Ohio Cooperative Living – May 2025 - Union

Be SAFE around LIGHTNING

If you hear thunder, you are close enough to get struck by lightning.

Seek shelter indoors:

• Refrain from using corded electrical devices

• Avoid running water, including baths and showers, and stay away from windows

• Stay in shelter until 30 minutes after the last thunder

If you can’t get to shelter:

• Avoid open fields and hilltops

• Stay away from tall, isolated trees and objects

• Spread out from others if you’re in a group

ohioec.org/purpose

Appreciate electricity, prioritize safety

Electricity is truly remarkable. It’s everywhere — lighting up our homes, powering TVs and refrigerators, charging phones we rely on daily, and generally changing our lives in ways we almost take for granted. It feels like it’s always been here.

That’s not the case, of course. It’s worth remembering that, though electricity now runs almost every part of our routines, most homes and businesses in rural parts of the United States didn’t have electricity available to them until the mid-1930s.

It’s also worth remembering that, despite all the convenience it has brought to our lives, electricity also comes with dangers that we need to respect.

May is National Electric Safety Month, and that’s a good time to think about not only the importance of electricity but also how we make sure to use it safely. It requires caution and care, and by being aware of safety practices, we can enjoy the benefits of electricity without putting ourselves, or others, in harm’s way.

Usually, there’s no real reason for most of us ever to stop to think about how electricity works: how it’s generated at power plants and travels through wires that are strung along a system of poles before it finally reaches our outlets to turn on the lights. But it’s a journey that isn’t without risks, so taking safety precautions is vital.

Staying safe is often about being mindful of small things. Overloaded outlets or frayed cords can cause shocks or fires, so it’s best to avoid them. Outdoors, electric utility poles, wires, and boxes can be dangerous, especially if they’re damaged or look unusual. If you see something out of the ordinary, such as fallen wires or equipment that doesn’t look right, it’s wise to report it to your local electric cooperative and let their trained personnel check it out and fix it if needed.

There’s a saying that fits well here: “If you see something, say something.” It’s simple advice that can really make a difference.

National Electric Safety Month is a reminder to just be careful out there. By spreading the word about electrical safety, adopting good habits, and staying informed, we can ensure this amazing resource keeps improving our lives without causing harm.

Craig Grooms PRESIDENT & CEO OHIO’S ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES

It’s worth remembering that, despite the convenience it has brought to our lives, electricity also comes with dangers that we need to respect.

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: Colleen Romick Clark, Randy Edwards, Getty Images, W.H. “Chip” Gross, Catherine Murray, Damaine Vonada, 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

Job 1: With potential hazards all around, electric co-ops never take safety for granted.

10 CO-OP PEOPLE

Saucy Sows: Members’ mustards have expanded from a single spicy sauce to a plethora of products found far and wide (and close to home).

12 WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE

A good ear: Wondering what bird you’re hearing in your backyard? Here’s an app that has the answer.

15 GOOD EATS

15 12 10 4

Club Med: A Mediterranean diet, long known for its health benefits, can also be delicious!

19 LOCAL PAGES

News and other important information from your electric cooperative.

37 CALENDAR

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

National/regional advertising inquiries, contact Cheryl Solomon

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

Cooperative members: Please report changes of address to your electric cooperative. Ohio Cooperative Living staff cannot process address changes.

Alliance for Audited Media Member

40

MEMBER INTERACTIVE

Graduation Day: Members celebrate a wide range of commencements — including one for Eliza and her best friend, Jensen, graduating from preschool (photo, at right, submitted by Jason Basford, South Central Power Company member).

40 37

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.

Job

With potential hazards all around, electric co-ops never take safety for granted.

BY RANDY EDWARDS

Nearly four decades ago,

Dwight Miller climbed an electric utility pole to rescue a fellow lineman who had accidentally made contact with an energized line. The injuries were bad, and although the lineman survived, the scene haunted Miller’s sleep for weeks.

Dwight Miller

“It totally changed my outlook on everything. I became an advocate for safety that day,” says Miller, who was working for a private contractor at the time, but today is the senior director of safety training and loss prevention for Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, the statewide trade association that provides services for the 25 electric distribution cooperatives in Ohio and West Virginia.

Miller’s laser focus on safety — whether in an official capacity or “just speaking up when nobody else would speak up” — altered his career path.

Culture of safety

Today, Miller’s nine-member safety team works in Ohio and West Virginia to coach, train, and support not only the 375 lineworkers employed by the co-ops, but all 1,500 cooperative employees in the state, with an aim to keep everyone safe.

He says the support his team receives from engaged cooperative leaders has led to a significant decrease in injuries over the years.

In fact, the number of workdays

1

missed or work restricted at the co-ops due to injury (a common industry metric) has been more than halved since 2004

For Miller, though, it’s still not enough, and he consistently cautions company leaders to be ever vigilant.

“We’re happy to see good numbers, but we urge everyone to focus on the idea that hazards are there every day, just waiting for someone, somewhere,” he says. “They must be prepared when and if problems arise.”

One aspect of the safety team’s job is to implement RESAP — the Rural Electric Safety Achievement Program — a national initiative led by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association. RESAP involves a periodic intensive review of cooperative safety practices with a goal of continual improvement. Combined with Commitment to Zero Contacts, a complementary program focused on lineworkers, RESAP helps cooperatives build — and maintain — their safety culture.

It’s everyone’s job

Sean Luellen, shown practicing a pole-top rescue, says lineworker training puts safety above all else.

Sean Luellen says lineworker training has become more focused on safety since he began his career a quartercentury ago. A crew leader for the lineworkers at URE–Union Rural Electric Cooperative in Marysville, Luellen says the “old school” attitude from some supervisors used to be “Do as I say, not as I do.”

Today, training for both apprentice and journeyman lineworkers, whether it takes place within individual cooperatives or at the Central Ohio Lineworker Training facility in Mount Gilead, puts safety ahead of everything else, and Luellen says that commitment is exemplified by NRECA’s “Speak Up, Listen Up” program.

“It’s one of our pillars of safety,” he says. “Everyone on the job has stop-work authority. That’s exactly what our culture of safety is here. We try to instill in our crews, ‘You have a voice.’”

It’s everyone’s job, he says, to make sure everyone is following the lifesaving basics: wearing protective rubber gloves and sleeves, testing and grounding lines, using proper line cover-up practices, and line clearance. “These are the things we do so if something unexpected were to happen, it’s not going to be something that stops a guy from going home at night.”

Continued on page 6

Continued from page 5

Safety at the source

The safety culture at co-ops is shared by the men and women who work at the Cardinal Power Plant in Brilliant, the 1,800-megawatt generating station that produces most of the affordable, reliable power that keeps members’ lights on.

“We always ask, ‘Is it compliance or are you committed?’” says Bethany Schunn, plant manager. “A lot of things we do, we do because of compliance, but when it comes to safety, we want to make it a commitment.”

In addition to the high-voltage electricity flowing out of the plant, the 250 Cardinal employees face risks common to any large industrial workplace — heat, cold, caustic chemicals, open holes, moving heavy equipment, and more.

Because research has shown that workers identify only 45 percent of possible hazards on the job, the Cardinal Plant in 2023 adopted the Energy Wheel, a practice of regularly reviewing a range of potential safety threats such as biological, chemical, and mechanical hazards.

“It’s a structure we apply to our already existing safety culture,” Schunn says. “It’s a way of jogging everyone’s memory. And it’s not just about identifying hazards, but we also talk about what we’re going to do to minimize the hazards and keep someone from getting hurt.”

Making year-against-year comparisons is difficult, Schunn says. But in 2020, workers at the facility suffered four injuries that resulted in a total of 369 workdays missed or restricted. In 2024, only one such injury occurred, resulting in a total of 38 days away from work.

“Since we just started utilizing the Energy Wheel, I can’t attribute our decline since 2020 solely to that effort,” she says. “However, we hope to keep focusing on our safety culture and keep getting better, and safer.”

Bethany Schunn

WHISPERING

GET YOUR HANDS-ON BEREA Arts, Outdoors, Dining & More!

Berea has something for everyone to get their hands on! Art enthusiasts will discover galleries and artisan shops in the Folk Arts and Crafts Capital of Kentucky. Outdoor adventurers can explore this Certified Kentucky Trail Town with hiking, biking, kayaking and more. Foodies will find unique flavors only available in Berea’s local restaurants.

visitberea.com

EXPLORE KENTUCKY’S RICH MUSIC HERITAGE

Visit the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame

Explore Kentucky’s music traditions and learn about the people behind your favorite songs. With interactive displays and music memorabilia, there is something for the whole family, no matter your musical tastes — including the KY Blues Music Festival set for June 7, 2025. The Museum & Gift Shop is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

kentuckymusichalloffame.com

UNFORGETTABLE BLUEGRASS VACATIONS

Known as the Horse Capital of the World and the epicenter of Bourbon Country, the Bluegrass State is also a land of immense natural beauty and wide-open spaces offering plenty of places to play.

Sip centuries of tradition in the birthplace of bourbon and tour distilleries to learn how Kentucky’s signature spirit is made. Stroll through rolling horse farms, catch a race at the track and take a trail ride through the forest. Explore woods, waters, caves and trails, offering endless outdoor adventure.

And let’s not forget the food! Savor signature Bluegrass flavors that come to life at local restaurants, where talented chefs and mixologists are inspired by a bounty of fresh, local ingredients.

With so much to see, do and taste, the Bluegrass State is the perfect place for your next vacation.

Find what moves you in our new Kentucky home.

kentuckytourism.com

WINE, WHISKEY, ALE AND FOREST TRAILS

Find Your Escape in Bullitt County

Bullitt County, Kentucky, offers seven distinctive sensory experiences within nine miles of each other along the Wine, Whiskey & Ale Trail, including guided or self-guided tours and tastings to enjoy at your own pace. Then, visit Kentucky’s official state arboretum, Bernheim Forest, which boasts more than 16,000 acres of wildlife sanctuary, landscaped gardens and arboretum.

travelbullitt.org

CADIZ & LAKE BARKLEY

Make a Splash in the Western Waterlands

Explore a water wonderland the whole family will love. With more than 1,000 miles of shoreline, massive Lake Barkley is a favorite for boating, fishing and water sports galore. Find more kid-friendly fun at Prizer Point, which features an inflatable water park, a floating restaurant and a jumping pillow. Up your lake experience by booking a lakeside vacation rental. Pioneer Cabins straight out of the 1800s, kayaks, canoes and rare wildlife are all here at Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Don’t miss area attractions, like laser light shows at Golden Pond Planetarium, historic 1850s Homeplace tours and nostalgic shops and restaurants downtown. gocadiz.com

SET SAIL WITH US!

Your Next Adventure is Waiting

Are you ready for some good times of epic proportions? Make Grant County, Kentucky, your next stop. Conveniently located between Lexington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati on I-75, you’ll find lakes and trails for fishing and hiking, historical sites, family fun and the Ark Encounter. visitgrantky.com

SowsSaucy

Member’s mustards have expanded from a single spicy sauce to a plethora of products found far and wide (and close to home).

