Ohio Cooperative Living - March 2020 - Paulding Putnam

OHIO

March 2020

COOPERATIVE

Living

Official publication of Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative, Inc. | www.ppec.coop

ANNUAL MEETING Saturday, March 21, 2020 | 10 a.m. | 401 McDonald Pike, Paulding, Ohio 45879

Reliability Team Work

Communication

Goals

Operation Round Up

Planning

PAULDING PUTNAM ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. Balance sheet

Statement of Operations

UNAUDITED

UNAUDITED

For the year ending Dec. 31, 2019

For the year ending Dec. 31, 2019

Assets

Plant property and investments:

Total plant................................................ $ 97,572,018

Construction work in progress............. $ 1,864,673

Accumulated depreciation.................... $ (24,488,063)

Net plant....................................... $ 74,948,628 Investments:

Invest. In assoc. Org. - Patronage capital.........$ 17,929,946

Associated organizations....................... $ 2,389,861

Total plant and investments...... $ 95,268,435 Current assets and debits: Cash ........................................................ $ 1,274,733

Temporary investments/special deposits.. $ 2,514,186 Receivables............................................... $ 2,416,769

Merchandise inventory.......................... $ 500,915

Other current assets............................... $ 390,092

Total current assets and debits.......$ 7,096,695

Deferred debits........................................ $ 278,563 Total assets and debits..................................... $ 102,643,693

Liabilities and equity Current liabilities and credits:

Accounts payable.................................... $ 3,386,312

Short-term notes payable...................... $ 500,000

Consumer deposits................................. $ 205,785

Other and accrued.................................. $ 2,005,619 Total current liabilities and credits................ $ 6,097,716 Noncurrent liabilities and credits:

Long-term debt....................................... $ 30,317,680

Deferred liabilities and credits.............. $ 423,083

Total liabilities and credits......... $ 36,838,479 Equity:

Operating margins prior/other............. $ 6,358,467 Memberships........................................... $ 69,053

Patronage capital..................................... $ 59,377,694

Total equity.............................................. $ 65,805,214 Total liability and equity.................................. $ 102,643,693

Revenue:

Sales of electricity................................... $ 40,671,604

Interest income....................................... $ 172,741

Other income.......................................... $ 1,622

Capital credits.......................................... $ 1,347,351

Total revenue............................... $ 42,193,318 Expenses:

Cost of purchased electric..................... $ 25,455,375

Cost of maintenance on lines,

poles, rights-of-way, etc............. $ 2,588,202

Cost of billing and consumer records......... $ 656,177

Cost of member services........................ $ 638,324

Cost of administration

and office operations.................. $ 2,096,357

Depreciation expense............................. $ 3,175,426

Business taxes.......................................... $ 1,164,758

Interest on long-term debt.................... $ 1,310,573

Interest on current debt......................... $ 7,244

Total expenses......................................... $ 37,092,436 Net patronage capital or margins................... $ 5,100,882

A complete copy of the audit report as presented by the firm of Bashore Reineck Stoller & Waterman, Inc., certified public accountants of Paulding, Ohio, is available for examination at the cooperative’s office during normal business hours.

OHIO

MARCH 2020

COOPERATIVE Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative

The digital divide Looking for ways to bridge the gap

ALSO INSIDE Co-op member’s amazin’ story Sheriff Maude makes history Ohio’s cradle of rivers

Building a new home?

As an electric cooperative member, you have access to free information on how to save energy. In fact, we’ve been your community’s trusted source of energy advice for more than 80 years.

Contact your cooperative and learn about the latest energy technologies for running your new home efficiently.

ohioec.org/energy

OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

INSIDE FEATURES 26 MAKING HISTORY Maude Collins, a descendant of the infamous feuding McCoy clan, was the first woman in Ohio to be elected a county sheriff, in 1926.

32 RISING TO THE TOP The “locavore” movement inspired Dugan Road Creamery’s rebirth as a microdairy.

36 CRADLE OF RIVERS Ohio is home to more than 3,000 named rivers and streams — many springing to life from the same area in the western part of the state.

Cover image on most issues: The lack of high-speed internet access in rural areas of the state and nation is increasingly causing people in those areas to be at a disadvantage in their everyday lives. For example, broadband connection allows farmers to take advantage of technology to increase efficiency and yield on their farms.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 1

UP FRONT

“Las luces!”

(The lights)

O

hio electric cooperatives have a long history of bringing light to areas where it’s never before been available. In the 1930s, that meant neighbors helping neighbors bring electricity to the farms and homes in those rural parts of the state that for-profit utilities ignored. That spirit has, in more recent times, lit the way for us to carry the tradition beyond our borders.

In March, for the third time in five years, lineworkers from across Ohio’s electric cooperative network will venture to Guatemala. Our endeavor, Project Ohio 2020, benefits the 600 residents of Tierra Blanca Sebol, a village in the north-central region of the country, by connecting its 60 households as well as a school and a health post to the electric grid. While every project is different and each village unique, the work will be similar to our accomplishments in La Soledad (2016) and Las Tortugas/San Jorge (2018). We’ll install 3 miles of higher-voltage primary line to the village and 2.5 miles of lower-voltage secondary line throughout the community. We’ll also wire two light sockets and two receptacles into each household.

We know the effort will change lives.

By any measure, Guatemala is an impoverished country — and in rural areas, incomes are lower and opportunities even fewer. Essentials that we take for granted are unattainable without outside assistance, so electricity and the conveniences that it provides — light, heat, refrigeration, cooking, basic sanitation — are a game-changer for the community. Electricity means healthier food, cleaner water, more opportunity for education, and connection to the rest of the world. It brings light, yes, but more importantly, it brings hope.

