overman, Max Noll, Joel Miller, Mike Isaacs, Clint Patterson, Rob Weber, Robert Shepherd, and Kyle Hoffman.

job to do. They just put their heads down and got at it, and they accomplished an incredible amount of work.”

There was just one problem. Because of political red tape, the crew had to leave before they were able to “flip the switch” and energize the lines.

Ohio’s cooperatives have sent line crews to Guatemala four times since 2016, each on a mission to bring electricity to places where previously there was none. The celebrations in La Soledad in 2016 and Las Tortugas in 2018 when lights came on for the first time are scenes none who were there will ever forget.

But in 2020, one day before the Ohio group was ready to energize their work in Tiera Blanca Sebol, they had to drop everything and scramble to make it out of the country as Guatemala shut its borders because of COVID-19. Then the trip that had been planned for 2022 had to be canceled because of the remaining uncertainty about the pandemic.

So this group left Ohio with an extra bit of resolve. “I wanted to be able to take the skills that I’ve learned in my job, which gives us something that we take for granted here in the United States,” says David Overman, who works for Pioneer Electric Cooperative in Piqua, “and share it with people to make an everlasting impact on their lives and their kids’ lives.”

They all were more than a little disappointed when they realized the village still would not have electricity when they left.

The thing was, it wasn’t JUST about electricity. People in Barejones live in extreme poverty conditions without running water,

Continued on page 6

The lineworkers, who volunteered their time to work for three weeks in Guatemala, say they are genuinely touched by the interactions they had with the villagers — especially the children. (Cristel’s note, right, thanks the team “for coming to shed light on our little village.”)

The lineworkers ran wire to 93 homes, two churches and two schools in Barejones, and also wired those buildings including installation of boxes, switches, and receptacles. They also saw to it that the school’s septic system was updated. When they were finished, they handed out clothes, personal hygiene items, and water filtration systems to the village’s residents, who, they said, treated them like family. The project was funded by NRECA International and donations from Ohio co-op members and staff.

Continued from page 5

plumbing, or food refrigeration. Many of the homes are rustic four-walled huts with dirt floors. The villagers depend on farming for their livelihood, and even the children there do grueling work picking coffee beans for about $10 per day during the threemonth harvest season.

“We actually had two goals, and obviously, power was No. 1,” Hoffman says. “No. 2 was to do everything we could to change their everyday lives for the better, give them an easier life once we leave.”

So at the same time they were doing the sometimes backbreaking, sometimes menial and mundane work required to build an entirely new electrical system to power the village, they were doing other work as well.

At the school, the crews built a fence at the edge of the playground to keep children from falling over the nearby cliff. They put in a security gate to keep people from breaking in and stealing the new televisions and computers they had purchased. In addition, they negotiated to have the school’s old, inadequate septic system replaced, then kept tabs on the contractors hired to build it.

And on the last day, when they had hoped to turn on the lights, they gave away clothes and shoes of all sizes, handed out countless toothbrushes and other personal hygiene items, and distributed a water filtration system to every home in the village — all funded by donations from co-op members, employees, and trustees back home.

“It was bothering a lot of us not being able to turn the lights on,” says Wesley Yors, a lineworker at South Central Power Company in Lancaster. “But on that last day, when we were giving out the water filters and the shoes and toothbrushes and clothes and just watching the kids playing and seeing everyone so happy, it really made us realize that not everything that we stress about is that big of a deal to them.”

“We were told that these people had been waiting to get power for 25 years, and they’ve been told over and over it’s on its way only to have it delayed again and again,” Hoffman says. “Now, they can actually see the lines. The meters are at their poles. The wiring is in their houses, and they’ve got bulbs. It was literally light at the end of the tunnel and they were beyond happy.”

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After hurricanes,

Ohio lineworkers brought both power and hope

BY JEFF MCCALLISTER

Alittle more than six months after Hurricane Helene rampaged through the southeastern United States, it’s become apparent that some hard-hit areas will take months or years to recover — if they ever do.

For the lineworkers from Ohio electric cooperatives who answered the call to help restore power in the immediate aftermath of the storms, the scenes of devastation they encountered are memories they will never forget.

“I don’t even know how to explain it,” says Ben Jones of South Central Power Company in Lancaster. “There were roads that just got picked up and swung around, then put back down a half a mile downriver. Roads were just gone, bridges gone. Entire houses had been carried away. The flooding that happened there was just unbelievable.”

Helene was the costliest — and one of the deadliest — storms ever to hit the United States. It came ashore in Florida in the overnight hours of Sept. 25, 2024, and dissipated only three days later near the TennesseeKentucky border. But in that short span, it had damaged hundreds of water and sewer systems, destroyed long stretches of entire roads, washed out countless bridges, and mangled or swept away hundreds of thousands of homes.

More than 4 million people across the South lost power, and even before the storm had blown its final gust, the first wave of Ohio co-op crews was already helping to rebuild electric infrastructure at co-ops in North Carolina and South Carolina.

In all, 139 lineworkers from 19 co-ops (39% of Ohio’s total workforce) assisted at nine sister co-ops in four states. The crews worked 16-hour days, and at night, at least for a while, most stayed in hotels with no electricity and no hot water. The last of the crews returned home on Oct. 25 — four weeks after Helene first made landfall.

“Sometimes you’d just go say a prayer with them and remind them they’re fortunate just to be alive.”

Ken Hunter, a line superintendent for Coshocton-based Frontier Power Company, led a group of 12 linemen from three Ohio co-ops who headed south for Broad River Electric Cooperative in Cowpens, South Carolina, at 6 a.m. on Sept. 28. “Well, I was just going to start crying when we got down there, things looked so bad,” he says. “But they were ready for us to work, so we got right to work.” By the time they got to their hotel that evening, they had set a 50-foot pole, rebuilt its eight crossarms, and had begun to winch lines across it. By the following day, they had restored electric service to 700 members.

“It was one job after another, but that was good because I was there to work,” says John Wilson, a crew leader at the Energy Cooperative in Newark. “We were all thinking, ‘Hey, we’re here for a limited time, we need to get as much done, safely, as we possibly can.’ We wanted to do our best job for that co-op, because if we’re ever in that position, they would do the best job for us.”

And though that was important, Jones says, their presence was more than just getting people’s power turned back on.

“For a lot of the people we saw, there was nothing left of their homes. I mean, they didn’t even know where their homes were,” he says. “So sometimes you’d just go say a prayer with them and remind them they’re fortunate just to be alive. When we say we went down there to help people, it’s not just their electricity, but to make them feel like they still have a life ahead of them.”

boundaries No

Co-op member combines business and creativity in lineworker-inspired art.

BY JODI BORGER

At the end of a dead-end road in rural Hancock County, creativity unfolds in an unexpected yet aptly named setting — an open art studio called MONGallery, run by artist and entrepreneur Jennifer Sowders.

MON, short for “middle of nowhere,” not only reflects the gallery’s remote location but also embodies Sowders’ unique approach to art and business.

Sowders, a 1994 graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design, first recognized her ability to draw live models when she was in middle school.

“Drawing was one thing, but adding a medium and learning to master that is a whole other world,” she says. “Art school definitely helped with that aspect, and today I call myself a painter.”

In 2017, she rekindled her passion through a plein air painting group with the Hancock Park District. She immersed herself in painting landscapes, experimenting with acrylics, palette knives, and vibrant watercolor on Yupo paper.

While her art studio provided a creative outlet, her entrepreneurial spirit led her in  to launch Prime Fleet Dielectric Services, a niche company that inspects and tests equipment used by electrical lineworkers. While the venture gave her the financial means to pursue her artistic ambitions, it also gave her an unexpected — and rewarding — new artistic muse.

She was working as a vendor at a trade show for electric lineworkers, and she found herself looking for a way to pass the time. “When the lineworkers are in class, it gets a little boring,” she says. “I wanted to do something valuable at the event.”

She struck upon the idea of live painting at the event. Leveraging her connections with Hancock-Wood

Electric Cooperative, where she’s a member, she asked for a volunteer model. Ryan Stallings, one of HWEC’s linemen at the time, stepped up, and she created three paintings of Stallings in action.

“His crew teased him a little at first, but once they saw what I was able to produce, they thought it was really cool,” Sowders says.

Beyond trade shows, Sowders’ artwork has reached prestigious juried exhibitions and even outer space. Her award-winning acrylic landscape, Brecksville Ridge, was included in the Lunar Codex Polaris Collection, a time capsule sent to the moon as part of a NASA-related mission.

“It’s surreal to think my art is on the moon,” she says. “It feels good to not be a ‘one-hit wonder.’”

Her accolades include the grand prize in International Artist magazine’s landscape challenge and second place in Artists magazine’s 40th annual landscape division. Additionally, two of her portraits were acquired by the Ohio Arts Council for their collection.

Sowders’ landscapes, influenced by her connection to nature, invite viewers to step into the scene.

“What you surround yourself with becomes evident,” she says. “Every day my eyes are processing nature, and it makes me a better painter.”

For Sowders, art is more than a pastime — it’s a way of documenting life, fostering connections, and rejuvenating the spirit.

Her live-painting sessions quickly became a hit at trade shows, often drawing attendees back to her booth to watch her progress. Those sessions not only showcased her talent but also forged deeper connections between her business and the lineworker community.

Sowders’ favorite lineman painting is part of the Ohio Watercolor Society’s travel exhibition for the month of April — the last location of which is the Piqua Public Library.