BY MARGIE WUEBKER

Scott and Denise Scherer know the look — folks seeking a little pizzazz for their mundane mealtimes often find themselves wandering into their market, Saucy Sows Sweets and Meats, with a distinct look of hungry anticipation.

Saucy Sows, located at the intersection of state routes 47 and 235, is but a stone’s throw from the only roundabout between Bellefontaine and Sidney, where the owners are members of Logan County Electric Cooperative.

The market offers specialty foods (including many with the Saucy Sows label), fresh meats (including juicy burgers made with 50 % beef and 50 % bacon), deli items, Amish baked goods, and produce. The staff, which includes Scott and Denise’s son, Stealth, and daughter, Blazie, also prepares special treats like storemade barbecued beef, chicken salad, ham salad, and bologna salad.

The Scherers have spent years perfecting their products and growing the business. Scott left a job in the beverage industry in 2012 in order to pursue his culinary interest.

He initially thought about producing a new kind of mustard but quickly realized the market was flooded. After considerable experimentation, he developed sweet pepper mustard using fresh red and green peppers. Numerous taste tests yielded only positive results, but he still needed a name.

“We used to do a lot of fishing, and our favorite charter was Sassy Sal’s,” he says. “We settled on the name Saucy Sows — since we envisioned our products being used on pork as well as beef, the name just seemed right.”

For many years, the Scherers prepared and packaged their mustard at a large commercial kitchen in Bowling Green, so they had to load up everything from ingredients to labels for their regular trips. During the ensuing weeks, Scott traveled to mom-and-pop markets, butcher shops, and specialty shops introducing proprietors to his “pride and joy.”

Orders steadily grew from cases to pallets, and soon he added new products like spicy mustard, moonshine mustard, barbecue glazes, horseradish sauce, pickles, and

pork and beef sticks. Today, the Saucy Sows line comprises more than 25 products, including soda pop.

“We have hot and spicy products, but we also have plenty of options for those who don’t like or can’t handle the heat,” he says. “Adding new products takes considerable experimentation. It really involves trial and error. You can always put in a little heat or spice, but you certainly can’t take it out.”

Some new products spring from customer suggestions, but most originate from family members. Such examples include the sweet and tangy Sassy Tallahassee barbecue sauce and Saucy Sows mild bread-and-butter pickle slices. There is always something in the planning stage.

The Scherers no longer make trips to Bowling Green, because their growing product volume has allowed them to hire other businesses to handle packaging for the “tried and true” recipes. For instance, Woeber in Springfield manages the mustards and Sechler’s in St. Joe, Indiana, packs the pickles.

The Scherers ultimately decided to open their market in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. Clientele steadily grew and the white frame store now operates six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday. Denise manages

the operation and spends considerable time in the deli, slicing lunch meat and cheese brought in from Ohio’s Amish country. Stealth oversees the adjacent meat counter, where fresh pork and beef can be purchased by the pound. Scott spends 50 to 60 hours per week preparing shipments, making deliveries, and recruiting new customers. More than 300 retail outlets carry Saucy Sows products in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

“We set out to make a quality product and we have adhered to our mission,” he says. “After all, we would never serve something to our customers that we wouldn’t serve to family and friends.”

Saucy Sows, 13 State Route 235 N., DeGraff, Ohio. Open 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays. Scan the QR code for more information.

A good ear

Wondering what bird you’re hearing in your backyard?

Here’s an app that has the answer.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY W. H. “CHIP” GROSS

Learning any hobby is always easier with a mentor — even a virtual one. Take birding, for example. I’m no techie, but I have been using a smartphone app to learn bird songs and calls for the last couple of years, and I’ve been extremely impressed by its ease of use, accuracy, and just plain fun.

So if you are new to birding, or even if you’ve had a pair of binoculars hanging around your neck for years, this app can help. Best of all, it’s free!

Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Labs is available in Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, or at https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org. And not only is it free, it is also ad-free and there are no in-app purchases needed.

“The Merlin Bird ID app contains identification support and photos, sound recordings, maps, and descriptions for more than 10,000 bird species from around the world, with more species being added constantly,” says Kathi Borgmann, communications manager for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which developed and owns Merlin.

“More than 29 million people worldwide have installed Merlin on their phones, with June 2024 seeing the greatest number of Merlin users, more than 5 4 million during that month alone.”

Borgmann says that the Cornell Lab of Ornithology offers the app for free because it’s their mission to advance the understanding and protection of wild birds. “We’re a nonprofit organization that is funded primarily by members

The Merlin app identifies multiple birds at a time (opposite page), and provides interesting information about all of them if you ask it.

and donors, so it is those generous people who help us provide Merlin at no charge.”

The pioneering sound-identification technology was integrated into the previously existing app in 2021 Merlin is aptly named for a small, fast, fierce falcon. It’s as easy to use as downloading the app to your smartphone, then going outdoors to listen for singing or calling birds. When you hear a nearby bird that you’d like to identify, simply point your phone toward the sound and push the app’s “Sound ID” button.

The app listens to the sound and makes a suggestion as to what bird species it’s hearing. Once the bird stops singing or you want to stop recording, simply push the stop button. You then have the option of listening to recordings of other individual birds of the same species, already loaded onto the app, to see if yours matches. That’s helpful because, just as people have different accents and dialects depending upon where they live, birds do too.

But wait, there’s more! You can also identify a bird by taking a photo of it with your smartphone’s camera, and the app will identify it. Or, you can answer five basic questions about a bird you saw and the app will make the identification based on the information you provide. As a test, I tried it on a common bird that everyone knows — a robin I saw mugging a worm in my backyard — and the app spit out the correct answer in no time. You can also explore a list of birds common to your area.

You don’t need the latest and greatest smartphone to take advantage of Merlin. For years I used an ancient iPhone 8, upgrading during the last year to an iPhone 15, and Merlin works well on both. By the way, the sound ID feature operates completely offline, so you can identify birds anywhere.

Club Med

RECIPES AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY CATHERINE MURRAY

A Mediterranean diet, long known for its health benefits, can also be delicious!

MOROCCAN SPICED LENTILS

Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 20 minutes | Servings: 4 to 6

3 cups water

1½ cups dry green lentils, rinsed and drained*

3 cloves garlic

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in quarters

1 large red pepper, seeded and cut in quarters

12-ounce can tomato paste

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1½ teaspoons cumin

1½ teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon turmeric

¼ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a medium pot, boil water. Add lentils; return to a boil, stir once, then turn heat to medium-low and cover, simmering for about 15 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and drain any excess water from lentils using pot lid. Meanwhile, in a large food processor, puree garlic through vinegar. Stir the pureed sauce into the pot of drained lentils. Simmer until hot, sprinkle with cilantro, and serve. Pair spiced lentils with khobz (a traditional Moroccan flatbread), meats, rice bowls, and salads.

*If substituting brown or red lentils, use the recommended cook time on the package.

Per serving: 310 calories, 2 grams fat (0 grams saturated fat), 58 grams total carbohydrates, 285 milligrams sodium, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 22 grams fiber, 20 grams protein.

ITALIAN AMARETTI COOKIES

Prep: 20 minutes | Bake: 25 minutes | Servings: 24

3 cups almond flour

1 cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

3 large egg whites at room temperature

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup powdered sugar

In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, sugar, and salt. Set aside. Place egg whites and almond extract in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With a spatula, fold egg whites into flour mixture until a soft, sticky dough is formed.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour half a cup or so of powdered sugar onto a plate or shallow bowl. Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place on lined baking sheets, pressing down slightly. Bake 22 to 25 minutes until cookies are golden and cracked. Cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Per serving: 118 calories, 6 grams fat (0.5 gram saturated fat), 13 grams total carbohydrates, 31 milligrams sodium, 0 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram fiber, 3 grams protein.

LEBANESE BAKED KIBBEH

Prep: 40 minutes | Bake: 40 minutes | Servings: 8

Hashweh filling

¼ cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound 93% lean ground beef

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon kibbeh spices*

1 teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon salt

Kibbeh mixture

1½ cups fine #1 bulgur wheat**

¾ cup water

1 medium onion, quartered small bunch fresh mint, stems removed

1 tablespoon kibbeh spices

½ tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon garam masala

1½ teaspoons salt

1 pound 93% lean ground beef

1 tablespoon pine nuts

Hashweh filling: In a large skillet, toast pine nuts over medium-high heat, stirring until golden brown and fragrant. Transfer pine nuts to a small bowl to cool. In the now-empty skillet over medium heat, cook beef and onions in a tablespoon of olive oil until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Mix in kibbeh spices, garam masala, salt, and the toasted pine nuts.

Kibbeh mixture: In a medium bowl, mix bulgur wheat and water. Let sit 10 minutes, stirring occasionally as the bulgur absorbs the water and becomes fluffy. In a food processor, mince the quartered onion, mint, kibbeh spices, cumin, garam masala, and salt. Add beef and bulgur, blending until a meat paste forms.

Preheat oven to 400 F and grease a 10-inch round deep baking dish with olive oil. Spread a bit less than half the kibbeh mixture (raw meat) on the bottom, pressing evenly to the edges. Spread the hashweh filling (cooked meat) evenly on top, then top with remaining kibbeh mixture, pressing to fill in gaps (oil hands a bit if mixture is sticky). Score top with diagonal lines to form a diamond pattern. Decorate with pine nuts, then bake 40 to 45 minutes, until meat is fully cooked (160 F). Traditionally served with yogurt sauce or a fattoush salad.

*A variety of dishes made with bulgur and minced meat are called kibbeh, with alternative spellings of kibbe, kebbeh, kubba, kubbi, kubba, and quibe. Look for a spice mix with any of these spellings, or make your own spice mix from recipes online.

**Ziyad and Bob’s Red Mill are common brands of bulgur/bulgar wheat. #1 refers to fine texture; #2 and #3 are more coarse. Per serving: 314 calories, 11 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat), 25 grams total carbohydrates, 670 milligrams sodium, 70 milligrams cholesterol, 5 grams fiber, 29 grams protein.

The ride is worth the drive! Mountwood Park is one of West Virginia’s premier mountain biking destinations for epic multiday adventures. Part of the Mountaineer Trail Network, the park is just minutes from Parkersburg’s top-notch hotels and brew pubs.

URE LOCAL CONNECTIONS

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO/PRESIDENT

THE COOPERATIVE Difference

Board approves $2.76 million refund

Check your May energy bill for your member credits refund.

As a member of URE, you share ownership of the utility. That’s the business structure of a cooperative — it’s owned by the consumers. Because of that, your democratically elected board of trustees directs management to return money to the members each year, when it can responsibly do so.

At this year’s March board meeting, the URE board of trustees approved a return of $2.76 million to our electric members from operating margins earned in prior years. This includes $2.71 million returned from electric operation margins from 2003 – 2006 and 2024.