Without modern equipment, but with help from the village residents, our lineworkers will set poles by hand and climb each one to install transformers, insulators, and wiring. The work will be physical and strenuous, the conditions hot and humid, and the challenge for our lineworkers immense.

We’ve seen it before, though, both here in the 1930s and on our previous trips to Guatemala: The first time someone flips that switch and turns on the lights, the work is worth it. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers this month, that we may complete a safe, successful, and enlightening mission.

2 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

Pat O’Loughlin PRESIDENT & CEO OHIO’S ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES

Electricity means healthier food, cleaner water, more opportunity for education, and connection to the rest of the world. It brings light, yes, but more importantly, it brings hope.

Volunteer lineworkers talk about Project Ohio 2018: www.ohioec.org/projectohio

MARCH 2020 • Volume 62, No. 6

MORE INSIDE Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives 6677 Busch Blvd.

Columbus, OH 43229 614-846-5757 memberinteract@ohioec.org www.ohioec.org Patrick O’Loughlin President & CEO

Patrick Higgins Director of Communications

Jeff McCallister Managing Editor

Rebecca Seum Associate Editor

Anita Cook Graphic Designer

Dava Hennosy Editorial Intern Contributors: Brian Albright, Colleen Romick Clark, W.H. “Chip” Gross, Catherine Murray, Damaine Vonada, and Kevin Williams.

OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 134-760; ISSN 2572-049X) is published monthly by Ohio Rural Elec­tric Co­op­eratives, Inc. It is the official com­mun­ ication link be­tween the elec­­­­tric co­operatives in Ohio and West Virginia and their mem­bers. Subscription cost for members ranges from $5.52 to $6.96 per year, paid from equity accruing to the member. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. All rights reserved.

For all advertising inquiries, contact

Cheryl Solomon American MainStreet Publications 847-749-4875 | cheryl@amp.coop 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 Of­fi ce, Consumer Protection Sec­tion, 30 E. Broad St., Col­um­bus, OH 43215.

Periodicals postage paid at Colum­bus, OH, and at additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to editorial and advertising offices at: 6677 Busch Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43229-1101

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

Alliance for Audited Media Member

DEPARTMENTS 4 POWER LINES

Connecting the country: Without broadband access, rural America is at a competitive disadvantage compared with the rest of the nation.

6 CO-OP SPOTLIGHT

Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative: The hometown-proud northern Ohio co-op pays particular attention to supporting programs for its community’s youth.

4

8 CO-OP PEOPLE

An amazin’ story: Carroll Electric Cooperative member Jack DiLauro has fond memories of his time with the “Miracle Mets.”

6

12 WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE

Woods woman: E. Lucy Braun played a pivotal role in the documentation and preservation of Ohio’s big trees.

17 GOOD EATS

12

Ranch to table: Local meat producers give an ultra-fresh taste to these hearty main dishes.

21 LOCAL PAGES

News and information from your electric cooperative.

17

41 CALENDAR

What’s happening: March/April events and other things to do around the state.

44 MEMBER INTERACTIVE

Tip of the hat: Readers flipped their lids at the notion of our subject matter this month.

44

Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 3

POWER LINES

Lack of broadband access is a

BY JEFF McCALLISTER

K

yle Hicks sat at his computer at his Lancaster-area home, the homework assignment for his College Credit Plus course due in a few hours. He knew he was cutting it close.

Not that he didn’t have the assignment done. He’d finished the presentation well ahead of time.

The only problem was that it was for an online course, and turning KYLE HICKS it in meant uploading it to a file-sharing site. With all of the images he had to include, it was a large file. Hicks was at the mercy of his internet connection, and he was sweating it.

Like a vast number of people in rural areas of Ohio and the rest of the nation, Hicks and his family have limited access to high-speed internet. The one company that provides broadband service where he lives promises connection speeds “up to 5 megabits per second,” but he says tests on the line show it’s rarely above 1 Mbps. What’s more, service in his area, even at that level, is expensive. Satellite broadband could be an option but costs even more.

Hicks, a senior at Amanda-Clearcreek High School, has been a vocal advocate for improved broadband coverage

4 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

in rural areas. He’s written to legislators and made public presentations to make the case for rural broadband, and he plans to study agricultural business and political science in college to take on the issue (among others).

He got that assignment in on time, but the file took hours to upload, rather than the minutes or even seconds it would have taken on the type of high-speed connection — often 100 Mbps or more — offered in urban and suburban areas.

“I feel like I’m fortunate to even have internet access where I live,” says Hicks, who represented South Central Power Company at the 2019 Electric Cooperative Youth Tour in Washington, D.C., and was named the state’s representative on the prestigious Youth Leadership Council. “I know of at least five to seven people just in my class of about 100 who have to find the time and find a way to get to the county library just to get any internet access so they can turn in assignments. It’s a real struggle.”

High-speed internet isn’t a luxury. “Access to broadband isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s a need-to-have,” says Brian O’Hara, senior director of telecom and broadband regulatory issues for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

“If there’s a lack of broadband, an employer may not set up shop in that community. Other employers may leave because it’s harder for them to sell their services, and young folks could leave the community for more opportunities.”

familiar problem for rural America.

Hicks also talks about the need for farmers to be connected so they can remain competitive. “Much of the newer technology that is being created for agriculture requires use of the internet, so in order for family farms to implement changes, they need high-speed access,” he says.

“Increasing yields and increasing production is needed in order to keep up with the world’s growing population, and that access will give them that power. It’s not just for farmers — that’s a benefit to everyone.”

If everybody should have broadband, why don’t they? On the surface, it looks similar to the rural electrification problem that was solved by the creation of electric cooperatives back in the last century, so it’s easy to assume that those same co-ops can, or even should, bridge the digital divide today. Of course, it’s not nearly that easy. As complicated as electrification was in the 1930s and ’40s, broadband is far more so — technologically, logistically, and economically.