“Going hiking at a park blesses us with a feeling of being recharged,” she says. “I hope my acrylic landscapes can offer that same sense of escape, even if just for a little while.”

As she looks to the future, Sowders remains dedicated to both her portrait and landscape series.

“I never get bored or fall into a rut,” she says. “I’m just happy to let my art speak for itself.”

With her work displayed in galleries, competitions, and even on the moon, Sowders proves that creativity knows no boundaries — even in the middle of nowhere.

Telling their story

Ohio’s newest state park adds another way to keep Shawnee history alive.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS

Of Ohio’s 88 counties, eight are named for Indian tribes: Delaware, Erie, Huron, Miami, Ottawa, Seneca, Tuscarawas, and Wyandot. It’s a tribute to the Buckeye State’s rich and lengthy Native American history and heritage, and it’s that spirit that gave name to Great Council State Park.

Tribes of the Eastern Woodlands region, which included Ohio, established “Great Councils” where their leaders came together to discuss important matters, resolve disputes, and make collective decisions through deliberation and consensus-building.

In development since 2019, Ohio’s newest state park is located along U.S. Route 68 just north of Xenia, where “Old Chillicothe” — a historic Shawnee village — once stood. As Gov. Mike DeWine said at its June 2024 grand opening, “The land had a story that needed to be told.”

To tell that story as accurately as possible, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources consulted with the three federally recognized Shawnee tribes (now located in Oklahoma), as well as the Ohio History Connection, Greene County Historical Society, and other historians. The highlight of the park is the 12,000-squarefoot interpretive center, designed and built to resemble a Shawnee longhouse where important business like that of a great council would take place.

The main floor of the interpretive center features a theater and a 1,000-gallon living stream filled with fish native to Ohio. The second floor has a historical timeline of the Shawnee from pre-European settlement to the present. An outdoor balcony offers an elevated view of where Old Chillicothe stood during the late 1700s, including the presumed location of the original Council House. The park covers a total of 14 acres, making it one of Ohio’s smaller state parks. It includes a tallgrass prairie and half-mile hiking trail.

Another of the park’s features is a life-sized bronze statue of Tecumseh, and if you make a visit to Great Council State Park, you might want to add a side trip to Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheater near Chillicothe. There, the Scioto Society has been retelling the story of the Shawnee people and their incomparable leader in the outdoor drama Tecumseh! during summer evenings since 1973. I’ve attended half a dozen performances through the years, and each

time, I’ve been moved by the story’s timeless poignancy (I even had an opportunity to participate onstage as an “extra” member of the cast one night).

Tecumseh was the greatest leader the Shawnees ever produced. When Tecumseh was born in Ohio circa 1768, his father, Pucksinwah, suspected his son was destined for greatness. Legend has it that on the night of Tecumseh’s birth, Pucksinwah looked into the cloudless sky and saw a huge, greenish-white meteor streaking across the heavens from north to south. Awed by the natural wonder, Pucksinwah named his son Tecumseh, meaning “the panther passing across.”

Tecumseh lived during a time of great chaos on the frontier, when natives were being pushed farther and farther west by European colonization and American expansion.

To try to stem that tide, Tecumseh spent the early 1800s building a confederacy of tribes stretching from the Great Lakes to the Deep South. Tecumseh told hesitant chiefs that one day he would “stomp his foot on the ground,” giving them an unmistakable sign for their warriors to come help drive the Europeans back east over the Appalachian Mountains into the sea. In December of 1811, as if he had predicted it, a massive earthquake occurred near what is today the state of Missouri and inspired Tecumseh’s confederacy as they joined with the British in the War of 1812

Tecumseh’s story is both epic and tragic, and I highly recommend seeing the performance of the outdoor drama. If you do, here’s a tip: Schedule to attend during the night of a full moon, as the moon will rise over the stage during the performance, adding an extra bit of ambiance to the powerful show.

Greasy

GOOD EATS

AND

BY CATHERINE MURRAY

Got a taste for nostalgia?

Turn back the clock with these diner-inspired dishes.

CREAMED CHIPPED BEEF ON TOAST

The preferred ratio of cream-to-beef-to-bread varies by individual. Generously ladle over bread like biscuits and gravy or spread lightly like cream cheese on a bagel. Use this recipe as a starting point and make it your own.

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes | Servings: 2 to 4

3.5-ounce jar dried beef, chopped 4 to 8 slices thick bread (Italian, sourdough, or Texas toast)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons flour

1½ cups warm whole milk pinch of black pepper pinch of garlic powder pinch of cayenne pepper

Place chopped beef in a medium bowl. Fill with water, stir for a few seconds, then drain. Taste a piece; if the salt is overwhelming, repeat and taste again — it may take two or three rinses. Stop when it’s slightly saltier than you’d prefer (the salt will incorporate into the cream). Set aside to drain. Toast bread and set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour to form a paste. Continually whisk 2 to 3 minutes, until there’s a pleasing nutty aroma. Slowly pour in warm milk, whisking constantly. Cook until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and mix in chopped beef, whisking/stirring to distribute the salt and heat up the beef. Season with black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne (if desired). To serve, spoon over slices of toast. Refrigerate leftover creamed beef in an airtight container (separate from bread) and reheat in microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until hot.

Per serving: 280 calories, 13 grams total fat (7 grams saturated fat), 20 grams total carbohydrates, 60 milligrams cholesterol, 1,094 milligrams sodium, 0.5 gram fiber, 17 grams protein.

RECIPES

PHOTOGRAPHS

EGGS BENEDICT

Cut the fat and calories of this one by reserving some of the hollandaise for later (it pairs well with asparagus, greens, potatoes, salmon, or ham).

Total time: 30 minutes | Servings: 2

2 English muffins

spreadable butter

4 slices Canadian bacon

4 egg yolks

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon heavy cream

1 cup unsalted butter

paprika, salt, and pepper to taste

¼ cup white vinegar

4 large eggs

Slice English muffins in half, butter the insides, and place butterside up on a baking sheet. Lay Canadian bacon slices in a single layer next to them. Put baking sheet inside the cold oven/broiler for now.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk egg yolks, lemon juice, and cream. Melt butter in a small saucepan until bubbling. Drizzle a few drops of hot butter into the egg yolks, whisking until incorporated before adding more. Continue slowly adding butter and whisking until all butter has been incorporated. Pour sauce back into saucepan and season to taste with paprika, salt, and pepper (it shouldn’t take much), then cover and set aside. Bring a medium pot of water with white vinegar to a light simmer. Meanwhile, crack each whole egg into a separate small ramekin and turn oven to broil, keeping watch as the English muffins and bacon toast and crisp up. Move muffins onto serving plates and top each with bacon.

Once simmering, stir water with a slotted spoon in a circular motion until a visible swirl appears. Gently lower one ramekin into water, and release the egg. Cook 2½ to 3 minutes, stirring water if egg begins to sink. Remove egg with a slotted spoon, shake off excess water and place on top of one of the English muffins with bacon. Repeat with remaining eggs. While eggs are cooking, heat hollandaise sauce over medium, whisking sauce when not attending to the poaching eggs until desired thickness is reached. Remove from heat (if it becomes too thick, whisk in a teaspoon of warm water). Pour sauce over eggs and serve. Cool leftover sauce completely before putting it in the fridge. To reheat, whisk in a splash of hot water and microwave on low power for 10 to 15 seconds at a time, whisking at each interval, until just hot.

Per serving: 1,262 calories, 114 grams total fat (65 grams saturated fat), 30 grams total carbohydrates, 965 milligrams cholesterol, 1,092 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber, 32 grams protein.

THE PATTY MELT

Cook: 40 minutes | Servings: 2

2 tablespoons salted butter, softened

1 medium sweet yellow onion, cut in half then sliced thin

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ pound ground beef

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, divided

4 slices rye bread

2 slices Swiss cheese

2 slices American cheese

In a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add sliced onions; cook, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes, until wilted and caramelized (turn heat down if they start to burn). Add vinegar and stir for a few more minutes. Remove onions from skillet and set aside.

While onions are finishing up, work a teaspoon of the Worcestershire sauce into the ground beef and form 2 thin patties to fit the size and shape of the bread slices. Cook patties in the now-empty skillet over medium-high, 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Set patties aside with the onions. Butter the outsides of the bread and place butter-side down in skillet. Split cheese across the top of the bread slices, then top with caramelized onions and patties. Cover skillet with lid until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 715 calories, 47 grams total fat (23 grams saturated fat), 38 grams total carbohydrates, 144 milligrams cholesterol, 932 milligrams sodium, 5 grams fiber, 33 grams protein.

CLASSIC STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE

Prep: 10 minutes | Wait: 30 minutes | Servings: 2

6 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

1½ tablespoons sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups vanilla ice cream

¾ cup milk

whipped cream for garnish

In a small bowl, toss strawberries with sugar. Let sit 30 minutes for the fruit to soften and sweeten. Scrape the strawberries and syrup into a blender or food processor along with vanilla, ice cream, and milk. Blend, adding more milk until desired thickness is reached. Pour into 2 to 4 glasses; top with whipped cream and garnish with whole strawberry (if desired). Makes 4 cups.

Per serving: 473 calories, 21 grams total fat (13 grams saturated fat), 63 grams total carbohydrates, 79 milligrams cholesterol, 164 milligrams sodium, 1.5 grams fiber, 9 grams protein.