Also, for the first time, URE is returning approximately $55,000 to members receiving our natural gas service. You might recall that in 2020 and 2021, URE returned significant funds to natural gas members during the pandemic. This is the first time financial metrics for the natural gas division have allowed refunding of capital credits to be done on a regular schedule moving forward. This year’s retirement comes from natural gas margins earned in 2014, 2015, and 2024.

As a member of URE, you invest in the company, and that capital is paid back over a period of time, after the company has been able to use these funds to continue building and growing the business. This latest round of credits includes margins from URE’s electric and gas

Anthony Smith CEO/PRESIDENT

operations as well as margins from our investment in Buckeye Power, the cooperative that owns and operates power plants and coordinates the transmission of electric delivery to all Ohio electric cooperatives.

Pay special attention to your May bill because it will include credit for the margins allocated to you in the years mentioned above. But what if you moved and no longer are a URE member? If you recently moved away from the URE system, you are still entitled to receive those bill credits for the years we are retiring; we can just send you a check. If you know a former URE member, make sure to let them know. Call our office at 800-642-1826 or email services@ure.com and give us your current mailing address so we can keep in contact. You can also check our comprehensive list of member names who we’ve lost contact with and are eligible to receive a refund here: https://link.ure.com/ unclaimed-credits.

URE is owned by our consumers, so we are committed to the allocation and return of money to our members. We’re not owned by disconnected investors; we are owned by the consumers of our service. That’s something you can be proud of and it’s what sets us apart from for-profit companies.

Receiving these bill credits is just one more benefit of being a member of URE, and that’s the cooperative di erence.

Scan to search the list of unclaimed funds.

CO-OP PRINCIPLE #2 DEMOCRATIC MEMBER CONTROL

As a member, you are an important part of the decision-making and policy-setting at URE.

And that means you have the right to vote annually for your board of trustees.

URE is democratically governed by the members it serves. The strength of the cooperative lies in having a qualified and committed board of trustees. Trustees serve as elected representatives and are accountable to our members.

Two board seats are up for election in 2025: District 2 (Jerome Township) and District 7 (Allen Township)

Check your mailbox — your ballot will be arriving soon. You may vote one of three ways: SmartHub mobile app, online through ure.com, or by mail. If you choose to mail in your vote, please mail your ballot early to ensure delivery by the voting deadline of June 5. Votes will be accepted through 4 p.m. (EST). Winners will be announced at the annual meeting of members on June 7, beginning at 9 a.m.

Scan to view the current code of regulations, as well as the marked-up version with proposed changes.

https://link.ure.com/2025-proposed-code-changes.

Official meeting notice in May OCL magazine

May 16: Latest ballots can be mailed to members (20 days prior to annual meeting)

May 27: Regular May board meeting

Final meeting notice in June OCL magazine

June 5: Ballots due

June 7: Annual meeting, 9 a.m. at URE office

June 24: Regular June board meeting, including the reorganization meeting to elect board officers

PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE CODE OF REGULATIONS

This year, not only will you be voting for which members will be selected as trustees in districts 2 and 7, you will be voting on two proposed changes to the cooperative’s code of regulations.

The URE board and management are recommending two specific changes. One will make it easier for members to do estate planning by assigning a “payable on death” beneficiary; the other will more accurately define what is meant by the term, “service area” as it relates to natural gas.

“Payable on Death” beneficiaries

URE allows for the early retirement (pay-out) of capital credits to the estate or spouse of a member upon death. We have seen more members asking to assign a beneficiary while going through estate planning and we do not currently allow this to be done prior to death. The new article I section 3, below, adds a provision which would allow for adding “Payable on Death” beneficiaries. Management and the board believe that this section would allow for better estate planning by our members.

SECTION 3. “Payable on Death” Beneficiaries

Any individual or joint member may designate “Payable on Death” beneficiaries, upon an approved form provided by the Cooperative, to claim capital credits on said individual members’ account upon his or her death, or if a joint member, upon the second of the deaths of the joint members. Said beneficiary or beneficiaries may request that the capital credits they are entitled to be retired immediately upon such terms and conditions as the Board, acting under policies of general application shall agree upon; provided, however, that the financial condition of the Cooperative will not be impaired by said action. If the beneficiary or beneficiaries fail to request the immediate retirement of capital credits, said credits shall be paid to the beneficiary or beneficiaries as retired by the Cooperative. No designated beneficiary or beneficiaries shall have any membership privileges except the right to receive capital credits as retired by the board.

Definition of “Service Area”

In 1999, URE started a natural gas distribution division and over the past 25 years it has grown to more than 1,500 consumers. Although it is relatively small in comparison to the electric operation, it is operated as a division of URE, in which consumers of natural gas are full members of the cooperative. The existing language in the code, however, does not account for our natural gas operations specifically in relation to the definition of service area. The language change, below, would update the language to include areas in which URE legally serves natural gas as being considered “within the service area” of the cooperative.

SECTION 67. Service to All Persons Within the Cooperative’s Service Area.

a) The Cooperative shall extend electric service to all persons, whether members or nonmembers, within the Cooperative’s service area who (i) desire such service and (ii) meet all requirements established by the Cooperative as a condition of such service. Conditions

of service shall be set forth in the rules and regulations of the Cooperative. All such rules and regulations shall be just, reasonable and not unreasonably discriminatory or preferential. No discrimination or preference shall be made between member and nonmember patrons of the Cooperative with respect to rates or terms or conditions of service. As used in this Code of Regulations, the term “service area” shall apply to providing electric distribution service only power, or natural gas service, and shall mean the entire geographic area within the certified territory of the Cooperative as determined by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio pursuant to law, franchise territory, or other areas which can are being otherwise be lawfully served electric or natural gas by the Cooperative.

Other than clarifying the definition, this change would allow for URE’s natural gas members, specifically those who may be in a different electric service territory, to run for the board of trustees. Until recently, the technical “service area” definition, above, had not been identified as a prohibition of gas-only members serving on the board. Gas-only members of URE are currently only located within District 3, Paris Township. Although our gas division serves consumers outside of Paris Township, those gas members also are within URE’s electric service territory.

For background, below are the requirements for members to become or remain a member of the board (Article IV section 3). The first sentence limits candidates to those within the “service area,” the term for which we are proposing modifying the definition to include areas in which we legally serve natural gas.

SECTION 3. Qualifications. No person shall be eligible to become or remain a member of the Board who:

a) Is not a member and bona fide resident in the particular district within the service area of the Cooperative which is to be represented; or

b) Is in any way employed by or financially interested in a competing enterprise or a business selling electric power and/or energy, or supplies to the Cooperative, or who otherwise is engaged in a activity posing a conflict of interest with the governance of the Cooperative; or

c) Is or has been within five (5) years of the date of the election or proposed appointment, an employee of Union Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., any of its subsidiaries, or any other electric cooperative.; or

d) Has been convicted of, or pled guilty to, a felony. Nothing contained in this Section shall affect in any manner whatsoever the validity of any action taken by the Board.

The URE Code of Regulations is a living document, which can only be changed by a vote of the membership. Your board of trustees and the management of URE take very seriously any recommended changes to the code and are recommending these two changes be adopted. To see the current code of regulations as well as a marked up version with proposed changes, visit https://link.ure.com/2025-proposed-code-changes.

DISTRICT 2

Marv Briskey | 9746 Brindlewood Dr, Plain City

Employment

/ Education / Other Experience:

I am a high-energy Business Senior Executive with a collaborative, shared governance, servant leadership style; demonstrated through the ability to provide strategic, innovative, transformational leadership for organizations; while functioning as a team player and a partner with the Board of Trustees. Ability to design, comprehend, and operate complex organizational structures, manage budgets and financials at a detailed level and possess effective and open verbal and written communication skills; while exemplifying strong workplace and personal ethics, integrity, and moral character. I possess an earned Doctor of Business Administration degree from Baker College, a Masters of Business Administration degree from Capital University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hillsdale College.

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, 1995, The Ohio State University

Owner/Pharmacist for four independent pharmacies in central Ohio including Plain City Druggist, Happy Druggist (WJ, Karl Road, and Mechanicsburg), 1999-2024

Current owner and pharmacist for Midwestern Compounding Pharmacy, 2007-present

Jerome Township Trustee, 2013-2021, 2023-present

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? As the population in Union County and surrounding areas continues to grow, I feel it is going to be important to manage rising customer demand for energy services while also integrating and

next three to five years? The Top Challenges facing the Cooperative are: Reliable electric service (continuity), Quality power (clean consistent current), Safe operation of plant and equipment, Operational efficiency and effectiveness, and Fair and competitive rates.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? I am an active community leader; effective with governmental and community relations; a servant-oriented professional who leads with energy, humor, and grace, and motivates other leaders toward common goals. Significant results-oriented experience leading teams, combining strong analytical, process, system, and organizational skills, creative talents, and technical proficiency to positively contribute to the organization’s success. I would welcome the opportunity to serve the Cooperative as a Trustee.

ensuring the affordability of energy sources. Our grid also needs to be modernized as we adapt to technological changes and keep services reliable for our customers. Keeping up with increased demand and new infrastructure also presents economic and funding challenges that must be addressed.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? I have lived in Union County for twenty-five years and I am deeply invested in making life better within the county for all residents. As an entrepreneur and small business owner, I have a unique set of skills related to finance, budgets, personnel, hiring and firing, and finding the answers to challenges that may arise. I would use my background and connections within the county to help make URE thrive and become the very best that it can be for our customers.

Joe Craft | 8678 US RT 42 N, Plain City

Jerod Cook | 10133 Corona Ln, Plain City

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

EMPLOYMENT

MAY 2015 – present – Financial Advisor with Dublin Capital Management

NOV 2001 – MAY 2015 – Financial Advisor with H&R Block Financial Advisors/Ameriprise Financial Services

EDUCATION

1995-2000 OHIO UNIVERSITY – BBA, Finance and Economics

OTHER

NAIFA – Columbus Member

Trustee 2013 – 2021 (President 2019 – 2020)

Dublin Chamber of Commerce Member

SEP 2009 – Present Ambassador 2013 – Present (2016 Ambassador of the Year)

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? I believe that the

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

I have been employed by the Violet Township Fire Department in Pickerington for nearly 30 years. Serving as a Battalion Chief overseeing three stations and 19 Firefighter Paramedics, responding to approximately 25 Emergency Runs per shift. Every day is different and each call is unique leading to a very diverse skill set in problem solving.

I previously served as a volunteer Foundation Member for South Central Power Company, distributing Operation Round-up funds to local charities.

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? With the growth of our communities and the increasing call for electricity to meet our growing power needs, the cooperative must continue to

greatest challenges facing the Cooperative in the next 3-5 years are inflation and public relations. The cost of energy has increased at a higher rate compared to wages in the last few years. This has only tightened household budgets. Better forecasting can create longer lead times for announcements to rate increases, thus reducing the responsive stress to our members. This reduction in stress only improves public relations.

District 1 Bruce Davis

District 2 Mike Noland

Mark Randall

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? My interest in becoming a board member stems from a strong interest in delivering value to my community. My experience in finance allows me to provide URE with valuable opinions for better management decisions. The more effective and efficient management can lead to less strain on household budgets, affording more money to return to the local community.