Electric co-ops, being so closely tied to the communities they serve, are in a strong position to know what’s possible.

They may have justifiable concerns about terrain, for example, that make deployment cost-prohibitive. Also, portions of many cooperatives’ territories now include relatively dense populations that are already well-served by competitive high-speed providers, which would limit potential revenue to cover new investment in rural areas.

The staff and management at all of Ohio’s electric cooperatives understand the need is there and are genuine in their desire to help. They also know, however, that a co-op’s money is members’ money, and they all take fiscal responsibility seriously.

The solution to electrification came from politics and partnerships — advocates moved the federal government to set up the Rural Electrification Administration — and it’s likely that broadband will need a similar push. There are signs that activity may be picking up on that front. In fact, Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative, based in Rio Grande, recently received a $2.5 million grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to install optical fiber that could eventually connect residents and businesses in remote areas of six southeastern Ohio counties with highspeed service.

Without additional state or federal funding, however, most Ohio cooperatives have found that deploying a meaningful fiber network that could reach all of rural Ohio, without harming the cooperative’s electric business, is not yet a reachable goal. The best current answer, they say, is to intensify their own and their members’ lobbying efforts toward representatives who have the power to make that additional funding available.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 5

CO-OP SPOTLIGHT

LORAIN-MEDINA RURAL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE

J

ust to the west of Cleveland and a little south of Lake Erie, Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative (LMRE) serves more than 16,700 consumer-members on 1,541 miles of electrical line across five counties. Hometown pride is a defining characteristic of the people in the area, who believe in bettering the community and looking out for one another. LMRE prioritizes providing opportunities for their youth.

Who they serve In addition to residential service, LMRE provides service to some unique companies. They serve Green Circle Growers, one of the largest greenhouses in North America. Green Circle Growers is a familyowned company in Oberlin with over 100 acres of indoor space for growing seasonal crops, tropicals, foliage, succulents, and more. LMRE also serves Goldrush Jerky, a company that originated with its owners selling snacks out of the back of a car.

Goldrush Jerky now sells beef jerky and beef smokies in all 50 states.

Lorain County Metro Parks is a popular, expansive set of parks with activities and events throughout the year. Members of the community can sign up for activities like tapping sugar maple trees, competing in cook-offs for prizes, and taking in a show at the French Creek Theatre.

Opportunities for youth In 2018, LMRE and its sister cooperative, North Central Electric Cooperative, held their first Youth Day. Patterned after the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour to Washington, D.C., LMRE’s Youth Day trip takes a group of high school sophomores and juniors to Columbus to tour the Ohio Statehouse, meet with legislators, and learn how the decisions made by the state government affect their communities. They also visit the Ohio History Center. Two of the students who attend Youth Day are selected as representatives to attend Youth Tour, and one of those students is offered an internship with the cooperative. LMRE will hold its second annual Youth Day this month.

Co-op Spotlight appears regularly in Ohio Cooperative Living to give a glimpse into the land and the people of Ohio’s 24 electric cooperatives.

6 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

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CO-OP PEOPLE

An

AM A Z IN ’ story

One Carroll Electric Cooperative member has fond memories of his time with the ‘Miracle Mets.’

BY DAVA HENNOSY; PHOTO BY AL BELLO/GETTY IMAGES

Jack DiLauro talks about his storied career at www.ohioec.org/amazin.

8 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

J

ack DiLauro hadn’t really thrown a baseball meaningfully for many years, but as a former major leaguer — a World Series champion, no less — he figured it would be like riding a bicycle.

DiLauro is a member of Carrollton-based Carroll Electric Cooperative, and he’s also an Akron native and a member of the Summit County Sports Hall of Fame. When Carroll Electric and a few other Ohio co-ops hosted a business development event at an Akron RubberDucks minor league baseball game in 2017, it seemed natural to have him throw out the ceremonial first pitch.

He bounced it — several feet in front of the plate.

So, when he got another opportunity at a similar co-op event at a RubberDucks game last season, he took no chances. “I went out and bought a baseball and started throwing it against the wall in the garage to get ready,” he says, adding, in his defense, that he has had hip surgery since his baseball career ended. “I went out to the mound and I bounced it again. I called it a waste pitch because I must have been ahead of the hitter. I still had a great time.”

DiLauro spent 10 years playing professional baseball, mostly in the minor leagues in the Detroit Tigers organization. Though his stats were respectable in the minors, DiLauro says he was never overly optimistic about his chances to break onto a major league roster. Then, just before the 1969 season, he was traded to the Mets.

The New York Mets had been established as a major league team in 1962 and had been one of the worst teams in baseball up to that point — losing more than 100 games in five of their first seven seasons. Going into 1969, though, the team seemed poised for a breakthrough, in large part because of its stacked pitching staff.

DiLauro decided that he’d had enough. He quit baseball and moved back to Ohio.

“I had my roots here, I was married, there was no reason for me to go anywhere else,” he says. DiLauro managed a chain of sporting goods stores after returning.

He occasionally serves as an unofficial Carroll Electric coop ambassador at business development events like those minor league baseball outings. He’s slated to appear at two such games this summer, in Akron and Toledo.

In his short major league career, DiLauro pitched against some of the biggest names in the history of baseball — like Willie Mays, Willie Stargell, Willie McCovey, Billy Williams, even Hank Aaron. “I only pitched against Willie Mays once, and I don’t know if he was scary [to pitch against], but I was in awe,” he says. “I walked him on four straight pitches. I don’t remember ever doing that.”

DiLauro heads back to New York every now and then for “Miracle Mets” reunions, including last year for the 50th anniversary of that “amazin’” year.

“My first reaction was ‘oh crap.’ I’m thinking that I have no way of cracking that lineup,” DiLauro says. “To be honest, I had it in my head that it was going to be my last year. We didn’t make any money in those days, and I was married. It became very stressful.”