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MIDWEST ELECTRIC LOCAL PAGES

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO

MIDWEST ELECTRIC PROVIDES VALUE AND STABILITY FOR MEMBERS

Value and stability remain cornerstones of your electric cooperative. Our value-added services — programs such as peak load control, automatic payment options, advanced metering, and energy efficiency rebates — help us run efficiently and maintain stable rates. Your participation in these programs helps you and helps your cooperative. Electricity costs less than $7 per day for the average member, and I ask you to consider the value of everything that does for your family! Our latest financial forecast shows no electric distribution rate increase for at least the next few years (barring unforeseen circumstances). Plus, we give the added value of the cooperative difference!

Here’s a summary of some of the value your electric cooperative offers you:

Rebates

Make your home more comfortable and energy efficient by using our rebates for electric water heaters, heat pumps, geothermal systems, ENERGY STAR refrigerators, insulation, air conditioners, and more. (Call for details.)

Payment options

Get a monthly bill credit if you’re on our Auto Pay plan using a bank account or a credit/debit card. Get an additional credit if you use our paperless billing option, E-bill. Other payment options are mail, online, over the phone with a check or card, or at MoneyGram locations. Plus, there’s never a fee for any of our payment methods!

Reduced Electric Rate

You can save up to $120 per year compared to a standard residential rate with this discounted program for members with an electric water heater and a heat pump or geothermal system. A load management switch is required for most rebates and this special rate.

Reliability

We invest an average of $4 million a year in our electric distribution operations, including equipment replacements, line rebuilds, tree trimming, pole testing, and more. We use the most effective technology, including our new Distribution Automation system to restore power faster. As a result, power is available to our members more than 99 9% of the time

And we’re working with the transmission companies to improve the reliability of their power supply to our distribution substations.

SmartHub

On SmartHub, you can view your monthly, daily, and hourly electric use; start service orders; update your account information; sign up for or update Auto Pay; sign up for high usage alerts; and pay your electric bill. You’ll find instructions on how to register at midwestrec.com.

Community Connection Fund

Thanks to the 90 percent of our members who round up their electric bills and donate those pennies to this fund, we’ve provided more than $1.4 million to more than 1,200 local charitable causes since 1998

Economic Development

We’ve provided more than $3 1 million in low-interest loans to area small businesses, supporting hundreds of local jobs.

Patronage cash back

You have financial equity in your cooperative based on your electricity purchases, which helps us pay for power reliability investments. Since our beginning, we’ve paid more than $44 million back to our members. For the average member, the annual November credit is close to one month’s electric bill.

Energy audits

Sometimes, your questions can be answered over the phone by our experts, but we’ll also come to your house to do a free energy audit to help identify where your energy dollars are going and provide ideas for savings.

Outage alerts and high usage alerts

Because of our metering and billing technology, you can set your electric use threshold and you’ll get an alert by text and/ or e-mail if your electric use exceeds that threshold for daily or hourly limits. The high usage alerts can make you aware of high use much more quickly than waiting 30 days for the next bill. We also send text alerts when power is out and when it’s restored. For larger outages, check our Facebook, Instagram, and X pages.

Continued on page 20

Matt Berry, CEO mberry@midwestrec.com

Live answer

When you call our office during normal working hours, you’ll be greeted by courteous, knowledgeable member service representatives. (You may get a computer answer during highcall periods, and after hours.)

Load management

Power costs more during extreme high use periods. Load management is our peak demand savings program that helps the cooperative save more than $600,000 annually in power costs. Peak control times occur less than 1% of all the hours in a year. Please try to reduce your use during the extreme hottest and coldest hours to help us save money for you.

Board representation and elections

Your board of directors is composed of Midwest Electric members like you, and they’re elected by you — one member, one vote. It’s the governing body that steers our direction when it comes to electric rates, patronage payments, and reliability investments, and sets policies and goals.

EnviroWatts

You can purchase electricity from renewable sources for just $2 extra per month without buying and maintaining solar panels or windmills on your property. Call us for details.

Advanced metering infrastructure

Our meters provide power outage information and integrate with our outage management and mapping systems to help pinpoint outage areas and speed up restoration efforts. They also provide daily and hourly readings, and voltage and “blink” readings.

Scholarships

Midwest Electric awards $11,000 in scholarships each year to high school seniors whose parents are members.

Political advocacy

More than 700 Midwest Electric members belong to America’s Electric Cooperatives Political Action Committee, to help us fight on your behalf in Columbus and Washington, D.C., to keep electricity affordable and reliable.

I welcome your feedback on the job we’re doing, at 419-300-1307 or mberry@midwestrec.com.

Reduce your electricity bill

Midwest Electric offers many ways you can lower your monthly bills. You can schedule an energy audit of your home, enroll in Auto Pay or E-bill, use SmartHub, take advantage of rebates, and set up budget billing. For more information on any of these programs, call us at 1-800-962-3830 or 419-394-4110 or visit us online at www.midwestrec.com.

Manager of Administrative Services Julie Marchal graduates from the Management Internship Program

Midwest Electric’s Manager of Administrative Services Julie Marchal has completed an intensive program in electric utility management at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

The Robert I. Kabat Management Internship Program is a series of workshops offered by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin. The program guides participants through all facets of the electric utility industry, including the many changes occurring around the nation.

Marchal is one of only a few electric utility management staff who will graduate from the Management Internship Program this year.

MIP participants go through three 10-day sessions designed to challenge and educate in new, innovative management techniques. Participants leave with a better understanding of what consumers want and how to ensure they get it.

By also covering the unique principles that govern the operations of electric cooperatives, the program helps the co-op analyze other business ventures it may want to enter as well as enhancing the core organization.

Only rural electric cooperative CEOs and top-level management participate in the program. This allows greater emphasis of study on management and leadership challenges and the aspects of consumer-ownership that cooperatives enjoy. Participants focus on member values as part of day-to-day decision-making.

Julie Marchal Manager of Administrative Services

Midwest Electric recently donated $15,000 to 18 west-central Ohio charities and community projects.

The latest CCF grant recipients include:

Silver Birch Foundation for the Black Ties and Silver Bells Charity Gala

$500

Invincible Fire Company for MARCS radios

$2,000

New Knoxville Class of 2029 for financial assistance for the Washington, D.C., trip

$1,000

Minster Historical Society for production of a video documentary

$500

Wapakoneta Family YMCA for an outdoor play space for the Child Development Center

$800

St. Marys Middle School for the Makers Read & Care community service project

$500

The St. Marys Community Armory to replace windows in the armory

$1,000

St. Marys Township Fire Department Association to purchase fire training equipment

$1,100

Auglaize County Crippled Children and Adults to provide assistance for special needs people of Auglaize County

$500

Midwest Electric recently donated $15,000 to 18 westcentral Ohio charities and community projects through the cooperative’s Community Connection Fund.

Thanks to the 90% of members who round up their electric bills and donate to this fund, Midwest Electric has provided $1.4 million to local charitable causes since 1998.

a $1,000

Auglaize County Community Emergency Response Team to assist residents of Auglaize County during their times of need

$1,000

Wapakoneta High School Post Prom to provide a safe after-prom for Wapakoneta High School students

$200

Knights of Columbus Council 1800 for a diaper drive to benefit the Choosing Life Pregnancy Center

$300

Sawyer Overman Memorial Ninja Park to build a Ninja Warrior course in Fort Recovery

$1,000

Celina Elementary School to purchase communication devices for the classrooms

$750

Mercer County Reentry Coalition to assist incarcerated people transition back into their communities

$850

Foundation Behavioral Health Services for the Mercer County Youth 2 Youth Retreat

$1,000

Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics to purchase a speaker system for the Shrine Courtyard

$1,000

Lincolnview Bible Board to provide financial assistance for a trip to the Ark Encounter

$1,000

Photos of each recipient may be found on Midwest’s Facebook page.

The Midwest Electric Community Connection Fund is a voluntary charitable program. Participating members monthly electric bills are rounded up to the next dollar, with the additional pennies deposited in the Fund. A board of trustees, composed of nine cooperative members and separate from the Midwest Electric Board of Trustees, oversee the application and allocation process.

Individuals or organizations can obtain an application by contacting Midwest Electric at 1-800-962-3830 or scanning the QR code below.

Left: The Sawyer Overman Memorial Ninja Park received

donation from Midwest Electric members through the co-op’s Community Connection Fund. The donation will be used to build a Ninja Warrior Course in Fort Recovery.

MIDWEST ELECTRIC

LINEWORKERS ARE WIRED FOR SERVICE

Lineworker Appreciation Day is April 18.

Midwest Electric Cooperative’s lineworkers keep the power flowing to members’ homes and businesses. They battle inclement weather, troubleshoot technical problems, repair and replace vital equipment, and navigate treacherous heights to keep our lights on, our homes comfortable and our communities connected.

Our lineworkers are prepared to respond at any time, day or night, when outages occur, to restore power safely. In addition, they answer the call to assist other co-ops when the need arises.

In April, we thank lineworkers for the vital work they do for our members and our community.

ELECTRICAL

LINEWORKERs

Lineworkers install and maintain overhead and underground electrical systems. We rely on their exper�se to power our world.

They must commit to safety above all else for the benefit of those they serve (you!), fellow crew members and themselves.

what they wear

Protec�ve clothing is required to shield lineworkers since they work around high voltages. Gear can vary depending on pole structure (wood or steel) and weighs up to 45 pounds.