District 3 Larry George

District 4 George (Chip) Crickard

District 5 Ronnald Miller

Erin Priday

District 7 Toni Halterman

Brad Gulick

advocate for the safe and reliable distribution of electricity. The cooperative must also be involved in exploring the coexistence of renewable energy sources with regards to our communities needs and desires. This challenge must be met in a way that does not destroy our environment or our communities’ valuable farmland.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? Electricity is a necessity in today’s world, when controlled it has the ability to make all aspects of our lives better. However, when things go awry, not only do most facets of your life become uncomfortable, they can also become dangerous. My goal as a Trustee of the URE Board is to support our members/owners in maintaining fair and competitive rates while continuing to make electricity work for our community in a positive and safe manner.

Gregg Goodwin | Courtyards at Hyland Run, Plain City

Steve Higbee | 9284 Dewitt Dr, Plain City

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

President Distribution, S&G Manufacturing, Hilliard

August ’23-Present

Director Consumer Health, Cardinal Health, Dublin

December ’17-August ’23

25+ years retail leadership, Wal-Mart, Meijer, Kroger

Graduate Western Kentucky University, bachelor’s degree

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? Continued unprecedented commercial and residential growth.

• We must be proactive in decisions being made to ensure growth does not have a negative impact on cost and supply for the members.

Government regulations.

• We must work in such a way that regulations are met or take action to

change/improve those regulations through the proper channels.

Delivering clean, cost-effective alternatives in energy to supplement current sources.

• We must continue to invest in education and communication programs to strengthen the future of the Cooperative.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? As a husband and a father of three daughters, I would like to be more involved in the future they will be impacted by. Also, as a local resident for the past 7 years, I have seen extensive growth and would like to have an impact on what that growth looks like and how it impacts my family and neighbors. I believe my experience in the business world, working with effective teams and delivering top line results, positions me well to contribute to the Cooperative Trustee Board in their oversight of URE.

Kent Knaebel | 8000 McKitrick Rd, Plain City

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

1992-present – Adsorption Research, Inc.; Dublin; President and founder. We solve separation problems. Mainly, we design and deploy processes to upgrade landfill gas into renewable natural gas. We completed 15 systems (including 1 at SWACO), and are working on 28 more.

1980-1992 -- Ohio State University, Chemical engineering dept. Assoc. Professor.

1976-1980 -- University of Delaware, Chemical engineering dept. M.Ch.E.+Ph.D.

1973-1976 -- Eastman Chemical Company, Process engineer.

1969-1973 -- University of Kentucky, Chemical engineering department. B.S.Ch.E.

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? 1. Continuing to deliver electrical power, economically and reliably, to its members.

2. Preventative maintenance is needed. To explain: We recently had an outage at our home. It was caused by high winds tearing a large limb from a tree, which fell onto the power lines. That same stretch of road has many limbs that hang precariously over the power lines. Though I have not surveyed many other roads, I expect our road is not unusual. Should URE wait for a calamity or be proactive?

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? My wife and I are extremely satisfied with the power delivered to our home. And I am not just saying that. I boast to friends who are in the AEP service area, and even to those who live in other areas, about the great service we have received since 1989. I would love to contribute to the effort.

Mark Lotycz | 9880 Monteray Dr, Plain City

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

• Union Rural Electric Trustee 6/1/22 - present

• Fairbanks Education Foundation Board Member

• Credentialed Cooperative Director Certificate (March 2025)

• Retired Elementary Principal (1985-2022) at Fairbanks Schools

• Ohio University, Bachelors

• Toledo University, Masters

• Milford Center Lions Club Member

• Attends Dublin Cypress Church

• Father of four, Andrea, Ashley, Amanda, and Adam

• Married 45 years to my fantastic wife, Donna

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? We are faced with rapid commercial and residential growth.

DISTRICT 2

Other challenges include cyber security and being able to provide reliable and affordable power to everyone. Maintaining strong customer service must continue to be a high priority. Attracting and retaining highly skilled workforce, as we replace key employees in the coming year is also critical.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? Prior to being a board member the past three years, I had already been impressed with URE’s education, safety and scholarship programs. While an Elementary Principal, I loved being involved in the Ohio Energy Project (energy efficiency kits), building student leadership by hosting an Energy Workshop (kids teaching kids). Now that I have seen the day in/day out services of URE, I am even more impressed. I have loved learning all about the electrical business. In addition to having that privilege, I have met some very hard-working employees that take their jobs very seriously, giving so much to the communities they live in.

Bonnie Boeshart Roberts | 8530 Mallard Cir, Plain City

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

My career has been focused on the investment, management and development of commercial real estate assets. Through my company, The Elandra Group, I have provided services to such investors as Clarion Partners and Hackman Capital Partners. I have also taught a real estate investments course, most recently at Miami University, where I included coverage of infrastructure and economic development.

I have a BSBA and an MBA from The Ohio State University and I am also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? Our cooperative faces the challenges of managing energy demands driven by extraordinary residential growth. Key issues are to improve the resilience of the network while managing the cost of

providing electric and natural gas services to our members.

We also need to manage the future growth of power demand coming from high power users, which are springing up in all parts of the central Ohio region. In addition, the regulatory environment is also evolving, and we need to adapt to changing policies. We will want to stay ahead of the policy shifts where cost and service may be put at risk.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? I am committed to ensuring that URE remains a strong and responsible cooperative as we face the challenges of the future. As new technologies emerge, and improvements to infrastructure are required, the key goal is to maintain financial stability while continuing to invest in resilience and reliability.

Dr. Jeffery Hatfield | 22757 Pelomar Ln, Marysville

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

I have been self-employed for 36 years as a Chiropractic Physician. I retired in late February 2025. I serve/served on many boards: Union County Foundation, Ohio Lions Eye Research and Pilot Dogs Foundation, and as a member of the Union County Chamber board. I volunteer at the Hope Center medical clinic and at the Benefit at the Barn. I have helped form partnerships with local businesses to provide free eyeglasses, exams, and hearing aids to those who cannot afford them. I help collect plastic that has been recycled into 12 Trex benches in our community. I have traveled out of the country to aid in 5 medical mission trips.

I have been married to my wife Jane for 47 years. We have three children and five grandchildren.

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? Utility costs, as well as all other costs, have substantially gone up over the last several years. I hope that we can find ways to stabilize these and communicate them effectively to our members.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? I have a passion for helping and serving others. I have additional time with my recent retirement. I have had energy efficient products put into my home and I am always looking for better ways to reduce costs and add efficiency. I am a great communicator and always strive to give extraordinary service. I believe that these should be qualities for the board.

Steven Martin | 18560 Poling Rd, Marysville

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

Honda Development & Manufacturing of America 2013 - Present

ArcBest 2008 - 2013

The Ohio State University, Bachelor of Science

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? Reliability, affordability and growth will all have a significant impact for URE. Energy needs are projected to increase significantly in the coming years and balancing reliability and affordability both today and in the future will be a difficult balance. URE is also unique in that the local community population growth will also be a significant factor over the next three to five years. I believe ensuring current member service and cost levels are at the

forefront of decision making with respect to growth.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? I believe that contributing to URE’s efforts to balance reliability, affordability and growth through data-driven decision-making will be a highly rewarding role. I have also always had a desire to be more involved in the local community and this is one way of helping to serve my community. I hope to ensure the members’ needs are met today as well as helping to balance future needs concerning reliability and affordability. Local energy needs will become increasingly challenging as we use more and more of it. Ensuring member resources are effectively utilized should also help make for an interesting and rewarding role.

Mark Myers | 23575 Holycross Epps Rd, Marysville

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

I have some college education in Engineering and Business. I have worked in multiple facets of automotive industry including repair, manufacturing and aftermarket performance. I have worked and lived in Marysville my entire adult life. I am married with four children and volunteer in areas of emergency response, safety and security including acting as treasurer for a small nonprofit.

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? The greatest challenge is to position the Cooperative so that it can meet the rapidly changing regulatory demands with implementation of practical new technologies without sacrificing the primary goal to continue to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to the Members that the

Cooperative serves. Several approaches will be important to meet this challenge including keeping up with the regulations and finding innovative but practical tools that might meet our needs. Against that backdrop, providing clear and concise information to the Members is paramount so that the Cooperative is always centering it’s efforts appropriately.

District 1 Bruce Davis

District 2 Mike Noland

Mark Randall

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? I have been blessed by growing up in a wonderful community and I desire to help keep organizations operating as the community expects; in an efficient, safe and honest manner that is consistent with the general expectations of the community. I wish to help be a good steward so that the next generation can enjoy the blessings that we have enjoyed.

District 3 Larry George

District 4 George (Chip) Crickard

District 5 Ronnald Miller

District 6 Erin Priday

District 7 Toni Halterman Brad Gulick

Tanalee

Stoll | 17680 Bear Swamp Rd, Marysville

Employment / Education / Other Experience:

Current: President; Stoll Farms Inc.

Prior Employment:

• Bank Manager, Huntington National Bank, Marysville, Ohio

• Nationwide Insurance Operations Manager Columbus, Ohio

• Legislative Aide Ohio House of Representatives

• Ohio State University Bachelor’s of Science: Economics

• Licensed Realtor

• Licensed Property & Casualty

• Licensed Life and Health

What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges facing the cooperative in the next three to five years? 1. Providing renewable, clean energy at an affordable price to URE’s members. Considering the recent growth in Union County and neighboring counties this could prove to be a challenge in the coming years.

2. Awareness of URE, who we are, what we do, our values. As our community continues to grow we need to provide awareness, education to the community. As we see competition grow, we need to make sure our members are aware of the benefits of being an URE Member and having affordable energy.

3. Planning and ensuring the succession planning is a must to attract young talent, young adults to the industry. Its imperative to have succession planning to replace retirees in the industry, starting with awareness with local schools and other education organizations.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the URE Board of Trustees or serving another term? I want to give back to my community to help ensure members of URE have renewable, clean energy provided to them at affordable prices. Being a URE member for the past 20+ years I want to help educate the community and create awareness of the benefits of being a URE member.

GIVING BACK is the co-op way

The Operation Round Up Board extends its heartfelt gratitude to Gene Nicol and Jeff Grose for their dedicated service to the board. Their commitment, compassion, and leadership have made a lasting impact on our community.

Thank you, Gene Nicol

For the past six years, Gene Nicol has been a devoted member of the Operation Round Up Board, consistently making the extra effort to prepare for each meeting with enthusiasm. His compassionate nature was evident in every decision he made, always wishing he could help every applicant if funds and guidelines had allowed.

As a lifelong Union County resident, Gene brought invaluable experience and a deep understanding of our community’s needs. Board President Sally Ward shared her appreciation, stating, “Gene’s thoughtful contributions and genuine concern for applicants made him an incredible asset to the board. We sincerely thank Gene for his unwavering dedication and his heart of gold.”