A funny thing happened, though. DiLauro performed well in spring training, and when young hotshot pitcher (and future Hall of Famer) Nolan Ryan was injured, DiLauro got his chance. He made his major league debut on May 15 — working two scoreless innings in relief against the Atlanta Braves, giving up a single base hit and striking out one batter — and stuck with the roster.

DiLauro’s best outing came against the Los Angeles Dodgers in early June. “I started against the Dodgers and I threw a nine-inning, two-hit ballgame, retired the last 16 guys. So that was cloud nine for a while,” he says.

Even with their strong pitching, the Mets struggled early in the season. They entered June with more losses than wins, and it looked as if the Chicago Cubs would run away with the division title. In one of the all-time historic turnarounds, however, the “Amazin’ Mets” won 38 of their last 49 games, the Cubs collapsed, and New York went on to become the “Miracle Mets” when they won the 1969 World Series title over the Baltimore Orioles.

DiLauro had a respectable season. In 632/3 innings, he compiled a record of one win and four losses with a save and a stellar 2.40 earned-run average. He didn’t pitch at all in the postseason, though, and after the World Series, his rights were claimed by the Houston Astros. He bounced around to a few other minor league teams until 1972, when it became clear to him that he wasn’t going to earn his way back to the majors. At 29 years old,

Jack DiLauro (right) gets ready for introductions of the 1969 “Miracle Mets” during a 50-year reunion celebration last season at Citi Field in New York.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 9

Technical Scholarships Available For adult and high school consumer-members

Rules and applications are available at www.ohioec.org/TechnicalScholarship APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 30 10 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

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WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE

WO O D S WOMAN E. Lucy Braun played a key role in the documentation and preservation of Ohio’s big trees.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS

I have a recurring daydream where I try to imagine what it must have been like to see the Ohio country hundreds of years ago, long before European settlement. We know that half a dozen major Indian tribes lived on the land — it would have been interesting to visit their villages and learn their way of life.

The birdlife at the time would have been amazing: innumerable flocks of waterfowl and shorebirds inhabiting the extensive Lake Erie marshes and Great Black Swamp. As late as 1813, John James Audubon wrote in his journal of standing on the bank of the Ohio River and watching an estimated one billion (nowextinct) passenger pigeons fly over during migration, darkening the sun and taking three full days to pass.

Large apex predators once lived here, too: mountain lions and wolf packs preying upon myriad white-tailed deer and elk.

Ohio even had buffalo herds (I’ll write more about those later this year).

As fascinating as all of that would have been to experience, I believe it’s the virgin forest itself that would have been most awe-inspiring — trees so large they make most of today’s woodlands trees look like mere sticks. If you’d like to get a sense of what it was like living among those giants, I’d suggest reading Conrad Richter’s

12 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

classic 1940 novel about the Ohio frontier, The Trees, which is the first book in his trilogy, The Awakening Land.

Ohio was once nearly totally forested. That vast forest disappeared in the blink of an eye, historically speaking — roughly from 1750 to 1900 — the trees felled to make way for future farms and cities. By the beginning of the 20th century, forest cover had fallen to a sparse 11% of the state’s land. Ohio woodlands have rebounded since then, however, and now cover more than a third of our state.

Someone who extensively studied the Buckeye State’s early forests was E. Lucy Braun (1889–1971). Hailing from Cincinnati, Braun and her sister, Annette, were early botanists and ecologists during a time when those professional fields were dominated by men. Her efforts led directly to the establishment of what would become the largest conservation organization in the world — The Nature Conservancy, which would go on to help conserve over 119 million acres worldwide.

Among her 180 pieces published, Braun wrote four books — the most memorable being her Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America, a nearly 600-page scientific tome published in 1950. She traveled more than 65,000 miles over 25 years of field research, covering most of that distance in a car she first obtained in 1930 and taught herself to drive. In a letter written to a friend, Braun even boasted of once going as fast as “38 miles per hour.”

One of the Ohio woodlands Braun studied was Johnson Woods in Wayne County, a few miles northeast of Orrville. Today, Johnson Woods is a state nature preserve open to the public, and many trees on the property — some of which are more than 400 years old — stand 120 feet tall, with trunks 4 to 5 feet in diameter.

It’s still possible to return to the Ohio woodlands of hundreds of years ago and experience the cathedral-like environment of oldgrowth forest. March is a good time to do so, before the leaves grow back on the trees, limiting the view. Thanks to E. Lucy Braun and hundreds of her forward-thinking ilk, small vestiges of such woodlands have been preserved throughout the Buckeye State, and a leisurely visit to any or all of the following locations is highly recommended: • Johnson Woods State Nature Preserve (Wayne County) • Goll Woods State Nature Preserve (Fulton County) • Dysart Woods (Belmont County) • Hueston Woods State Nature Preserve (Preble and Butler counties) • North Chagrin Reservation (Lake and Cuyahoga counties) • Bole Woods, Holden Arboretum (Lake County) • Clear Fork Gorge State Nature Preserve (Ashland County) • Lawrence Woods State Nature Preserve (Hardin County) Opposite page: Johnson Woods is home to several of the large trees that were documented and preserved by Lucy Braun (inset). Above, a family enjoys a stroll along the boardwalk trail at Johnson Woods. Fowler Woods (top) boasts plenty of gorgeous scenery, highlighted by its big trees.