Hot s�ck

Insulated and made of electrical-grade fiberglass, used on energized or “hot” lines

Flame-resistant clothing

Helps protect the skin in case of flames or electric arc flash

Rubber gloves

Specialized, insulated gloves that protect against electric shock and burns

Tool pouch

Allows essen�al items (connectors, wires, etc.) to be close by

Climbers or leg shanks

These hold the gaffs securely in place

Work boots

Aid in climbing and protect the leg and foot

Insulated hard hat

Provides protec�on from electrical hazards and blows to the head

Safety glasses

Protect eyes and block sun glare—especially important when working on energized lines

Safety strap

Once safely a�ached to the pole, the strap allows the use of both hands

Hand line

Rope strong enough to hoist equipment; it has steel clips and a pulley block

Gaffs

Steel points used for climbing wood u�lity poles

To provide excellent service and keep our crews as safe as possible, please help us with the following:

• At a job site, do not stop to ask crews what they are working on or when power might be restored. Crew members need to give the repairs their full attention to ensure safety. Asking them questions can divert their attention and increase the amount of time it takes for the issue to be resolved.

• When driving by a utility truck (or any roadside vehicle with flashing lights), please move over and give them space. In a work

Our Crews

Help us keep them safe to Serve You Are Working

zone, follow all signage, including speed limits. Drivers who travel through a work zone too fast can endanger workers on the ground and up in the bucket.

• If one of our employees is in your yard or on an easement to address service issues, be sure to secure your dogs. Please keep meters and padmount transformers (green boxes) free from obstructions.

Please be patient as we work on an outage or other issues. Safety is our top priority, for you and for our employees.

Learn more:

Dieringer retiring after more than a decade at the co-op

Midwest Electric Staking and Field Planner Mike Dieringer is retiring. We asked Mike some questions about his time at the co-op and below share some of his words of wisdom

Tell us how you were hired at Midwest back in 2013. Why did you want to work here?

I was frustrated at my previous job and I heard Midwest was hiring. I called a co-op employee that I knew and asked him about the job. He told me if I was interested, I had better hurry and turn in a resume because they started interviewing that day. That night, I put together a resume and cover letter and dropped them off the next day. That afternoon, I got a call to set up an interview. Honestly, I went into the interview thinking this could be a waste of my time. After a second interview, I was offered the job. I weighed out some pros and cons, and the next day I accepted the job.

How has the co-op changed during your career?

When I first started, staking was still being done on paper. After about a year, I moved into the staking position and staking was in the early stages of going paperless and staking on computer. Another major change is the capability of remote disconnects.

What are some of your most proud accomplishments (or the co-op’s accomplishments you had a part in)?

I’m not one that likes or needs a pat on the back for doing my job. I just get self-satisfaction in getting things that I was asked to do done in a timely manner.

What are some of your fondest memories?

Although a tornado isn’t a fond memory, I worked through three of them. It’s a good feeling to see how family, friends, neighbors, and even strangers come together to help in a time of need.

What does working in the co-op industry mean to you?

With Midwest being a smaller co-op, you get to know your coworkers pretty well. Most everyone takes a sense of pride in their work.

What will you miss most?

Midwest has a lot of really good employees. I’ll miss interacting with them. I really like what I do here, whether it is meeting with an electrician, a contractor, or a new member for a new service or a service upgrade. I’ll miss hot summer days walking up and down a country road, in and out of the ditches, putting stakes in the ground, marking where new poles will go.

How do you plan to spend your retirement?

I plan to start out taking things one day at a time, adjusting to not “having” to work. I’ll spend more time with my kids and grandkids. I like to be outdoors so I’ll ride a bike, walk, and play pickleball or golf.

Any final words of wisdom?

To all the guys working out on the lines in all types of weather, BE SAFE!

RE-SIDING YOUR HOUSE?

Contact us FIRST to remove & reconnect your meter free of charge.

Why? To avoid buckling, unsightly finishing, and extra contractor fees from additional work.

MIDWEST EMPLOYEES CELEBRATE MILESTONES

These Midwest employees celebrated the following years of service milestones in 2024:

Joel Johns

Paul Rogers

Dan Severt

Chad Klaus

Todd Elsass

Coreen Ott

2025 ANNUAL MEETING

THURSDAY, JUNE 5 • Starts at 5:30 p.m.

St. Marys Memorial High School

5:30 p.m. ....... Dinner buffet

6:45 p.m.

RUN FOR THE BOARD

You have an opportunity to give back and serve your community by running for a seat on the board of directors. This may be your chance to help set Midwest Electric’s policies, direction, and strategic focus. For this year’s elections, petitions may be filed by members who reside in:

District 1 (3-year term): Auglaize and Shelby counties

District 3 (3-year term): Van Wert County

District 4 (3-year term): Mercer and Darke counties

Any member residing in a district up for election may become a candidate by obtaining a petition form from the co-op’s office and obtaining at least 15 valid signatures of members who reside within that district.

How to apply

Candidates must complete the official petition packet and turn it in to the co-op’s office no later than 8 a.m. on May 2. Call us at 800-962-3830 for a petition packet or to learn more.

YOU’RE INVITED! 2025 member events

Midwest Electric invites its members to get to know their co-op team, support local businesses, and enjoy yummy treats at one of four member events throughout our service area, plus during the co-op’s 2025 Annual Meeting on June 5. Each event will include a quick meet-and-greet with co-op leaders and directors and special treats from the hosting venue, courtesy of Midwest Electric. Please bring a bill or show your SmartHub app upon arrival to receive a voucher.

Cozy Cabin Cafe, St. Henry

Saturday, April 26 | 9:00–11:00 a.m.

RSVP: Space for each event is limited, so please be sure to RSVP by calling our office at 419-394-4110 or sending an email to info@midwestrec.com with your name, address and number attending! Each member may attend the Annual Meeting on June 5, plus one of the four member events.

One voucher per member. Voucher will cover you and a guest.

1 2 4 3 5

571 S. Eastern Ave., St Henry, OH 45883

Members will receive vouchers for specialty coffees and pastry items.

Deli Barn, New Bremen Thursday, May 15 | 6:00–8:00 p.m.

04057 Southland Rd., New Bremen, OH 45869

Members can enjoy appetizers and will receive vouchers for wine or beer.

2025 Annual Meeting at St. Marys Memorial High School Thursday, June 5 | 5:30 p.m. dinner, 6:45 p.m. business meeting 2250 OH-66, St Marys, OH 45885

Members will enjoy a free dinner, receive a gift, and hear updates on the co-op.

Sycamore Lake Wine Company, Columbus Grove Wednesday, June 18 | 6:00–8:00 p.m.

9660 Mayberry Rd., Columbus Grove, OH 45830

Members can enjoy appetizers and will receive vouchers for wine, beer, or slushies.

Schoolhouse Farms, Rockford

Saturday, June 21 | 9:00–11:00 a.m.

5486 Ross Rd., Rockford, OH 45882

Members can enjoy the Lavender Festival and receive a voucher for specialty coffee and kettle corn.

SPRING INTO SAFETY

Spring is in the air and that means more than just a change of season for farmers. During the busy planting season, follow these eight safety tips:

TRANSPORT SAFELY

Ensure equipment is compliant with agriculture road and travel safety rules.

BE CLEAR

Explain where the “back 80” or Smith field is; not everyone may know how to get there.

SHARE SAFETY TIPS

Teach anyone working or doing business on your farm about electrical hazards.

WRITE IT DOWN

Keep directions (with proper road and farm ground names) at home, in the shop, and in cabs.

EVALUATE PROCEDURES

Consider new safety precautions you can implement, such as lockout/tagout.

Source: Rural Mutual Insurance Co., farmprogress.com

ENCOURAGE YOUNG WORKERS

Be sure to match age and ability level with each chore.

LOOK AROUND

Inspect your space and look for hazards before you start planting.

MEET AND DISCUSS

Conduct morning safety meeting to brief everyone on the day and talk about potential hazards.

The value of electricity to members

Midwest Electric is dedicated to providing our members with reliable, affordable power while strengthening our communities. As a member, you can power your life for just $7 a day! That’s a great value.

As a Midwest Electric member, for just $1, you can:

Use an oven for 3 hours

Learn

Use a microwave for 8 hours

Use a computer for 32 hours

Use a pressure cooker for 8 hours

fresh! while it’s Get it

Strawberries are just a start! In fact, you might just be surprised at everything you can find at Ohio’s family-owned U-pick farms. Here’s a guide to a few of the best.

BY THERESA RAVENCRAFT

Mitchell’s Berries and Blooms

9331 Mitchell-Dewitt Road, Plain City, OH 43064. 937-243-0635, www.mitchellsberries.com

Do you love strawberries? Paul and Shelly Detwiler sure do! Better known as Farmer Paul and Berry Girl, the Detwilers, members of Marysville-based URE–Union Rural Electric Cooperative, have offered U-pick experiences at their 200-year-old family farm for 19 years. Each year they welcome visitors to pick daffodils and asparagus in April, peonies and juicy strawberries in May and June, red and black raspberries in July, and wildflowers and edamame in August. Their Facebook page has details on more unique events, such as a Bridgerton garden party and cooking classes.