Thank you, Jeff Grose

After an incredible seven years of service, Jeff Grose is retiring from the Operation Round Up Board. He initially stepped in to complete another member’s term and then served his own six-year term with dedication and excellence.

Jeff took on leadership roles as both president and treasurer, ensuring that each application was carefully reviewed. He went above and beyond by making phone calls to gather additional information and quickly followed up with recipients to implement the board’s decisions. His logical approach, sound judgment, and compassionate heart were instrumental in helping the board make well-informed choices.

Board President Sally Ward expressed her appreciation: “Jeff was always looking to improve the board’s mission. He eagerly attended additional meetings and brought fresh, insightful perspectives on how to move forward. His hard work, dedication, and vision have left a lasting mark, and we are deeply grateful for his expertise. We wish him all the best in his next endeavors.”

Welcoming new board members

As Gene and Jeff step down, we are pleased to welcome Laura Dempsey and Scott Bierlein to the Operation Round Up Board. We look forward to the knowledge and passion they will bring to continue the board’s important work.

Thank you, Gene and Jeff, for your incredible service — you have truly made a difference!

Operation Round Up president, Sally Ward, presents Gene Nicol with a certificate and gift card from URE.

Operation Round Up vice president, Kevin Crosthwaite, presents Jeff Grose with a certificate and gift card from URE.

Allison Stacklin

$2,500

Allison is the daughter of Steve and Mary Stacklin of Richwood and is a senior at North Union High School. She distinguished herself during the selection process by demonstrating a deep commitment to her community and delivering an engaging interview.

Her math teacher shares, “Allison is an exceptional student and leader. In honors math courses, she quickly grasps concepts and collaborates well. She is Student Council president, a 4-H leader, and a dedicated organizer of senior events. Known for her responsibility and perseverance, she strives to make a difference. Her leadership, character, and drive will make her a valuable asset to any college.”

Elyse is the daughter of Greg and Kristen Janikian of Powell and is a senior at Dublin Jerome High School. Elyse is interested in pursuing a degree in biology with a minor in piano performance.

Using her deep passion for music and her desire to make a positive impact, Elyse founded Spread the Music, an inspiring organization with over 35 members. This remarkable group performs at retirement homes, hospitals, and charity events, sharing the healing power of music. Her teacher, who admires her incredible dedication, remarks, “She is a true example of what it means to have a strong work ethic, while maintaining balance in life.”

Grace is the daughter of Adam and Jennifer Zahn of Milford Center and is a senior at Fairbanks High School. Grace is interested in following her passion of helping people and plans to pursue a degree in obstetrics.

Grace’s passion for learning and active community involvement have shaped her into a standout student and leader. “She has become a voice that many rely on to help them with their own understanding of complex ideas,” says her teacher. Grace’s growth in confidence, resilience through adversity, and compassion for others have positioned her for continued success, demonstrating the value of hard work and seizing opportunities.

Elyse Janikian

$1,250

$1,250

The URE scholarship program sought out the best of the best among area high school seniors. URE offers college scholarships for high school seniors who receive electric or natural gas service from URE.

All candidates this year had outstanding academic records as well as heavy involvement in their community and school activities. These finalists also had to demonstrate verbal communication skills and knowledge of the electric cooperative system in a panel interview.

URE’s first-place winner, Allison Stacklin, competed against representatives from each of Ohio’s 24 electric cooperatives in a contest for additional scholarship awards. Statewide winners will be announced next month.

In 2021, URE added a new scholarship opportunity for high school seniors planning to continue their education at either a community college or technical school. As area schools have increased programming and curricula focusing on career readiness, STEM, and other academic programs in high-demand employment fields, we wanted to ensure our scholarship programs keep pace with the pathways today’s students are exploring. Congratulations to Alex Rhoden, our two-year path scholarship winner!

TWO-YEAR PATH SCHOLARSHIP

Olivia is the daughter of Geoff and Dawn Gratz of Marysville and is a senior at Marysville Early College High School. She left a strong impression on the judges with her engaging interview and deep commitment to her academic pursuits and personal growth.

Olivia has consistently devoted herself to learning, both in and out of the classroom. “Olivia is a doer in every sense of the word. While she may not always be the loudest voice in the room, her ability to listen and act is extraordinary,” says her teacher. With over 170 hours of volunteer service at Memorial Hospital, Olivia’s dedication to growth and service has been evident throughout her high school journey.

Benjamin is the son of Matt and Sara Stiffler of Marysville and is a senior at Marysville High School. Ben is interested in pursuing a degree in business administration from The Ohio State University.

Thomas Edison once said, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Ben exemplifies this mindset, earning the Silver Presidential Service Award for his dedication as a Memorial Hospital volunteer. His teacher praises him, saying, “I have witnessed his unwavering dedication to academics, leadership, and personal growth, which set him apart as an exceptional student and individual. Ben is one of the most driven and wellrounded students I have encountered.”

Alex is the son of M. Jay and April Rhoden of Marysville and is a senior at Marysville High School/Ohio Hi-Point Career Center. Alex plans to attend Columbus State Community College pursuing a two-year degree in law enforcement.

In his interview, Alex shared that he has always been passionate about both law enforcement and conservation. His desire to help, protect, and serve the community led him to pursue a career as a natural resource officer. His teacher praises his commitment, saying, “I do not doubt that Alex will be successful in all walks of life. His desire to work as a public servant in law enforcement is unmatched.”

Natural gas Leak Survey

It’s time for URE’s annual natural gas safety inspections, when we inspect the gas line leading up to members, gas meters to check for leaks or any other damage to the lines.

URE will be conducting leak inspections in the Buxton Meadows subdivision from May through July. During this time, you may see URE employees working in various service areas as they complete these inspections, which are part of our PHMSA Part 192 Pipeline Safety Regulations. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our office at 937-642-1826.

In May, URE will be working with NRECA Market Research Services to complete member satisfaction surveys. The random surveys will be conducted by phone and email, and not everyone will be contacted. If you are contacted, we would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time to share your opinions about the cooperative. All information is confidential. We strive to provide all member-owners with safe, affordable, reliable, and clean electric service. By participating in the survey, you will help us make decisions that benefit you, your family, and your neighbors. Your

KNOW WHAT’S BELOW CALL 811 BEFORE YOU BREAK GROUND

Are you planning a facility expansion or landscaping project that involves digging? Your location may contain underground utility lines. Call 811 before you dig. Knowing where utility lines are buried can help you avoid injury, service outages, and costly repairs.

Call 811 from anywhere in the country a few days prior to digging, and you will be routed to your local call center. Tell the operator where you will be digging, what type of work you will be doing, and when. Within just a few days, your local utility companies will visit your site and mark the location of any underground lines, free of charge.

Who’s behind the 811 number? The 811 campaign is operated by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA), an association created to work with the utility industry to prevent damage to underground utility infrastructure and ensure public safety. Although a private association, CGA grew out of a U.S. Department of Transportation initiative to protect underground utilities.

Whether you are planning to do it yourself or hire a professional, smart digging means calling 811 a few days before each job.

READY TO DIG? CALL 811.

They will help you do it safely!

URE is proud to announce that Miah Cheney, daughter of Marsha Fausnaugh, URE’s plant accountant, has been awarded a $3,000 scholarship in the 2025 Louise Freeland Scholarship competition. This annual scholarship program is open to high school seniors whose parents are employees or trustees of Ohio’s electric cooperatives.

Miah’s dedication and hard work have earned her this prestigious recognition at the statewide level. We commend Miah on this outstanding achievement and wish her the best of luck in all her future endeavors!

Happy Mother’s Day from URE!

Memorial Day is May 26.

Our office will be closed as we honor the brave men and women lost in the pursuit of freedom.

937-642-1826 | ure.com

Mon. – Fri. 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Steve Patton Chairman

Dale Scheiderer

Treasurer

Jeff Wilson

Secretary

Clifford Collins

Mark Lotycz

Jeff Reinhard

Anthony Smith CEO/President

Mike Aquillo CXO/VP Member Services

Laura Hutchins Director of Communications

for flows nose A

Delaware co-op’s water dog sniffs out leaks to save both time and money.

Adog’s sense of smell is thousands of times more sensitive than that of a human being. So-called cadaver dogs, for example (working dogs trained to detect human remains), can even locate a drowned victim whose body is still underwater. They do it by scenting the gases produced by the decomposing body, which rise to the surface.

Keena is a different type of water dog, among the first anywhere in her line of work. The 5-year-old Belgian Malinois (pronounced MAL-in-wah) has been trained to detect underground water leaks — specifically, she smells the chlorine found in public water supplies and can detect as little as a half of one part per million. She and her owner/handler, Zach Lohr, work for Del-Co Water Company, a member-owned water cooperative serving 130,000 residents in eight central Ohio counties.

“The first water-detection dog in the U.S. began working in Arkansas several years ago,” said Lohr. “That K-9 program proved so successful, and now there are a dozen or more such dogs scattered throughout the country.”

Before beginning work at Del-Co, Keena and Lohr underwent an intensive 12 -week training program developed by Storm Dog Tactical in Sunbury. According to Lohr, the most popular breed of working dog in America has been changing in recent years, from the German shepherd to the Belgian Malinois. He believes

that the Malinois is the perfect package because of its drive, trainability, and retention of training knowledge.

“But where the Malinois really outshines the shepherd is in their years of work longevity,” Lohr says. “For example, Keena weighs a lean 64 pounds and is expected to have a working lifespan of 8 to 10 years. Being a much heavier dog, a German shepherd’s realistic working life could be significantly shorter due to health issues.”

Lohr describes Keena as intense and always wanting to work — which is typical of the breed. “Her favorite time of day is morning, because she knows we’re soon going to look for water leaks,” Lohr said. “She’ll gobble her breakfast, then immediately go sit by the front door to wait for me.”

Keena is trained to “indicate,” meaning to show Lohr where she detects the odor of chlorine, simply by stopping her movement.

“She is so active, naturally always in motion, that when she lies down, sits, or simply stops and looks up at me, essentially she’s saying, ‘It’s here, Boss, right under my nose!’” Lohr then calls in the repair crews.

During her first two years of service, Keena has saved Del-Co untold thousands of dollars in labor costs that used to ring up when repairmen sometimes had to spend countless hours searching for the precise location of a

STORY AND PHOTOS BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS

leak in a transmission line to know where to dig. Individual homeowners, Del-Co customers, have benefited, too.

“Keena has identified more than 50 water leaks on private property, which our customers really appreciate, because it saves them money,” Lohr said. “One customer even dubbed Keena ‘the milliondollar dog.’ Keena and I have also assisted a few other municipal water companies in Ohio. I see our job as not just locating leaks, but conserving water.”

Lohr is also one of four licensed drone pilots for Del-Co who search for underground leaks from the air using infrared/ thermal technology.

Though he admits his job at times is fun, for him it has a much deeper meaning.

“I’m a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, and I lost three close buddies in Afghanistan who were all K-9 handlers,” he says.

“When I got out of the Marine Corps, I wanted to continue what my friends had been doing as a way to honor and remember them. As a result, servicedog work has since become my passion. I love it — and Keena seems to as well.”