• Fowler Woods State Nature Preserve (Richland County) W.H. “Chip” Gross (whchipgross@gmail.com) is a member of Consolidated Cooperative and is Ohio Cooperative Living’s outdoors editor.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 13

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Mt. Vernon Cosby Htg & Clg (740) 393-4328

patriotair.com

cosbyhc.com

billspadegeothermal.com

Holgate Holgate Hardware (419) 264-3012

New Knoxville New Knoxville Supply (419) 753-2444

Coldwater Ray’s Refrigeration (419) 678-8711

Kalida Knueve & Sons Inc. (419) 420-7638

Bowling Green United Home Comfort (419) 352-7092 unitedhomecomfort.com

Canal Winchester Kessler Htg & Clg (614) 837-9961 kesslerheating.com

Chillicothe Accurate Htg & Clg (740) 775-5005 accurategeothermal.com

Cincinnati Bill Spade Htg & Clg (513) 941-0075

raysrefrigeration.com

knueve.com

Columbus Geo Source One (614) 873-1140

Sarka Electric (419) 532-3492

geosourceone.com

Lancaster Fairfield Heating (740) 653-6421

sarkaelectric.com

Defiance Schlatters Plbg & Htg (419) 393-4690

Springfield Danco Enterprises (937) 969-8440 dancoenterprises.com

Toledo Overcashier & Horst (419) 841-3333 ohcomfort.com

newknoxvillesupply.com

Newark Hottinger Geothermal (740) 323-2330 hottingergeothermal.com

Portsmouth Accurate Htg & Clg (740) 353-4328

Waverly Combs Htg & A/C (740) 947-4061 combsgeopro.com

Wellington Wellington Indoor Comfort (440) 647-3421 Westerville Westin Air (614) 794-1259 geothermalcentralohio.com

accurategeothermal.com

fairfieldgeothermal.com

schlattersgeothermal.com

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 15

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The back of the pendant is etched with the meaningful message, “I am so Proud to Call You My Grandson.” The pendant suspends from a 24" stainless steel chain and arrives in a deluxe wooden valet box. It’s a wonderful way to let your grandson know just how much you care.

An Exclusive Design with a FREE Valet Box! This pendant with deluxe valet box is a remarkable value at just $89.99*, and you can pay for it in 3 easy installments of $30.00. To reserve yours, backed by our 120-day guarantee, send no money now; just mail in the Priority Reservation today!

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LIMITED-TIME OFFER Reservations will be accepted on a first-come, firstserved basis. So please respond as soon as possible to reserve your “Words of Wisdom” Grandson Pendant & Valet Box.

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16 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

*Plus a total of $9.98 shipping and service (see bradfordexchange.com). Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery after initial payment for shipment of your jewelry.

Sales subject to product availability and order acceptance.

State

Zip

01-28075-001-E22451

10 ⁄8 1013⁄16 3 10 ⁄4 101⁄2

GOOD EATS

table Ranch to The bounty of small farms in the state means the main ingredients for these meaty dishes are always right around the corner.

OINK MOO CLUCK FARMS MOROCCAN POT ROAST Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 7 to 9 hours | Servings: 8 1 large yellow onion, diced 11/2 cups water 2 tablespoons olive oil 11/2 teaspoons salt 3 tablespoons paprika 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Price 2 tablespoons garam masala 3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast ❏ 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 5 medium multicolored carrots, cut diagonally 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained 1 small eggplant, cubed Logo & Address 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas (garbanzo beans), 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint ❏ drained and rinsed 6 ounces couscous, cooked Job 2 cubes beef bouillon Code In a skillet over medium heat, sauté onions in oil with paprika, 1 tablespoon garam

❏

masala, and cayenne until tender. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker, then stir in

Tracking tomatoes, chickpeas, bouillon, and water. Sprinkle salt, black pepper, and remaining Code 1 tablespoon garam masala onto roast. Place in slow cooker. Add carrots and eggplant.

❏

Cover and cook until meat and vegetables are tender, 7 to 9 hours. Remove roast from

Yellow slow cooker, break into pieces, then return to slow cooker for another 10 minutes.

Snipe Sprinkle with mint and serve over couscous.

❏

Per serving: 682 calories, 18 grams fat (5 grams saturated fat), 61 grams total carbohydrates, Shipping 15 grams fiber, 67 grams protein.

Service

HYPERLOCAL MEAT

OINK MOO CLUCK FARMS is a third-generation, smallscale, family operation based in Sunbury, specializing in hogs, beef, and chickens. All butchering is done in-house, and products are available at eight farm markets around central Ohio and for limited home delivery.

614-427-9313; www. oinkmoocluckfarms.com.

❏

101⁄2 13

10 ⁄4 3

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 17

STONEFIELD NATURALS PORK MEATBALL BAHN MI Prep: 25 minutes | Marinate: 1 hour | Cook: 10 minutes | Servings: 4 1 cup julienned carrots 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 cup julienned daikon radish (white or purple) 2 teaspoons sugar 2 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons rice vinegar 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons sesame oil 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound ground pork 1/4 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro 2 teaspoons Sriracha 3 scallions, chopped fine fresh baguette for 4 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced 1 tablespoon Sriracha (hot chili sauce) fresh cilantro Toss the julienned carrots and radishes in a medium bowl with 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Set aside for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

While that’s going, thoroughly combine all meatball ingredients (ground pork through cornstarch) in a bowl, then form into 16 meatballs. Place meatballs on a parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes. After the meatballs have been chilled, heat olive oil in a cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until browned on all sides and cooked through.

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and 2 teaspoons Sriracha.

Cut baguette into 4 pieces, then split open lengthwise, just enough to open, leaving the two pieces connected in the middle. Scoop out some bread from the middle to make room for sandwich fillings. Place on cookie sheet open side down and broil in the oven for 1 to 3 minutes, until lightly toasted.

Spread mayonnaise on insides of bread. Fill each baguette with pickled vegetables, cooked meatballs, jalapeños, and cilantro sprigs. Serve hot.

Per serving: 638 calories, 15 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat), 83 grams total carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 41 grams protein.