The Blueberry Patch

1285 West Hanley Road, Mansfield, OH 44904. 419-884-1797, www.theblueberrypatch.org

Visitors can pick blueberries from late June to mid-August at the Blueberry Patch, owned and operated by Lisa and Steve Beilstein since 1981. The plantation offers 37 acres of beautiful blueberry bushes, a coffee and tea bar, a gift shop that features blueberry-themed items, and the 1285 Winery — a must-visit destination that celebrated its 10th anniversary at the end of last year. Blueberry doughnuts draw visitors from miles around, and blueberries are also available to be purchased by the pound. Tip: Late in the season, the sunflower field is a fantastic selfie spot.

Lynd Fruit Farm

9399 Morse Road SW, Pataskala, OH 43062. 740-927-1333, www.lyndfruitfarm.com

Lynd Fruit Farm has been a favorite U-pick destination since 1919. Andy Lynd and Debbie Patton’s family-owned farm and market is best known for its 27 varieties of apples among its three orchards, but visitors can also pick berries and peaches in the summer or pears and pumpkins in addition to apples in the fall. During the busy fall season, guests can also take a wagon ride, make their way through the corn maze, and shoot a bucket of apples with the apple cannon. Tip: Come early to get some freshbaked apple cider doughnuts; the line can get long.

Karnes Orchard

8200 Worley Mill Road, Hillsboro, OH 45133. 937-763-8250, www.karnesorchard.com

Steve and Zelda Karnes are the seventh generation of their family to own Karnes Orchard, established in 1876. The farm, which is a member of Lancaster-based South Central Power Company, offers tart cherries in June, peaches from late July to early September, and apples from August through the end of October. Families come from near and far to pick from 60 varieties of apples and grab some apple cider. The most popular varieties of apples are Honeycrisp, Gala, Red Delicious, Winesap, and Evercrisp, with the different varieties ripening at different times through the late summer and fall.

Continued from page 25

Legend Hills Orchard

11335 Reynolds Road, Utica, OH 43080. 740-892-2498, www.legendhillsorchard.com

The original 168 acres of Doug Hoar, Susan Hatch, and Debbie Seibel’s 340-acre farm have remained in their family for over 100 years — five generations. U-pick season begins in July with peaches and summer apples, then fall apple-picking starts in early September. The market, a member of The Energy Cooperative in Newark, is open year-round and features a variety of cheeses, jams, and gluten-free products — and sells fresh, non-pasteurized cider all year long. Beginning in late November, the farm becomes a popular destination for cut-your-own Christmas trees.

Weeknight

Looking for more?

We know this isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are a few more U-pick farms around the state in case you’re looking for one closer to you:

Entry deadline: April 18, 2025

Rules & regulations

♦ Entrants must be Ohio electric cooperative members or residents of an electric cooperative household.

♦ Submissions may be an original recipe or one adapted from an existing recipe published elsewhere, with at least three distinct changes from a published version.

♦ Recipes should include all ingredients and measurements, directions, and number of servings.

♦ Limit three recipes per entrant.

♦ A good backstory can never hurt! Is your recipe a family tradition, passed down through generations, or did you make it up one day out of thin air?

2025 Reader Recipe Contest

What’s the one recipe you can pull out in the middle of the week for a meal that you know will make everyone happy? Quick and easy yet delicious, nutritious, and SATISFYING!

Enter our 2025 Reader Recipe Contest and you could win an Ohio-made KitchenAid stand mixer or other valuable prizes!

Two ways to enter

Send an email to memberinteract@ohioec.org or send by U.S. Mail to Catherine Murray, c/o Ohio Cooperative Living, 6677 Busch Blvd., Columbus, OH 43229

Scan QR code to email your entry

Include your name and address, a phone number and email address where you can be contacted, and the name of your electric cooperative.

Rainbow Farms

2464 Townline Road, Madison, OH 44057 440-259-4924, www.rainbowfarmsonline.com

U-pick is available for strawberries, raspberries, currants, blueberries, blackberries, tomatoes, and peppers. Visit the website for picking dates.

Rittman Orchards and Farm Market

13548 Mount Eaton Road, Doylestown, OH 44230 330-925-4152, www.rittmanorchards.com

The U-pick season begins with asparagus in May, but check out the “What’s Ripe?” section of the website to see what’s coming when.

Sunny Slope Market and Orchard

14960 Millersburg Road SW, Navarre, OH 44662 330-833-9415, www.sunnyslopeapples.com

Apple picking starts in August, but the market is open year-round, offering fresh baked goods.

Irons Fruit Farm

1640 Stubbs-Mill Road, Lebanon, OH 45036. 513-932-2853

This family farm is located halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati. Find them on Facebook to learn about U-pick opportunities.

Stacy Family Farms

27515 State Route 7, Marietta, OH 45750. 740-374-2371, www.stacyfarm.com

In operation since 1899, the farm offers U-pick strawberries, blueberries, sunflowers, and pumpkins.

Jutte’s Fruit Farm and Landscaping

3460 State Route 49, Fort Recovery, OH 45846 419-375-2304 or find them on Facebook

Lots of U-pick strawberries, plus loads of other seasonal fruits and veggies available at the roadside market.

Apple Hill Orchards

1175 Lexington Ontario Road, Mansfield, OH 44903 419-884-1500, www.applehillorchards.com

With two locations, this farm is always a family-friendly destination. Check the website for availability of peaches, pears, and apples.

Lohstroh

Family Farms

15632 State Route 56 SE, Mt. Sterling, OH 43143 740-869-4208, www.lohstrohfamilyfarms.com

This family farm has been growing pumpkins for more than 40 years, and is open for the season on Labor Day weekend.

Remembering

Rafinesque

The eccentric scientist, prolific writer — and sometimes fraudster — made his mark on Ohio’s natural history.

BY CRAIG SPRINGER

Constantine Rafinesque-Schmaltz is the scientist you did not know that you knew. His walkabouts through Ohio impressed upon him a desire to discover more about plants and fishes and a prehistoric culture that predated him by millennia.

This self-educated polyglot and polymath possessed a brilliant and inquisitive mind, an unceasing curiosity — and an eccentric and prickly personality that made him easy to dislike.

But let’s go back to the beginning. He was born in 1783 in Turkey and spent his youth in France. His father was French, and a successful international merchant. His mother was born in Germany, and her son carried her name until adulthood. His father died of yellow fever when Rafinesque was but 10 years old.

The family moved to Italy to escape the terrors of the French Revolution. It was there that a self-educated Constantine came of age and took an ardent interest in natural history and languages, which would come to have its consequences in the names of organisms — through the eastern U.S., in Ohio, and even into the American Southwest.

Rafinesque lived through a number of tragic incidents over many of his 56 years. While still a precocious young

man, he collected and described for science (that is, to give an organism its first formal scientific name) new plants and fishes from Sicily. Striking out on his own, the young scientist traveled to the United States anticipating museum work. Then, tragedy hit in 1815: He lost all of his belongings, papers, books, and his collected plant specimens along the Atlantic Coast in a shipwreck — and he nearly lost his life.

He landed on America’s shores in Connecticut with nothing but the drenched clothes that he was wearing. He eventually established himself as a serious botanist in New York.

The man collected and described plants with great frequency and intensity. He habitually wore a long coat with many pockets to stash plant specimens to preserve and describe.

He had interests beyond plants. In 1818, Rafinesque walked the length of the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to southern Illinois, collecting plants and fossils and catching and drawing fishes from the main river and the many tributaries that poured into the Ohio.

Another unfortunate event occurred along the way. Rafinesque spent a protracted time with the now-famous bird artist John James Audubon, who lived near the Ohio River in Kentucky. Rafinesque wore out his welcome, setting off events that damaged his standing as a scientist.

Bats flew into Rafinesque’s room one evening and the eccentric guest swatted the flying mammals with his host’s prized violin, ruining it. Audubon returned the favor by suggesting that Ohio River tributaries were populated with mysterious fish species. Rafinesque made the mistake of trusting Audubon, fell for the prank, and published descriptions of Audubon’s fake fishes — ten in all — without seeing them, in what is otherwise a seminal 300-page text, titled Ichthyologia Ohioensis

The fake fish tarnished the polymath’s reputation and did not serve Audubon well, either.

Passing through the Chillicothe area, Rafinesque was taken by the multitude of Indian mounds and the earthen ceremonial structures that surely stimulated his interest in archeology. Rafinesque excavated mounds and prodigiously published papers in what few scientific journals and popular magazines existed at the time. He also self-published his own tracts.

effect, impugning Rafinesque’s credibility, painting him as a crank and a sloppy scientist, a reputation that followed him to his grave in 1840

Rafinesque did not always help himself. He professed to have deciphered the Walam Olum, a purported creation and migration story of the Delaware Indians who once inhabited Ohio. For decades, the Delaware Tribe accepted it as genuine. Modern scholarship in the late 20th century, however, revealed that Rafinesque perpetrated a fraud, actually translating English words into the Delaware language to create a believable but ultimately false story. Scholars surmise he hoped to gain a prize from an organization in Europe.

Circleville’s postmaster, Caleb Atwater, who was also a lawyer, had his own ardent interest in the ancient Indian earthworks; he published his own papers and a book on the Adena and Hopewell cultures — but to the dissatisfaction of Rafinesque, who publicly criticized the man. Atwater, not taking kindly to the criticism, embarked on a letter-writing smear campaign, maybe with free postage, against his critic. It had the intended

This much is true: The frenzied genius published 900 scientific papers and several books on topics of medicine, banking, archeology, and the Hebrew language. He named 6,700 plants, several species of turtles and mammals, including deer and coyote, and 26 fishes native to Ohio. Many organisms have since been named in his honor, including one you might find underfoot in slabs of limestone so common in Ohio. Specimens of Rafinesque’s eponymous genus of extinct brachiopods are fossilized in stone, a testament to a brilliant mind.