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Landmarks, by the book

Carnegie libraries have influenced and enriched the lives of generations of Ohioans.

BY DAMAINE VONADA

Among the many documents stored in the Archives Research Center at the Sandusky Library is a copy of a letter dated Oct. 7, 1899, and signed by Andrew Carnegie. Sent from Skibo Castle, which Carnegie had purchased as a residence in his native Scotland, the letter was addressed to Mrs. Frances Moss, and in it, the steel tycoon offered to donate money for a public library in Sandusky.

Carnegie’s largesse came with certain conditions, for his letter emphatically stated:

“I do not believe in helping a community that does help itself, but if Sandusky will give $3,000 a year to maintain a Public Library, I shall give $50,000 to build and equip one. All of this $50,000, must however be used for the Library, and not one cent of it for maintenance.”

Lover of books and learning

Born in 1835, Carnegie immigrated with his family to Allegheny, Pennsylvania, when he was 12 years old. Carnegie soon went to work as a telegraph messenger boy, and though his formal schooling was over, he

continued his education by borrowing books from a local businessman’s private library. He never forgot the instruction and enjoyment he gained from those books; as he told the New York Times in 1899, “Is it any wonder that I decided then and there that if ever I had any surplus wealth I would use it in lending books to others?”

Carnegie, in fact, eventually became the wealthiest person in the world in his time, thanks to early successful investments in the railroad industry and building what eventually became U.S. Steel. And he followed through

on his musing. Carnegie — and later his philanthropic foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York — gave away most of his fortune in his later years, spending much of it on free-to-the-people libraries. He gave his first public library to his birthplace, Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1881, and eventually donated more than 2,500 library buildings around the globe — 1,681 of those in the United States, starting in 1886 with his American hometown of Allegheny and adding a few others in places

Continued on page 30

In 1899, Andrew Carnegie approved funds to build and equip the Sandusky Library, as long as the community committed to maintaining it. The library was dedicated in 1901, making it Ohio’s first Carnegie library.

Continued from page 29

where he had personal ties. In 1899, the year he spoke to the Times, he significantly increased his funding for libraries, and accordingly, citizens in East Liverpool, Steubenville, and Sandusky were the first in Ohio to apply for Carnegie library grants.

With his standard stipulation that the towns provide money for maintenance, Carnegie promised $50,000 to both East Liverpool and Steubenville on June 30, 1899. He apparently had a soft spot for those towns. Carnegie’s only breaks from that early job as a telegraph messenger had been spending two weeks every summer with his maternal uncle in East Liverpool, and after he had been promoted to telegraph operator, he worked for a time in Steubenville.

The first Carnegie public library in the state, however, was the Sandusky Library, thanks to Frances Moss, the recipient of that letter. She had been a personal acquaintance of Andrew Carnegie, according to Ron Davidson, special collections librarian there: “Her husband was from a family of prominent Sandusky bankers, and she was president of the ladies’ library association.” The gala dedication, attended by a host of politicians and celebrities, was on July 3, 1901.

Ohio’s Carnegie Hall

After the Civil War, women’s organizations throughout the nation spearheaded efforts to establish local libraries, and by staging musicals, plays, and lectures, Mrs. Moss and her cohorts raised $10,000 even before Carnegie pledged his money. Fittingly enough, the Sandusky Library’s design included a spacious, high-ceilinged room for concerts and cultural events. “The room had a pipe organ, so they called it Carnegie Hall,” says Davidson.

The elements of the Sandusky Library’s original, Richardsonian Romanesquestyle exterior — including twin, castlelike turrets flanking its entrance — remain largely intact. But the interior space mushroomed two decades ago, when an ambitious renovation and expansion project joined it to the neighboring 1883 Erie County Jail, which contained 26 cells as well as a residence for sheriffs and their families. Both the library and jail were already on the National Register of Historic

Places, and the project to connect them began on the 100 th anniversary of the library’s opening.

While the jail addendum certainly makes it unique, perhaps the Sandusky Library’s most remarkable aspect is that it’s still serving the purpose Carnegie intended. So are the state’s second and third Carnegie libraries, which debuted, respectively, in Steubenville on March 12, 1902, and in East Liverpool on May 8, 1902. Both towns hired women with library training to head their new libraries, and Steubenville’s librarian, Ellen Summers Wilson, enthusiastically promoted the library on streetcars and at factory gates (some say she never left; her ghost supposedly haunts the building).

Lasting legacy

Before his death in 1919, Carnegie funded more than 100 library buildings in Ohio. Some have since been torn down, a few sit vacant, and several have been converted to uses such as offices, classrooms, and meeting places. Yet a surprising number of them — about 55 — continue to survive and thrive as public libraries and are often anchors for city or county library systems.

Many of the surviving buildings have been modified over time, but most of their signature features, including East Liverpool’s rotunda and Steubenville’s marble floors, have been preserved. In fact, many a local bride has had her wedding photos taken on the handsome staircases that typify their entrances.

Those buildings often have fascinating stories to tell.

The original Carnegie building in Steubenville, opened in 1902 and renovated and expanded several times since, still houses the public library that serves both the city and Jefferson County.

Paulding’s 1916 library was the very first to cover an entire county. Marietta’s 1918 library is built atop an Indian mound. In 1903, children lined up like a bucket brigade to transfer books into Greenville’s new library. And when Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison was still in high school, she worked in Lorain’s 1904 library, which now houses the Lorain Historical Society and is called Carnegie Center.

Morrison reportedly was a painfully slow worker — preferring to read the library’s books when she was supposed to be shelving them. Of course, that seems like precisely what Andrew Carnegie probably had in mind.

For more about Carnegie libraries, scan the QR code below.

Hometown boy

James Thurber used his Midwestern roots to charm and entertain the world.

BY RANDY EDWARDS

In 1957, humorist James Thurber wrote to Columbus Dispatch writer and artist Bill Arter to discuss the future of the house where Thurber had been born. Thurber was famous enough in his time to have been featured on the cover of Time magazine, and he was speculating on how he would be remembered in his hometown.

“I doubt if Columbus would ever be interested in placing a marker of any kind on the Parsons Avenue house, or acquiring it,” Thurber wrote.

That glum prediction of his legacy, however, was only partially prescient: The Parsons Avenue house in which he was born in 1894 was indeed demolished to make way for Interstate 70 to come through town. But another of the homes in which he had lived, at 77 Jefferson Ave. (between Broad and Long streets east of downtown), was saved from demolition and, in 1984, became the Thurber House, a nonprofit literary arts center, museum, and gathering place for readers, writers, and artists.

Local inspiration

For more than 40 years, Thurber House has hosted talks by famous writers, welcomed visitors from around the world, and served as a literary incubator for hundreds of school-aged children. And since 1997 it has bestowed the

Thurber Prize for American Humor upon the funniest of the nation’s writers — among them David Sedaris, Trevor Noah, and James McBride.

Not a bad local legacy for a humor writer and cartoonist who frequently made his hometown and its inhabitants the butt of his jokes. In stories like “The Day the Dam Broke” and “University Days,” the good citizens of Columbus and its land grant college, Ohio State University, were often portrayed as naïve or foolish at best, bumpkins at worst. But overall, his portrayal was fond, says Leah Wharton, operations director at Thurber House.

“With Thurber, you never know when exactly he’s exaggerating, because none of his stories are completely factual,” Wharton says. “He always embellished them. But he was always very respectful of Columbus while also poking fun at it, as he did with everything.”

In a 1994 essay in The New Yorker, writer Adam Gopnik attributed Thurber’s trademark voice, that of “the little man overwhelmed by life in New York,” to Thurber’s Midwestern upbringing: “Once he saw that you could get farther in the city by acting like the Columbus boy you had been all along, his competitive instincts kicked in,” Gopnik wrote. “Nobody was going to out-little-guy him, by God.”

World famous Thurber is not nearly as widely read these days, and even many in Ohio might not know of him but for the 2013 film The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, which was loosely based on Thurber’s most popular short story, or for journalist Keith Olbermann, an unabashed fan, reading Thurber stories during his MSNBC program, Countdown.

For most of us, it’s hard to imagine the extent of the Columbus native’s popularity during the first half of the 20th century, when he was often referred to as the greatest American humorist since Mark Twain.

After Thurber moved to New York City in 1925, he and E.B. White (author of Charlotte’s Web) are credited with giving a tone of wry wit to a fledgling literary and journalism magazine called The New Yorker. Thurber’s short stories, including “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” “The Night the Bed Fell,” and “The Catbird Seat,” were sometimes eclipsed, though, by the public’s love for his quirky, spare cartoons, often involving dogs.

He won a special Tony award for A Thurber Carnival, a 1960 Broadway show directed by Burgess Meredith and adapted from a collection of short stories of the same name. In 1970, nine years after he died, a comedy series based on his stories and his life, My World … and Welcome to It, won an Emmy.

Boosting the house

In recent decades, his fading fame, increasing competition for the public’s attention, and the pandemic lockdown have taken a toll, and Thurber House has struggled. Late last year the organization launched an appeal, acknowledging that “Thurber House is facing uncertainty, and we need your help.”

As of mid-April, the campaign has raised 72% of its $200,000 goal. The extra funds may keep the doors open another 40 years, Wharton says, and every donation is much appreciated. The most encouraging responses to the fundraising campaign, however, come from former students and others who love the Thurber House and have fond memories of hearing stories — or writing their own — under its roof.

“The donations are absolutely sustaining,” she says. “At the same time, the messages of support and hope are equally appreciated. They tell us that what we’re doing matters, and that we’re reaching a lot of people in ways that are influencing their lives.”

Thurber House, 77 Jefferson Ave., Columbus, OH 43215. Museum is open 1–4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, though hours are always subject to change and a check of the website is always recommended. Scan the QR code for information on visiting or donating to the Thurber House.

The Thurber House hosts numerous events throughout the year, including writers’ talks on the lawn, house tours (right), and children’s writing camps (below).

the Dragon, the timeless image of good triumphing over evil.

A World’s First Creates The Lowest Mintage Silver Eagle…Ever!

The American Silver Eagle is arguably the most popular coin on the planet. First struck in 1986 for US citizens to own physical silver bullion, the Silver Eagle is made from one ounce of 99.9% fine silver. It’s no wonder why these hefty silver dollars have become THE global standard for silver bullion coins, with over 640,000,000 coins minted to date.

And now, the US Mint has released a special Silver Eagle that might just become THE greatest of all time…the Star Privy Silver Eagle!

What’s So Special?

There are two “key” reasons why the Star Privy Silver Eagle is poised to become the most sought-after coin in the Silver Eagle series;

One, collectors LOVE “Firsts” and the Star Privy is the FirstEver bullion Silver Eagle to have a Privy Mark, cementing its permanent place in Silver Eagle history.

Two, collectors also GO CRAZY for low mintage coins, the lower the better. And the Star Privy Silver Eagle not only has a low mintage. It’s the lowest mintage bullion Silver Eagle EVER!