18 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

HYPERLOCAL MEAT

Al Dolder had given up hog farming in the 1980s, but never lost the bug. “After the animals and farm equipment were sold, I missed the hogs and would sneak away to an occasional hog show or drive by a neighbor’s farm just to look at the hogs,” he says. He started up again in 2001, and today, Dolder’s Baltimore-based STONEFIELD NATURALS pork and organic vegetables are available at various farmers markets around the state, as well as through special orders.

740-862-3165; https:// stonefieldnaturals.wixsite. com/pork.

BROWN BROS. FARMS MARYLAND CHICKEN WINGS Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes | Servings: 6 3 pounds chicken wings 1 cup flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning, more for dusting cocktail sauce for dipping, optional Separate wings from drums by breaking the bone and cutting through the skin. Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix together flour, salt, and 1 tablespoon Old Bay together in a large bowl. Wash wings in cold water. Shake off excess water and toss in bowl with flour mixture to coat. Arrange wings in one layer on two baking sheets lined with aluminum foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

In the meantime, make sauce by melting butter in a small pot, whisking in 1 teaspoon Old Bay and lemon juice. Let cool to lukewarm.

When wings are done, turn on the broiler.

Flip wings on the baking sheet and broil 3–4 minutes, or until crispy. Toss wings in butter sauce and set on a plate. Dust with more Old Bay and serve with cocktail sauce.

Per serving: 457 calories, 32 grams fat (14 grams saturated fat), 24 grams total carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 17 grams protein.

HYPERLOCAL MEAT

BROWN BROS. FARMS is a freerange poultry operation that started as an FFA project in Paris, Ohio, and now specializes in pastured chicken and turkey. Available at select farmers markets, for pickup at locations around the state during the holiday season, or for shipping nationwide. 330-771-2679; https://brownbrosfarmsllc.grazecart.com.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 19

PENCIL BISON RANCH BLOODY MARY KABOBS Prep: 10 minutes | Marinate: 24 to 48 hours | Cook: 5 minutes | Servings: 4 1 cup tomato juice 1 teaspoon black pepper (no salt) 1/2 teaspoon garlic 3 tablespoons ground powder horseradish 1 pound bison loin 3 tablespoons olive juice (sirloin steak), cut into pieces 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 pound grape tomatoes 2 tablespoons 8 dill pickle spears, cut Worcestershire sauce in half horizontally 1 teaspoon tabasco 8 large green olives 1 teaspoon celery seed Mix ingredients for marinade (tomato juice through garlic powder) in a medium bowl. Add bison meat and marinate in refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours. The longer it marinates, the more flavor the bison will absorb.

Soak wooden skewers in water for 10 minutes.

Preheat grill. Alternate skewering one piece of bison and one grape tomato (leaving room for olives and pickle spears once the skewers come off the grill). Place skewers on the grill until steak is cooked medium rare, about 3 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make sure the internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145 F. Remove from grill and add pickles and green olives to each skewer. Makes about 8 kabobs.

Per serving: 233 calories, 8 grams fat (2 grams saturated fat), 11 grams total carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 27 grams protein.

HYPERLOCAL MEAT The herd at PENCIL BISON RANCH in Urbana has a heritage that can be traced to Custer State Park in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota — a lineage that owners Megan and Jeb Pencil say is historically known to produce highquality bison. Available at the ranch store (by appointment) and at various farmers markets around Dayton. 937-788-2333; https://pencilbisonranch.com.

20 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

PAULDING PUTNAM ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE LOCAL PAGES

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Empowered to do MORE

When the founders of Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative gathered more than 80 years ago, George Carter PRESIDENT AND CEO they were empowered to do more.

They were not content to wait in the dark. They were not content to be left behind as other areas received electricity. They were empowered. They acted on their empowerment and brought electricity to the rural areas of northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana in order to make better lives for themselves and their neighbors.

SAVE THE DATE for your ANNUAL MEETING WHEN: Saturday, March 21, at 10 a.m.

WHERE: Office (401 McDonald Pike, Paulding) WHY: Win a bill credit, enjoy free lunch and dessert, hear a co-op update, meet the employees who work for you, and chat with your neighbors!

That empowerment can still be seen today in the employees who work for the cooperative and the board of trustees that sets the strategic direction for the cooperative. Each one of us, whether employee or board member, strives to improve the cooperative and bring a higher level of service to the membership (that’s you). By ensuring a high level of electric service, all members are empowered to improve their lives. This can be as complex as improving service to one of our industrial members or improving electric service so someone can work from home — or just allowing a grandparent to talk and see a grandchild many miles away.

Without quality electric service, these things are not possible, and the divide between our more urban friends and rural members grows wider.

In this issue, you will notice an article on this year’s construction work plan projects. All told, the capital budget for the cooperative is about $8 million; of that, over $5.5 million will be spent to upgrade and improve the electric service to the membership. Over $2 million of this will be spent to upgrade the Cecil substation. This upgrade will allow us to improve service to all members served by that substation but will also greatly improve our reliability overall. This is because stronger tie-lines and backfeeds will allow the rebuilt substation to back up other areas of our system during outages. Our crews will be able to restore power more quickly during outages.

These construction work plan projects are very expensive — but very necessary. Some years ago, we were okay with short power interruptions. We only had three channels to watch on TV, so if the power was out, we didn’t miss much. Today is different. Today we serve a wide variety of members. Animal farm production, heavy industry, small home-based companies and many others can’t tolerate even short outages. We must meet the ever-changing needs of the membership with a higher level of service.

Empowered to do more — that’s what your cooperative brings to our service territory. It’s the vision our founders had more than 80 years ago and is still the vision we work so hard to maintain today.