Constantine Rafinesque died in 1840 of liver cancer, perhaps brought on by herbal treatments he created for himself.

Survive Just About Anything for Under $20

On any outdoor adventure, Mother Nature’s job is to present you with challenges. Some days she’s more demanding than others. And on those days, you’d better come prepared. The Stauer Survival Box is a near-guarantee you’ll be up to the challenge. The stainless steel multitool offers wire cutters, knife, bottle opener, file, a set of screwdrivers, a pair of pliers and much more. The powerful flashlight has three different settings, and the tactical loop watch is a reliable, water-resistant timepiece that clips to your hip and never leaves your side. All told, opening the Survival Box gives you instant access to nine different tools for JUST $19.50.

Regularly sold for $99, we’re offering this collection of survival essentials to you for A FIFTH OF THE NORMAL PRICE! Why? Because we’ve had an incredible year and we feel like giving back to our valued customers. As this kit has proven to be one of our all-time best sellers, we can only extend this offer while supplies last. Of our initial run of 1,737, more than half have already sold. Your move, Mother Nature.

Survival Box Specifications:

• Multitool: 3 1/4" x 1" folded

• Flashlight: 3 1/2" x 1", 260 lumens, takes AA batteries (not included), three LED light modes: strong, medium and caution flashing

• Watch: 2 3/4" x 1", battery type SR626SW (included)

Survival Box $99 $19.50* + S+P Save $79.50

*You must use Insider Offer Code: SVB308-01 to get this price. California residents please call regarding Proposition 65 regulations before purchasing this product.

1-800-333-2045

Your Insider Offer Code: SVB308-01

Regularly priced at $99, take advantage of this special offer while supplies last!

Praise for Stauer’s Survival Box  “[It] has everything!” — Carol T., Anaheim, CA

Box includes flashlight, watch and multitool with wire cutters, knife, bottle opener, file, screwdrivers, pliers and more!

Cruising for

landlubbers

Like cruises but hate the water? Head to Amish country for a dry-land alternative.

BY MARGIE WUEBKER

Vacation cruises are among Tom and Sally Davies’ favorite ways to relax. Three-day all-inclusive getaways with exceptional food, a variety of entertainment options, and lots of lounging by the pool while making friends with your fellow travelers — what’s not to love?

Their most recent cruise, however, was just a little different. Instead of flying to Florida, the Minerva couple, members of Carroll Electric Cooperative, headed to Amish country, where the Amish Country Theater and the Berlin Encore Hotel host “land cruises” 10 times a year.

“We are familiar with the Amish area,” Sally Davies says. “But we didn’t know there was an event [like this one]. There were even animals made out of towels on the bed just like on the cruise ships.”

The land cruises “embark” about once a month, drawing landlubbers from throughout Ohio and neighboring states. Festivities commence on a Tuesday afternoon and continue through checkout the following Thursday morning.

There is no gangplank to negotiate and no required program on the proper way to use life preservers. Just belly up to the reception desk for colorful leis and the lanyards that serve as tickets for the duration.

“Our goal is to make sure you have lots of fun and lots of food,” says John Bunn, who serves double duty as the “cruise director” and the headline entertainer. “This is just like being on a ship but without the deep blue ocean.”

The affable Bunn dons bib overalls and hillbilly teeth to become “Lynyrd,” the self-proclaimed master of laughter who headlines the Welcome Aboard Show, emcees game shows, and introduces musical performers throughout the cruise.

He lays out the rules during the welcome aboard session, reminding participants to wear the provided lanyards, which are essentially tickets to all the events. He encourages folks to make friends and to sample the swamp water, which is a combination of birch beer and orange soda. He also recommends signing up for game shows like “The Big Pyramid,” “The Happy Couple,” and “This and That.”

“Make sure you collect as many bacon bits as you can,” he adds with a chuckle. “You won’t be sorry.” Bacon bits are tickets, earned through game action, bingo, audience participation, and a few other ways that can be traded for entry into a prize drawing for gifts including a complimentary tour, lodging certificates, comedy theater tickets, and commemorative sweatshirts.

“We’ve been on 12 land cruises, and each is more enjoyable than the previous one,” says retired Akron teacher Brad Dezordo. “We have been here so often we know the staff and they know us.”

Land cruises debuted in 2020. They are the brainchild of Jeff Conn, one of the owners of the event center that includes the hotel and theater. He had just returned from a traditional ocean voyage and believed the experience could be re-created on land — and his family’s seven-story hotel, theater, and event space was just the place.

The initial cruise season was cut short by COVID, but they’ve grown steadily ever since. Bunn says the current 10-cruise schedule, with months off in October and December, seems to be the sweet spot.

“Ten is a good number for us,” he says. “We sell out some months, but the addition of our sister property (the Berlin Resort) will help with overflow. We want people to come and have a good time. We definitely feed off the enthusiasm of our audiences.”

Tom and Sally Davies and Dezordo say they certainly enjoyed the family-friendly shows, and they all raved about the food. Dinners featuring iconic Amish fare are served buffet-style and cruisers are encouraged to come back for seconds. Plentiful snacks and slushies are available, and a self-serve ice cream station is open around the clock.

“Just like the cruise ships, you come home weighing more than when you left,” Dezordo says. “They feed you really good, but there is always room for ice cream.”

MARKETPLACE

2025 APRIL/MAY

CALENDAR

NORTHWEST

APR. 2, MAY 7 – Down on the Farm Story Time, Proving Ground Farm, 5670 E. Twp. Rd. 138, Tiffin, 10 a.m. Stories and activities geared for preschool-age children that focus on farming and nature. Families welcome! 419-447-7073, www.conservesenecacounty. com, or Seneca Conservation District on Facebook.

APR. 12 – Easter Eggstravaganza, downtown Bellefontaine. Enjoy an egg-citing day filled with fun, festivities, and Easter surprises for the whole family! www.firstfridaysbellefontaine.com.

APR 12–13 – Findlay Flea Market, Hancock Co. Fgds., 1017 E. Sandusky St., Findlay, Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Free admission. New, used, and vintage items, crafts, and more. Food trucks onsite. Vendors welcome! For more information, contact Christine at 419-619-0041 or futrellcg1@gmail.com.

APR. 12 – Kernel Creations Workshop, Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn, 117 S. Main St., Bluffton, 2–4 p.m. Ages 10+. $65. Fun and exciting DIY experience. Includes a tour of the production facility, making your own flavor of popcorn, and more! www. shirleyspopcorn.com/collections/featured-flavor/ products/shirleys-kettle-creations-diy-experience?.

APR. 16 – The Addams Family Broadway Show, Veterans Memorial Civic & Convention Center, #7 Town Square, Lima, 7:30 p.m. The magnificently macabre hit musical featuring everyone’s favorite creepy, kooky characters. www.limaciviccenter.com.

APR. 18 – Ottawa River Coalition Fish Fry, Allen Co. Fgds., 2750 Harding Hwy., Lima, 11 a.m.–6:30

WEST VIRGINIA

p.m. $15. Join us on Good Friday for our annual fish fry community event. Enjoy an excellent meal and help support our watershed education efforts! Fun games and activities; silent auction. Contact: lydia@ allenswcd.com or 419-222-0846

APR. 19 – NWORRP Easter Egg Hunt, Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc., 12505 Co. Rd. 99, Findlay, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. $3; 12 and under, $2 Continuous egg hunt with fun and treats for all ages, and a chance to win a “Golden Ticket” good for the 2025 season. Quarter-scale train rides until 4 p.m. 419-423-2995, www.nworrp.org, or www.facebook. com/nworrp.

APR. 24 – Fourth Thursday Food Truck Rally and Garden Hop, downtown Lakeview, 4–7 p.m. Walk from each participating business, say hi, then grab your shopping passport and a surprise to enjoy! Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy music from Rise FM, food trucks, games, and more. Event is sponsored by McDonalds of Indian Lake. www.facebook.com/ downtownlakeviewohio.

APR. 19 – “Historical Easter Customs,” Piatt Castle Mac-A-Cheek, 10051 Township Rd. 47, West Liberty, 4–6 p.m. Free. Enjoy an egg hunt, egg rolling, and other egg games popular in the past. Make an Easter card like one in the Piatt Castle collection and share some of your own family customs. 937-465-2821, 937-844-3480, or www.piattcastle.org.

APR. 26 – “Nature Nurture,” Piatt Castle Mac-ACheek, 10051 Township Rd. 47, West Liberty, 9–10:30 a.m. Free. Celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day by participating in an interactive program focusing on learning about and caring for nature. Plant a seed from a tree at the Castle to take home! 937-465-2821, 937-844-3480, or www.piattcastle.org.

MAY 3–4 – NWORRP Opening Weekend, Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc., 12505 Co. Rd. 99, Findlay, 1–4 p.m. Free. Join us for an afternoon party to celebrate our 2025 season. Quarter-scale train rides, carnival games, inflatables, mini-golf, and great food. 419-423-2995, www.nworrp.org, or www. facebook.com/nworrp.

MAY 3–4 – Tri-State Gun Show, Allen Co. Fgds., 2750 Harding Hwy., Lima, Sat. 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun.