First-Ever Privy-Marked Bullion Silver Eagle

Privy marks are small symbols added to coin, oftentimes to commemorate special occasions and/or historic events. In this case, the US Mint has added a “star” to the Silver Eagle to celebrate the release of a new mobile gaming app, 8th Era, a groundbreaking new mobile gaming app that marries gaming with coin collecting to inspire the next generation of collectors. It’s an instant “must-have” for Silver Eagle collectors.

Lowest Mintage Bullion Silver Eagle EVER

Not only is the Star Privy Silver Eagle the first ever privymarked bullion Silver Eagle, it’s also the lowest mintage bullion Silver Eagle ever! How low? It’s not even close!

Consider this….the 1996 Silver Eagle is the lowest mintage with 3,603,386 coins made. The Star Privy Silver Eagle has a mintage of only 500,000 coins. That’s SEVEN TIMES LOWER. Just look at the graph for perspective.

The First 50,000 Coins Released

Each coin comes certified in Gem Brilliant Uncirculated condition, coming from the first 50,000 coins issued, the “top 10%” if you will, certified by the leading independent 3rd party grading company NGC. Those are bragging rights every collector would dream of having!

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Photo contest

CALENDAR

CENTRAL

MAY 2, JUN. 6 – 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! See the Artist Colony of Zanesville’s website for a map of current participants: https:// artcoz.org/arts-district-map.

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

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 14 – Meet Me at the MAC Happy Hour, McConnell Arts Center, Worthington, 6–8 p.m. $15 Enjoy a wine tasting, food, music, shopping at the art market, and a preview of the Worthington Arts Festival artists. Tickets available on website: www. mcconnellarts.org.

MAY 15 – Thursday Trail Tour: Canal Park, 23352 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.

MAY 16–17 – Spring in the Country, various businesses in the Amanda, Tarlton, and Stoutsville area. Gift-giving treasures, vintage finds, good food, and so much more. Join our scavenger hunt to gather entries into our drawing for “shop hop bucks.” Find list of stops on our website. 740-503-2125 (call or text) or www.countryshophop.com.

MAY 17 – Art on the Canal Art Stroll, Historic Downtown Canal Winchester, noon–6 p.m. Free, live entertainment including music, dancing, exhibits, and performances, along with a variety of exquisite works of art and fine crafts from central Ohio artists. As you stroll along the sidewalks of our quaint city, stop and enjoy local food, drinks, and shopping. 614-270-5053 or www.destinationcw.org.

MAY 17 – Disc Golf Tournament, Cornerstone Church Disc Golf Course, 4509 Salt Creek Dr., Duncan Falls, 8 a.m. registration, 9 a.m. tee-off. 36-hole doubles open; 2-member teams. $50 per team. Call 740-297-4795 or email bethelmission126@gmail. com to register.

MAY 17 – Spring S Spree Model Train Show and Sale, Fairfield Co. Fgds., 172 E. Fair Ave., Lancaster, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. $5; 12 and under free. Family-friendly event featuring S-gauge model trains including American Flyer, S Helper, Lionel, S Scale, and others. Operating displays of model trains; buildings, landscaping products, and accessories for purchase. Chat with experts on starting, enhancing, or just enjoying the hobby of model trains. www. sspree.info.

MAY 17–18 – Lion King Jr., Logan High School Theatre, 14470 OH-328, Logan, Sat. 7 p.m., Sun. 3 p.m. Presented by the Hocking County Children’s Chorus. Tickets available online or at the door. https:// hockingcochildrenschorus.org.

MAY 23–25 – Coshocton Flint Festival and Knap-In, Coshocton Co. Fgds., 724 South St., Coshocton, Fri./Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. $5 per vehicle. A fun, educational weekend for the whole family. Watch craftsmen make arrowheads, spear points, stone and bone tools. Rocks, gems, minerals; jewelry makers; atl demos. For camping and vendor info, call 814-720 -7512 or 330-473-7014

MAY 17 – John Randolph Spring Arts Kick Off, Fort New Salem, 81 Settlers Lane, Salem, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Live demonstrations of blacksmithing, tin smithing, fireplace cooking, and various other crafts. 304-6952220, director@fortnewsalemfoundation.org, or www.fortnewsalemfoundation.org.

MAY 17 – Taste of Parkersburg, Bicentennial Park, Parkersburg, 6–11 p.m. Food, fine wines, craft beers, and live music. 304-865-0522 or www. downtownpkb.com.

MAY 26 – Memorial Day Celebration and 100th Anniversary of Wagnalls, Wagnalls Memorial, 150 E. Columbus St., Lithopolis, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Parade along Columbus Street steps off at 10 a.m. American Legion memorial service after the parade at the Lithopolis Cemetery. Downtown, enjoy a car show, food trucks, kiddie tractor pull, and music. Tour the Memorial 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; celebrate the anniversary with dignitaries, visit with an owl, and enjoy cupcakes and music. www.wagnalls.org/page/community.

MAY 30 – Nature Navigator’s Camp, Park District Headquarters, 16405 US-23, South Bloomfield, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. $30 registration. Open to Pickaway County incoming 7th and 8th graders. Register at www.pickawayswcd.org/summer-camps.html.

MAY 30–JUN. 1 – Lavender Daze, Groovy Plants Ranch, 4140 Co. Rd. 15, Marengo. Over 1,000 premium lavender plants for sale plus a makers market full of lavender-themed goods. 740-675-2681 or www.groovyplantsranch.com.

MAY 31 – Boogie on the Blacktop: Rockhouse, 135 E. Main St., Circleville, 6–11 p.m. Kick off the summer with a night of music, food, and fun! www.pickaway.com.

JUN. 5–7 – Hot Air Balloon Festival, Coshocton Co. Fgds., 707 Kenilworth Ave., Coshocton. Balloon launches, night glow, food vendors, kiddie rides, craft booths, musical entertainment, fireworks, and more. www.coshoctonhotairballoonfestival.com.

JUN. 5–7 – Logan Washboard Arts and Music Festival, downtown Logan. Free. Celebrating a unique piece of American history: the washboard! Washboard factory tours, craft vendors, art center, food, and live music on three stages. washboardfestival@gmail.com or www. loganwashboardfestival.com.

JUN. 7 – “A Night of Hamilton Music,” Logan High School Theatre, 14470 OH-328, Logan, 7:30 p.m. $20 adults, $10 students. Stars Darilyn Castillo and Christopher Henry Young from Hamilton will present music and dancing from the Broadway hit. Limited seating, so purchasing tickets online in advance is advised. https://hockingcochildrenschorus.org.

event

Submit listings AT LEAST 90 DAYS in advance to events@ohioec.org

Ohio Cooperative Living will not publish listings that don’t include a complete address or a number/website for more information.

2025 CALENDAR MAY/JUNE

NORTHEAST

MAY 2, JUN. 6 – First Fridays 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/firstFridays.

MAY 20 – Oleg Kruglyakov: Balalaika Virtuoso, Canal Fulton Public Library, 154 Market St. NE, Canal Fulton, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Free concert. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. 419-853-6016 or www. ormaco.org.

MAY 23 – Music at the Arboretum: The Blue Ribbon Trio, John Streeter Garden Amphitheater, 2122 Williams Rd., Wooster, 6:30 p.m. Free. In the event of rain, the concert will be held at Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. 419-8536016 or www.ormaco.org.

MAY 24–25 – Great Lakes Fiber Show, Wayne Co. Fgds., 199 Vancouver St., Wooster. Free. Competitions, fleece show and sale, craft activities, workshops ($45–$80), fibers, handcrafted goods,

SOUTHWEST

THROUGH JUN. 25 – 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.

THROUGH JUN. 30 – Rib City BBQ & Bluegrass, 746 NW Washington Blvd., Hamilton, Mon. 7–9 p.m. Free admission. Enjoy an evening of lively bluegrass music by Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass. Call 513-829-7427 before traveling.

MAY 3 – Biergarten, Liberty Home German Club, 2361 Hamilton Cleves Rd., Hamilton. Doors open at 5 p.m. Food, music, German beer. The Bergstrasse

sheep dog herding demos, and more. Food available for purchase. www.greatlakesfibershow.com.

MAY 29–AUG. 7 – Fort Steuben Summer Concert Series, Fort Steuben Park, 120 S. 3rd St., Steubenville, Thur. 7–9 p.m. Free. Featuring a variety of live musical performances. 740-283-1787 or www.oldfortsteuben. com.

MAY 30 – Homeschool Day, Fort Laurens, 11067 Fort Laurens Rd. NW, Bolivar, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. $7 Open to all public, private, and homeschool students between fourth and eighth grade. Interactive stations and demos covering Revolutionary War history, local Ohio history, archaeology, and more. Reservations requested. 330-874-2059 or www.fortlaurens.org.

MAY 31, JUN. 1 – Revolutionary War Reenactment, Fort Laurens, 11067 Fort Laurens Rd. NW, Bolivar, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $10; 12 and under free. Mock skirmish for American Independence with volunteer reenactors from the Brigade of the American Revolution. Food, vendors, musical entertainment, kids’ games, and more. 330-874-2059 or www.fortlaurens.org.

JUN. 4 – Bike Week Dice Run, Kelleys Island, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Experience an exciting tour of the island while completing a scavenger hunt and collecting dice rolls at a variety of local businesses. 419-746-2360 or www.kelleysislandchamber.com.

JUN. 4–6 – Holy Trinity Greek Food Festival, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 300 S. 4th St., Steubenville, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Music, tours of the church, outdoor dining and take-out. 740-282-7770 or https://holytrinitygreekfest.com.

JUN. 5–7 – Bolivar Strawberry Festival, downtown Bolivar. Live bands, pageants, strawberry eating contest, carnival rides, food and drink concessions,

Boys band plays 6–10 p.m. 513-571-6198, https:// libertyhome.net, or Liberty Home Association on Facebook.

MAY 10–11 – Appalachian Festival, Front Street, New Richmond, Sat. 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. $5–$15; 4 and under free. Handmade crafts; down-home food; Living History Village and other educational exhibits; old-time music, dance, and storytelling. Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass will entertain on Saturday (time TBA). 513-251-3378 or www.appalachianfestival.org.

MAY 17–18 – Live Outdoor Theater: Alice in Wonderland, Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 2–4 p.m. $10. Presented by Preble Players. Lawn seating. For details and tickets, call 937-962-5561 or visit www.prebleplayers.org.

MAY 17, JUN. 7 – Free Family Program: Spring Bird Hike, Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 9–11 a.m. Join naturalist and nature photographer Tom Hissong for a hike and identify birds. 937-962-5561, pcpdevents@gmail.com, or www.preblecountyparks.org.

MAY 24 – Cheese Fest, Austin Landing, 10400 Innovation Dr., Miamisburg, 3–10 p.m. Free admission. Food vendors, beer garden, inflatables, kids’ games, fireworks, and live music. Remember to bring your lawn chair! www.facebook.com/ events/555506034321147

vendors, crafters, 5K run, and more. Parade on Saturday. Special fourth day this year on Sunday, Jun. 8, to celebrate Bolivar’s 200th birthday! www. bolivarmainstreet.com/strawberry-festival.