Don’t forget to bring your registration card (on the cover of this magazine) with you to the annual meeting! We look forward to seeing you there.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 21

PAULDING PAULDING PUTNAM PUTNAM ELECTRIC ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE COOPERATIVE LOCAL LOCAL PAGES PAGES

PAULDING PUTNAM ELECTRIC CO-OP 2019 Official Annual Meeting Minutes — March 16, 2019 The 82nd annual meeting was held at the Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative Inc. headquarters building in Paulding, Ohio. Dr. John Saxton, board chairman, called the meeting to order at 10 a.m. Chairman Saxton led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance. The national anthem was played, and Peter Niagu, energy advisor, offered the invocation.

Chairman Saxton noted the meeting notice had been mailed to all members on Feb. 22, 2019, and Feb. 28, 2019, and this notice contained the meeting agenda. He asked if there were any objections to him dispensing with the reading of the notice or if there were any changes to the meeting agenda; there were no objections, and the agenda would stand as approved.

Chairman Saxton noted the minutes to the meeting held on March 17, 2018, had been mailed to all members in the recent issue of Ohio Cooperative Living and Indiana Connection magazines and were included in the materials provided. He asked if there were any objections to him dispensing with the reading of the minutes or if there were any changes to the minutes; there were no objections and the minutes would stand as approved.

Mr. Dangler gave the treasurer’s report. He stated that his written report appeared in the handout and a financial report was printed. He further stated that the audited financial report was completed by the local firm of Bashore, Reineck, Stoller & Waterman. Mr. Dangler stated that results of the audit had not been released prior to this meeting of the members.

Chairman Saxton and Mr. George Carter, president and CEO, combined the chairman and CEO reports this year.

22 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

The focus on this year’s annual reports were dedicated to the seven cooperative principles and the importance each one of them have on the membership. Mr. Steve Kahle, engineering manager, was also recognized for completing the Management Internship Program (MIP).

Scholarship winners were announced: At-large

Derek Luersman

Fort Jennings H.S.

$600

Third place

Adam Butzin

Antwerp H.S.

$600

Elizabeth Westrick Miller City H.S.

Second place Grant Laudick

Kalida H.S.

$600 $800

Lindsey Schnegg Ottawa Glandorf H.S. $800

First place

Christian Nartker

Kalida H.S.

$1,000

Alli Hefner

Wayne Trace H.S.

$1,000

Madelyn Lamb from Crestview H.S. and Adrienne Rosswurm from Payne (homeschool) represented Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative Inc. on the National Cooperative Youth Tour and spoke about their 2018 experiences in Washington, D.C. The 2019 Youth Tour attendee was announced:

Emma Crosby

Wayne Trace H.S.

Mr. George Carter was called upon to present the trustee election results. Three districts (2, 4, and 5) were up for election: trustees William Dowler (District 2), Jay Dangler (District 4), and Steven McMichael (District 5) were re-elected by affirmation. Attorney Norm Cook then administered the oath of office to all trustees.

There being no further business to come before the meeting, Chairman Saxton declared the meeting adjourned.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Help keep future rates low! (and get $25) Join PPEC’s radio-controlled switch program for bill credits As your not-for-profit electric cooperative, Paulding Putnam Electric is dedicated to finding ways to save money. Our members are our owners, so what’s in your best interests is also in ours. One of the ways you can help is by signing up for our radiocontrolled switch program.

Here’s what the program entails: we install a device on our members’ central air conditioning (AC) systems Peter Niagu ENERGY ADVISOR and remotely flip the switch to cycle the system when power is most expensive. During peak energy demand times (the hottest summer days), conserving even a bit of energy can result in big savings for you and your neighbor.

The cheapest energy is the energy you don’t use, so by using less power during peak times, the more we as a cooperative save, resulting in less costly electric rates in the future for you, the member.

Now, I know some of you have concerns about not having AC when it’s hot in the summer, but here’s the truth — this program is not intrusive at all. Your AC compressor will only turn off for about 10 minutes every 30 minutes during peak

alert periods, but the fan still circulates air in your home.

Most members aren’t even aware when it’s happening!

Generally, peak times are during the hottest part of the day from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. during summer months. We also send out text messages to members who enroll in our peak alert notification program, so you’ll get a heads up.

In addition, you can also elect to have a radio-controlled switch on your electric water heater. During peak alerts (also during the coldest winter days of the year), we will simply disconnect power to your water heater for the duration of the peak. Now, that doesn’t mean you won’t have hot water — it simply means your water heater will not reheat the water you use until the peak alert is over. Like the AC switch, most members don’t realize when this happens.

Overall, the more members we have participating in this program, the more electric use we can reduce during peak times. The end result? Saving more on wholesale power costs for all our members. This way, we all win.

Incentives for joining: After the radio-controlled switch is installed on your AC unit, you will receive a one-time $25 gift as a thank you.

Plus, you’ll get a $5 bill credit each peak month (June, July, and August) that the switch remains installed.

That’s $15 a year!

Call PPEC today and ask to speak with Peter or email pniagu@ppec. coop. Applications are available at www.PPEC.coop under the Programs tab > Radio Control Switch.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 22A

PAULDING PUTNAM ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE LOCAL PAGES

Know a farmer or agricultural businessperson who works hard, has grit, and deserves recognition?

Nominate them today so they can be Farm Famous!

Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative is looking for farmers and agricultural businesspeople whose hard work, strong ethics, and dedication deserve kudos. Entries will be posted on our social media channels and published in the magazine whenever possible. The only qualification is that the farmer or ag business being nominated must be a PPEC member.

Please submit your nominee’s full name and town of residence, co-op, where they work/ what they do, a high-resolution photo(s), and a

22B 2020 20B OHIO OHIOCOOPERATIVE COOPERATIVELIVING LIVING • • MARCH FEBRUARY 2020

description of why they deserve recognition via email to skuhn@ppec.coop.