APR. 26 – Ramps and Rails Festival, Elkins Depot, 315 Railroad Ave., Elkins, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Learn about this unique indigenous Appalachian leek while enjoying local arts and crafts, live music, and delicious ramp-themed foods. Train rides available. 304-365-7803 or www.elkinsdepot.com/events/ ramps-and-rail-festival.

MAY 10–18 – West Virginia Strawberry Festival, downtown Buckhannon. Food vendors specializing in strawberry treats of all kinds, live entertainment, craft and vendor show, three parades, carnival, games, exhibits, and much more! 304-472-9036 or www. wvstrawberryfestival.com.

8:30 a.m.–2 p.m. (8 a.m. entry for members). $8; 18 and under free if accompanied by adult. Cash only. Over 400 tables of modern and antique guns, edged weapons, and sportsmen equipment. 419-647-0067 (Manetta Obringer) or www.allencofair.com/events.

MAY 9, 11, 16, 18 – Murder on the Orient Express, Encore Theatre, 991 N. Shore Dr., Lima, Fri./Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2 p.m. $8–$15. It’s winter 1934 and an avalanche stops the Orient Express dead in its tracks. One murderer. A train full of suspects. An impossible case. Can the world’s most famous detective, Hercule Poirot, solve the mystery before the train reaches its final destination? 419-223-8866 or www.amiltellers.org.

MAY 9–18 – Biggest Week in American Birding, Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Ctr., 1750 State Park Rd., Oregon. $10–$35; 8 and under free. Come to the “Warbler Capital of the World” for spectacular birding activities, including morning flight counts, keynote speakers, workshops, field trips, and more. Register at www.biggestweekinamericanbirding.com.

MAY 9–AUG. 1 – Limaland Motorsports Park Races, 1500 Dutch Hollow Rd., Lima, 7:30–10:30 p.m. Pit races include sprints, UMP Modifieds, Thunderstocks, and more! Pit gates open at 4:30 p.m., grandstand gates 5 p.m., warmup laps 6:30 p.m. Schedule subject to change. Check www.limaland.com for the most current information.

MAY 10 – Annual Lilac Festival and Street Fair, Clinton Street, Defiance, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free. Celebrate the official flower of Defiance with the community’s largest art and craft fair. Free lilacs to the first 750 attendees. Art and craft vendors, food vendors, children’s activities. 419-782-0739 or https:// visitdefianceohio.com.

MAY 10–SEP. 14 – NWORRP Museum Summer Hours, Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc., 12505 Co. Rd. 99, Findlay, Sat./Sun. 1–4 p.m. $3; 12 and under, $2. Quarter-scale train rides, model train displays, museum tours, games, play area, and more. 419-423-2995, www.nworrp.org, or www.facebook. com/nworrp.

2025 CALENDAR APRIL/MAY

NORTHEAST

APR. 7–18 – Annual Spring Quilt Show, Historic Fort Steuben, 120 S. 3rd St., Steubenville, Mon.–Fri. 10 a.m.–4 p.m., or by appointment. Free. Over three dozen handcrafted quilts on display. 740-283-1787 or www.oldfortsteuben.com.

APR. 18 – Pretzel Day, Historic Zoar Village, 198 Main St., Zoar, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Stop by on Good Friday for a fun and flavor-filled day of pretzels, pretzels, and more pretzels! Enjoy a pretzel fresh out of the Bakery oven or visit one of the grab-and-go stations. Please be patient, as Bakery wait times may be long. 330874-3011 or www.historiczoarvillage.com.

APR. 24–27 – Geauga County Maple Festival, Historic Chardon Square, Chardon. Join us for a celebration of all things maple! Arts and crafts, lumberjack competition, bathtub races, maple syrup contest, pageants, parades, and other fun activities. Enjoy all-you-can-eat Pancakes in the Park every day, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. ($10, under 6 free). 440-332-7055 or www.maplefestival.com.

SOUTHWEST

THROUGH MAY 28 – Bluegrass Wednesdays, Vinoklet Winery, 11069 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati, Wed. 6:30–8:30 p.m. Enjoy dinner, wine, and an evening of free entertainment by Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass. Reservations recommended. 513-385-9309, vinokletwinery@fuse.net, or www. vinokletwines.com.

APR. 1 – Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass, Miami Down Home Downtown, 221 High St., Hamilton, 7–8:30 p.m. Free. Enjoy an evening of lively bluegrass music with lightning-fast instrumentals, close harmonies, and entertaining novelty songs. For details, email vaughnjh@ gmail.com.

APR. 26 – Avon Spring Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show, Emerald Event Center, 33040 Just Imagine Dr., Avon, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $3; under 12 free. Large show featuring artists and crafters selling their original handmade items. 440-227-8794 or www. avantgardeshows.com.

MAY 1 – National Day of Prayer Event, LaGrange Methodist Church, 105 W. Main St., LaGrange, noon. All are welcome. For more information, call 440-3554561

MAY 2 – First Friday on Fourth, 155 N. 4th St., Steubenville, 6–10 p.m. Free. Street music-themed celebration featuring art, crafts, games, food trucks, live entertainment, and activities to stimulate the imagination. www.theharmoniumproject.org/ first-Fridays.

MAY 2–3 – Dandelion May Fest, Breitenbach Vineyards, 5773 Old Rte. 39 NW, Dover, Fri. 12–7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–7 p.m. Dandelion food and wine, cellar tours, arts and crafts, and live entertainment. 330-343-3603 or www.breitenbachwine.com/ dandelion-festival.

MAY 3 – Magic of Moms Craft and Vendor Show, Emidio and Sons Banquet Center, 48 E. Bath Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Free. 100 local vendors and crafters. Grab lunch and enjoy shopping, raffles, 50/50, and so much more! www.facebook.com/ events/579066271465770

MAY 3–4 – Ohio Civil War Show, Richland Co. Fgds., 750 N Home Rd., Mansfield, Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $8; under 12 free. Artillery show and cannon firing demos, living history campfire, Civil War and WWII battleground encampments, Camp Chase

Fife and Drum Corp, WWII small arms demos, and much more. www.ohiocivilwarshow.com.

MAY 4 – Duo Colombiano: “Latin Influences,” Wadsworth Public Library, 132 Broad St., Wadsworth, 2–3 p.m. Free. Guitarist Kurt Reed and cellist David London bring the musical traditions and heritage of Colombia to their performances of music from the New York City jazz clubs of the ’40s all the way to contemporary pop. Seating is on a first-come, firstserved basis. 419-853-6016 or www.ormaco.org.

MAY 9–10 – Holmes County Training Center Benefit Auction and Spring Festival, 8001 Township Rd. 574, Holmesville. Benefits children and adults in Holmes County DD facilities and in the community. Furniture, quilt, silent, and special auctions; raffle prizes; children’s games. Volleyball, food stands, and musical entertainment on Friday night; breakfast, chicken BBQ, food court, and all auctions on Saturday. 330-674-8045 or www. holmesdd.org.

MAY 9–10 – Maifest, Historic Zoar Village, 198 Main St., Zoar, $5; 11 and under free. German food and drink, music, make-and-take art projects, and spring tours of the village. German Car Show featuring a variety of antique German-made vehicles. 330-8743011 or www.historiczoarvillage.com.

MAY 10 – Plant Discovery Day Sale, Secrest Welcome and Education Center, 2122 Williams Rd., Wooster, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Over 120 different trees and shrubs, perennials, and herbs for sale. Find rare and exotic plants, native plants, vegetables, and more. Check the website for the plant list. www. friendsofsecrest.com.

APR. 5 – Under the Stars with Jim Carr, Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 8–10 p.m. Free. Join us for an exciting evening of stargazing. For all ages. 937-962-5561, pcpdevents@ gmail.com, or www.preblecountyparks.org.

APR. 7–MAY 25 – Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass, Rib City BBQ & Bluegrass, 746 NW Washington Blvd., Hamilton, Mon. 7–9 p.m. Free. Call 513-829-7427 before traveling.

APR. 11–12 – Midwest Ceramic Association Show, Butler Co. Exhibition Bldg., Butler Co. Fgds., 1715 Fairgrove Ave., Hamilton, Fri. 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. $5. Ohio’s original ceramic show. www. midwestceramics.org.

APR. 18, MAY 16 – Bluegrass Night, Fibonacci Brewing Company, 1445 Compton Rd., Cincinnati, 7–9 p.m. Free admission. Enjoy lively bluegrass music by Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass, a wide variety of craft beers at the Beer Garden, and food truck eats. 513-832-1422 or http://fibbrew.com.

APR. 25–26 – Grassy Run Heritage Rendezvous, Cook Log Cabin Heritage Center, 6707 Goshen Rd., Goshen, Fri. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. (School Day), Sat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (open to the public). $2–$10. Pre-1840 encampment that brings to life the pioneers who settled in the Ohio Valley and the crafts and skills they needed to survive. Craft demos, hands-

on activities, and much more. 513-520-2882, grassyrun@gmail.com, www.grassy-run.org.

APR. 25–27 – Sugar Maple Festival, Bellbrook. Maple sap boil demonstration, syrup for purchase, children’s activities, live bands, 5K race, dog show, beer garden, crafts, food, and much more. Pancake breakfast Sat. 8–10:30 a.m.; parade Sat. 10:30 a.m. See full schedule of events at www. sugarmaplefestival.com.

MAY 10 – Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea, Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 2–4 p.m. $15/person. “Alice in Wonderland Tea Party” hosted by Preble Players. Join us for tea and crumpets with the cast of Alice in Wonderland. For details and tickets, call 937-962-5561 or visit www. prebleplayers.org.