JUN. 7 – Jazz Under the Stars: Erin Nicole Neal and Jazz in the Blue, Uptown Park, Medina, 7 p.m. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics to enjoy this free concert. In the event of rain, the concert will be held at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 317 E. Liberty St., Medina. 419-853-6016 or www.ormaco.org.

JUN. 7 – Kathy Fernandez: “The History of the Zoar Star,” Historic Zoar Village, Zoar School House, 198 Main St., Zoar, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. Free and open to the public, with free parking near the School House. 330874-3011 or www.historiczoarvillage.com.

JUN. 7 – Secrest Garden Fair, Secrest Arboretum, 2122 Williams Rd., Wooster, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Free. Juried arts and crafts vendors, gardening workshops, kids’ crafts, plant sale, local food trucks, and guided tours of the gardens. www.friendsofsecrest.com.

JUN. 7–8 – Ohio Valley Frontier Days, Historic Fort Steuben, 120 S. 3rd St., Steubenville. $6; 6–12, $3; under 6 free. Annual festival featuring soldier, settler, surveyor, and artisan reenactors, re-creating life on the Ohio frontier. Crafts, games, food, and entertainment. 740-283-1787 or www. oldfortsteuben.com.

JUN. 8 – Live at the Library: Rolando Pizana, Wadsworth Public Library, 132 Broad St., Wadsworth, 2–3 p.m. Free concert. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. 419-853-6016 or www. ormaco.org.

MAY 25 – Memorial Day Open House, White Water Shaker Village, 11813 Oxford Rd., Harrison, 2–5 p.m. Free. See the grand reveal of our first permanent exhibit: Simply Shaker: Preserving and Sharing the Shaker Story of Southwest Ohio. Established in 1823, White Water is one of the 24 Shaker communal villages founded in the United States. www.whitewatervillage.org.

MAY 29–31 – Milford Frontier Days, Riverside Park, 425 Victor Stier Dr., Milford, Thur. 5–10 p.m., Fri. 5–11 p.m., Sat. 12–11 p.m. Kickoff parade, live music, food, games, Makers Market, and more. 513831-2411 or www.frontierdaysmilford.com.

JUN. 6–8 – St. Max Festival, St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church, 5720 Hamilton Mason Rd., Liberty Township. Local crafts, games, food, live music, and activities for all ages. www.saint-max.org/festival.

JUN. 7 – Biergarten, Liberty Home German Club, 2361 Hamilton Cleves Rd., Hamilton. Doors open at 5 p.m. Food, music, German beer. Polka Cola Band plays 6–10 p.m. 513-571-6198, https://libertyhome. net, or Liberty Home Association on Facebook.

JUN. 7–8 – Troy Strawberry Festival, downtown Troy. Celebration of community, culture, and, of course, strawberries! Live entertainment, cruise-in, 5K run, pageant, contests, and an incredible selection of food, all highlighted by fresh strawberries in every form imaginable. 937-339-7714 or https://troystrawberryfest.com.

SOUTHEAST

THROUGH 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.

MAY 17 – Day of Enchantment, Wheeling Avenue, Cambridge, 11 a.m.–2 p.m. $25 per child. Children will be greeted by princesses, princes, fairies, and pirates. Ride in Cinderella’s carriage, get your photo with all the characters, enjoy a craft project, and more. Royal gift for each participant. Pre-registration required: www.downtowncambridge.com.

MAY 22 – Navy Night, downtown Ironton, 7 p.m. Memorial service held at the Center Street landing

NORTHWEST

MAY 7, JUN. 4 – 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.

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–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.

MAY 15–18 – Annual Armed Forces Day Celebration, Hancock Co. Fgds., 1017 E. Sandusky St., Findlay. $5–$10; under 6 free. Historical displays, reenactor encampments and battles, 2-1/2-ton vehicles from all eras. Returning this year: American

on the banks of the Ohio River. 740-533-7104 or www.facebook.com/TheMemorialDayParade.

MAY 23–25 – Feast of the Flowering Moon, Yoctangee Park, 1 Enderlin Circle, Chillicothe, Fri. 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–10 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Free. Family-friendly entertainment featuring Native American music and dancing, crafters, exhibitors, main stage entertainment, carnival rides, and much more. www.feastofthefloweringmoon.org.

MAY 23–26 – Pre-1840 Rendezvous, Canter’s Cave 4-H Camp, 1362 Cave Rd., Jackson. Open to the public May 24–25, Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–noon. No admission fee for visitors. Period shooters, sutlers, buckskinners, reenactors, craftsmen, and demonstrators in period dress. Camping fee: $15 members, $20 non-members. 740-773-3891

MAY 24 – Memorial Day Fireworks, downtown Ironton, after 9 p.m. At the Center Street landing on the banks of the Ohio River. 740-533-7104 or www. facebook.com/TheMemorialDayParade.

MAY 24–25 – Historic Marietta Tour of Homes, Marietta, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $30/day, $50/weekend. Experience historic Marietta through a tour of 11 homes in the first established settlement of the Northwest Territory. Tickets available at The Castle

Huey 369, UH-1B Gunship 049, and M4A3E8 Sherman Tank. Bring your CCKW, DUKW, M35, and other variants and show off your truck! www. findlaymilitaryshow.org.

MAY 16–17 – Hamler Country Fest, St. Rte. 109, Hamler. $40 Fri., $30 Sat.; 16 and under free with paid adult. Two days of great country music and fun, featuring Shenandoah, Hubie Ashcraft, Mary Kutter, and more! Under roof with open seating; bring lawn chairs. Cornhole tournament. Autographed memorabilia auction. Primitive on-site camping. 419748-7459, hamlercountryfest@gmail.com, or www. hamlercountryfest.com.

MAY 16–18 – Settlers’ Encampment, AuGlaize Village, 12296 Krouse Rd., Defiance, Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Friday is School Day. $5; under 13 free. Step back in time to 1750–1815 and see how settlers survived. Includes demos and instructions. New this year is a timeline event that includes U.S. wars from the Indian Wars to the War in Afghanistan. 419-990-0107, villageauglaize@ gmail.com, or https://sites.google.com/site/ auglaizevillagemuseum.

MAY 18 – Shelby County Coin Club Coin Show, American Legion Post 217, 1265 Fourth Ave., Sidney, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. For information, call 937-339-5437

MAY 26 – Amvets Post 39 Memorial Day Parade, downtown Lakeview, 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Parade will run from St. Rte. 720 to 235 and through downtown. Following the parade, a memorial service will be conducted in the Amvets parking lot. 937-843-5641 (Amvets Post 39), 937-935-6758 (Stacey Alexander), or www.facebook.com/downtownlakeviewohio.

MAY 26 – Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, West Liberty, 2 p.m. Parade starts at the old high school and ends at the Town Hall. Ceremony to follow includes high school band, a 21-gun salute, “Taps,” and a benediction provided by a local pastor. www.

Carriage House or online at Eventbrite.com or https://mariettacastle.org. For more details, visit https://mariettaohio.org/events/historic-mariettatour-of-homes-2025

MAY 25 – Woodland Cemetery Memorial Service, Veterans Hill, 824 Lorain St., Ironton, 2 p.m. 740-533-7104 or www.facebook.com/ TheMemorialDayParade.

MAY 26 – Ironton–Lawrence County Memorial Day Parade, downtown Ironton, beginning at 10 a.m. The oldest continuously running Memorial Day parade in the nation. 740-533-7104 or www. facebook.com/TheMemorialDayParade.

MAY 29 – Chillicothe Paints Season Home Opener, V.A. Memorial Stadium, 17273 St. Rte. 104, Chillicothe, 7:05 p.m. $5–$7. Come out to the ballgame and support the Paints as they go up against the REX. www.chillicothepaints.com.

MAY 30 – Hollywood Nights: Bob Seger Tribute, Majestic Theatre, 45 E. Second St., Chillicothe, 7:30 p.m. $30–$40. www.majesticchillicothe.net.

MAY 31–JUN. 1 – Gus Macker, downtown Chillicothe. The 3-on-3 basketball tournament. All ages and skill levels can participate. Cost per team: $180. www.macker.com/local/chillicothe-oh.

mywestliberty.com.

MAY 31–JUN 1 – 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.

JUN. 6–8 – St. Gerard Festival, St. Gerard Catholic Church and School, 240 W. Robb Ave., Lima, Fri. 5 p.m.–midnight, Sat. noon–midnight, Sun. noon–10 p.m. Three days of rides, games, food, and fun for the entire family. Raffles, cake wheel, and entertainment! www.visitgreaterlima.com.

JUN. 6–JUL. 26 – Lima Locos Home Games, Simmons Field, 616 Heindel Ave., Lima. $4–$6. The Locos are a member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, providing minor league-level competition for NCAA players who wish to continue on into professional baseball. See their complete schedule online at www.limalocos.net.

JUN. 7 – Annual Public Car Show, Lima Auto Mall, 2200 N. Cable Rd., Lima, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Registration opens at 10 a.m. ($10 fee); dash plaques for the first 250 registered. Free for spectators. Open to all makes and models of cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Awards at 3 p.m. Food trucks, 50/50 and special raffles, door prizes, kids’ activities, DJ, and fun for all! Email jdg4635@yahoo.com or call 419-231-3710

JUN. 14 – Kernel Creations Workshop, Shirley’s Gourmet Popcorn, 117 S. Main St., Bluffton, 2–4 p.m. Ages 10+. $65. Immerse yourself in this 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-diyexperience?.

1 Congratulations to Lance Abel on graduating from Bloom-Carroll High School, class of 2025. Angela Abel, South Central Power Company member

2 My daughter, the graduate: Alexis Runge. Rena Pitney, Butler Rural Electric Cooperative member

3 2024 Ottawa-Glandorf High School graduate Matt with his parents, Andy and Stephanie Schroeder. Stephanie Schroeder, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative member

4 Our son, Jordan, Ansonia High School class of 2024, and our daughter, Mariah, BSN from Wright State Lake Campus, also class of 2024 James Troutwine, Darke Rural Electric Cooperative member

5 My daughter, Viola, an excited preschool graduate. Joyce Davis, Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative member

6 My granddaughter Evelyn (age 5), proudly showing me her new wristband from Jackson Center School Pre-K graduation last year. Diana Aiken, Pioneer Electric Cooperative member

1 4 2 5 3 6

For August, send “Smiley dogs” by May 15; for September, send “Campfire treats” by June 15.

Upload your photos at www.ohiocoopliving.com/memberinteractive. Your photo may be featured in our magazine or on our website.

Call before you dig!

ohioec.org/purpose

Know what’s below—dial 811 before any project that requires digging.

Underground utilities, such as gas, water, and electric lines, can be a shovel thrust away from turning a spring project into a disaster. Play it safe by dialing 811 three days before digging to find out where utility lines run on your property. It’s free, fast—and may save a life!