MAY 10–11 – Appalachian Festival, New Richmond, Sat. 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. $15 Enjoy a weekend of family-style fun: handmade crafts, downhome food, Living History Village, educational exhibits, old-time music, dance, and storytelling. Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass performs May 10 (time TBA). 513-251-3378 or www. appalachianfestival.org.

CENTRAL

APR. 4, MAY 2 – First Friday Art Walk, downtown Zanesville, 5–8 p.m. Come downtown on the first Friday of each month, when all our participating galleries, studios, and small businesses are open at the same time! https://artcoz.org/arts-district-map.

APR. 12 – “Roots for the Future,” Park District Headquarters, 16405 U.S. 23, South Bloomfield, 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Free. To register, email mellis@ pickawaycountyohio.gov. Learn proper tree-planting techniques while improving local habitats for the future. All tools and materials provided. Please dress for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. For more information, visit www.pickawaycountyparks.org.

APR. 17 – Thursday Trail Tour: Pickaway Trail, 23727 Canal Rd., Circleville, 9:30–11:30 a.m. To register, email mellis@pickawaycountyohio. gov. Please dress to be outside and for a walk along various trail surfaces. An adult must accompany all children under 12. Program will be canceled in the case of inclement weather. www. pickawaycountyparks.org.

APR. 17–22 – Clematis Kerfuffle, Groovy Plants Ranch, 4140 Co. Rd. 15, Marengo. Gather your friends and join us for an unforgettable plant celebration featuring a dazzling display of over 1,000 clematis. We will have the standard favorites plus some exciting harder-to-find varieties. 740-675-2681 or www. groovyplantsranch.com.

APR. 19 – “Birds in the Preserves,” Park District Headquarters, 16405 U.S. 23, South Bloomfield, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Free. Join us for a guided bird walk through the preserve as we explore the sights and

SOUTHEAST

APR. 12 – Earth Gathering Festival, Pump House Center for the Arts, 1 Enderlin Circle, Chillicothe, 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Free. Juried-invitational art festival with an Earth Day theme, featuring Earth-friendly art, music, food, products, and ideas. www. visitchillicotheohio.com.

sounds of the spring neo-migrate birds. Perfect for bird enthusiasts of all levels and all ages! Bring binoculars if you have them. To register, email mellis@ pickawaycountyohio.gov. For more details, visit www. pickawaycountyparks.org.

APR. 25–26 – Spring at the Round Barn: Vintage and Made Market, Fairfield Co. Fgds., 157 E. Fair Ave., Lancaster. Open-air and barn markets showcasing 100+ modern makers, vendors of authentic vintage finds, clothing boutiques, designers, growers, food trucks, and live music. 614-296-1621 or www.thevintageandmademarket.com.

APR. 27 – Coshocton Community Choir Concert: “In All Things, Love,” McKinley Auditorium, Coshocton High School, 1205 Cambridge Rd., Coshocton, 3–4:30 p.m. Free admission; freewill donations only. Includes the 80-voice adult choir, the Coshocton Youth Chorale, the Coshocton Singers, Roscoe Brass, and more. 740-623-0554 or www. coshoctoncommunitychoir.org.

APR. 27 – Marysville Toy Show, Union Co. Fgds., Beef Barn, 845 N. Main St., Marysville, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $6; 12 and under free; early buyer (8–9 a.m.) $12. Free parking. Die-cast cars, action figures, model kits, farm toys, and more. All kinds of toys, old and new. Visit us on Facebook @ Marysville Toy Show.

MAY 1 – Thursday Trail Tour: Park Headquarters, 16405 U.S. 23, South Bloomfield, 9:30–11:30 a.m. To register, email mellis@pickawaycountyohio. gov. Please dress to be outside and for a walk along various trail surfaces. An adult must accompany all children under 12. Program will be canceled in the case of inclement weather. www. pickawaycountyparks.org.

MAY 2 – Pickerington Chocolate Hop, Olde Pickerington Village, 6–8:30 p.m. A $5 donation gets you a map of locations around the Village where you will receive a little chocolate treat as a thank-you. Begin on the plaza at Columbus and Center Sts. Limited number of maps; donate in advance to reserve yours. www.pickeringtonvillage.com.

MAY 2–OCT. 3 – First Friday Car Show, 122 N. Court St., Circleville, Fri. 5–9 p.m. Enjoy a night of classic cars, community fun, and a vibrant uptown atmosphere. More information at www.pickaway.com.

APR. 17–NOV. 27 – Athens Farmers Market, Athens Community Center, 701 E. State St., Athens, Wed. 9 a.m.–noon. Open year-round Sat. 9 a.m.–noon. 740-593-6763, www.athensfarmersmarket. org, or www.facebook.com/afm.ohio.

APR. 25–27 – Pike County Dogwood Festival, Pike Co. Fgds., Piketon. Small-town festival celebrating the dogwood tree. Parade, baby contest, royalty contest, live music, food, and more. pikecountydogwood@yahoo.com or www.facebook. com/profile.php?id=100093285501866

APR. 26 – Shenandoah Live in Concert, Peoples Bank Theatre, 222 Putnam St., Marietta, 8 p.m. $42+. www.peoplesbanktheatre.com.

MAY 1–4 – Vinton County Wild Turkey Festival, McArthur, Thur. 5–11 p.m., Fri./Sat. noon–11 p.m., Sun. noon–5 p.m. Midway, carnival food, bike show, contests, and nightly musical entertainment. Grand parade Sat. 6 p.m., followed by crowning of the festival queen. wildturkeyfestival@outlook.com,

MAY 3 – Earth Day Celebration, ECO Center, 1757 Co. Rd. 59, Caledonia, 12–3 p.m. Free. Fun-filled and educational day for the entire family! Outdoor activities include mini zip lines, nature scavenger hunt, and much more. Local goods for purchase. 914-4008085 or www.ecocenterohio.com.

MAY 3 – Spring Migration Hike, Southern End of Canal Park’s Towpath Trail, 25500 Canal Rd., Circleville, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. Free. To register, email mellis@pickawaycountyohio.gov. Explore the Ohio-Erie Canal and Scioto River with our knowledgeable guides and observe local songbirds, waterfowl, and other migrating species. Perfect for bird enthusiasts of all levels and all ages! Bring binoculars if you have them. www. pickawaycountyparks.org.

MAY 3 – Ohioana Book Festival, State Library of Ohio, 274 E. First Ave. #100, Columbus. This year’s festival will include author and illustrator panel discussions, family-friendly activities, food trucks, a book fair, the chance to explore Ohioana Library, and more! 614-466-3831 or www.ohioana.org/programs/ ohioana-book-festival.

MAY 4 – Lancaster Handbell Ensemble: “Cascades of Sound,” First Presbyterian Church, 140 E. Orange St., Lancaster, 3 p.m. $10; under 18, $5 The concert will feature the versatility and artistry of our handbell ensemble, alongside talented soloists from throughout the Lancaster area. www. lancasterhandbellensemble.org.

MAY 3–OCT. 25 – Coshocton Farmers Market, Skip’s Landing, 22375 Co. Rd. 1A, Coshocton, Sat. 8:30 a.m.–noon. Locally grown produce, baked goods, and artisan crafts. Rain or shine. www. facebook.com/coshoctonfarmersmarket or email market.manager@coshfarmmarket.org.

MAY 10 – Spring Ephemeral Hike, Park District Headquarters, 16405 U.S. 23, South Bloomfield, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Free. Join us for a fun guided hike through the forest as we search for delicate wildflowers that bloom briefly before the trees leaf out. Learn about their ecological importance. To register, please email mellis@pickawaycountyohio.gov. More details at www.pickawaycountyparks.org.

www.wildturkeyfestival.com, or http://vcwtf.org/ index.html.

MAY 3 – The Big Deal at Great Seal, Great Seal State Park, 4908 Marietta Rd., Chillicothe, 8 a.m. $50–$120. Presented by RunFluent with options of 50K, 25K, and 5K. Cash prizes to top male and female of each distance, along with awards, including special “Golden Goat” award. www. facebook.com/events/1058494238918848

MAY 10 – Etta May, Peoples Bank Theatre, 222 Putnam St., Marietta, 8 p.m. www. peoplesbanktheatre.com.

MAY 10 – Mother’s Day Plant Sale, Bellavenue Manor, 207 S. 10th St., McConnelsville. Annuals, hanging baskets, perennials, rose bushes, herbs, and lavender. 419-571-9303 or florabyfawn@ gmail.com.

1 Our five grandchildren running into the water: Jaime Bolon, Trevor Wilson, Jeffrey Bolon, Tori Wilson, and T.J. Wilson. Patty Quaglia, South Central Power Company member

2 My grandson, Pierson, and my granddaughter, Piper, had a fun time on spring break in New York City. Diane Wamsley, Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative member

3 Our grandson, Rhett Crites, enjoying the weather at Hollywood Beach, Florida. Dan and Cheryl Crites, North Western Electric Cooperative members

4 Cousins enjoying the Buckeyes’ spring game for spring break. Andy Bushman, Midwest Electric member

5 Spring break 2023 at Hilton Head Beach. Taylor McCullough, Frontier Power Company member 1 2 3 4 5

For July, send “We all scream for ice cream” by April 15; for August, send “Smiley dogs” by May 15.

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Trade School Scholarships available For adult and high school residential members

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Application deadline: April 30