At the end of the year, we’ll hold a vote for the farmer/ag business our members feel most deserves to be Farm Famous. The grand prize winner will receive a plaque, a feature story and custom cover on the magazine, and a $100 bill credit.

OPERATION ROUND UP

Empowered to do more for our

community

Members of PPEC donate $8,000 to 6 local causes Members of Paulding Putnam Electric recently donated $8,000 to six local charities and community projects through the cooperative’s Operation Round Up program.

About 75% of our members round up their electric bill and donate those pennies to this fund, making a huge impact in our northwest Ohio and northeast Indiana communities.

As your co-op, we are • Habitat for Humanity of Paulding County: $2,500 toward a home build for an elderly man in Grover Hill

empowered

A board of trustees, composed of cooperative members and separate from the PPEC Board of Trustees, oversees the application and allocation process. Individuals or organizations can obtain an application online at www.

PPEC.coop > Programs > Operation Round Up. To participate, please call our office at 800-686-2357.

to do more. Here are the latest donations:

• Wayne Trace Schools: $1,000 to purchase food for Blessings in a Backpack program to feed hungry students on weekends

• Payne Volunteer Fire Department: $1,500 to purchase 22 rescue extrication gloves and a stationary bike for the oncall staff’s fitness

• M.A.V. Youth Mentoring: $1,000 to support Van Wert County programs like lunch and supper club and STEM materials for mentorships

• Paulding Soil and Water Conservation District; $1,000 for 5th grade Field Day event • Putnam County 4-H Council: $1,000 for 21st annual Farm Safety Program for Putnam County 3rd graders

“You take things for granted — things like having a house and roof over your head.

We’re really going to help this guy out of a bad situation with this money.”

– Clint Vance, President of Habitat for Humanity of Paulding County

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 22C

PAULDING PUTNAM ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE LOCAL PAGES OPERATIONS UPDATE

2020 Work Plan Highlights

PPEC’s Cecil substation is slated for a rebuild in 2020 to improve electric reliability, system durability, and increased load capacity. Reducing outage minutes is another goal — keeping our members’ lights on is a priority.

Co-op plans $5.6 million in power reliability investments This year, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative is planning $5,673,951 in investments focused on system improvements that will directly increase the co-op’s service reliability and maintain existing facilities — all without an electric rate increase for residential or commercial members.

Primary components of the 2020 work plan include: • Rebuild of the Cecil substation for improved reliability, system durability, and increased load capacity for future growth.

• A budgeted 28 miles of line rebuilds across Ohio and Indiana, as well as sectionalizing to reduce outage minutes. Keeping your lights on is a priority!

• Testing 3,565 poles in Adams, Jackson, and Maumee townships in Indiana and Carryall and Harrison townships in Ohio. Poles are tested on a rotating cycle; any that fail the test will be replaced.

22D OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

• Right-of-way maintenance and tree trimming in Indiana’s Allen County and in parts of Ohio’s Paulding and Van Wert counties.

• Purchasing new equipment (a bucket truck, poles, etc.).

“The PPEC trustees and employees work hard to deliver electric power that is reliable, safe, and cost-competitive with our neighboring utilities,” says PPEC President and CEO George Carter. “Be assured that we are working to replace aging facilities, increase efficiency, and improve our service reliability — all without raising rates and also returning $1.8 million in capital credits last year to members.”

For updates throughout the year, follow PPEC on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or YouTube. You can also sign up for our monthly email newsletter under the “News” tab at www.PPEC.coop.

Have questions about upcoming construction in your area? Give our office a call at 800-686-2357.

We want to hear from

YOU!

Your opinions help us to serve you better.

This month, PPEC will be working with NRECA Market Research Services to complete a member satisfaction survey.

The surveys will be both by phone and email, but not everyone will be contacted.

If you are contacted, we would greatly appreciate a few minutes of your time to share your opinions of the cooperative.

If you receive a call or email asking you to take a survey about your satisfaction with PPEC, it is legitimate.

By participating in the survey, you will help us make decisions that benefit you, your family, and your neighbors.

All information is confidential.

Energy Efficiency Tip of the Month Placing hot food in the refrigerator makes the appliance work harder than necessary, using more energy. Allow food to cool down before you place it in the fridge.

DO YOU HAVE AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE?

We are hosting an electric car show this summer at Member Appreciation Day. If you are interested in bringing your electric vehicle or know someone else who has one, please contact skuhn@ppec.coop. Participants will receive $25 and free lunch. Space is limited, so don’t delay. Please help us educate our members about EVs!

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 23

PAULDING PUTNAM ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE LOCAL PAGES

The unbeatable value of

ELECTRICITY

We take electricity for granted. Consider what you can do with just $1 of power from Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative: • Watch TV for 38 hours • Play video games for 83 hours • Wash clothes for 20 hours (cold water) • Dry clothes for 2 hours • Run a dishwasher for 6 hours (hot water) • Run a coffee maker for 10 hours The typical family spends only 3% of its income on electricity, according to Woods & Poole Economics. Can you think of a better value?

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dr. John Saxton Chairman

Steve McMichael CONTACT

Vice Chairman

1-800-686-2357 www.ppec.coop

Jay Dangler

OFFICE

401 McDonald Pike Paulding, Ohio 45879 OFFICE HOURS

7:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Attorney

George Carter President/CEO

HAVE A STORY SUGGESTION? Secretary/Treasurer

Timothy Derck Joseph Kohnen Douglas Fortman Ken Niese Dr. Ronald Black William Dowler Trustees

24 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

Norm Cook

Email your ideas to: skuhn@ppec.coop FIND US ON:

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Pinterest

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MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 25

SHERIFF MAUDE MAKES HISTORY Vinton County’s Maude Collins was the first woman in Ohio to be elected sheriff.

BY BRIAN ALBRIGHT

I

n November 1927, Edgar Foy and Rose Waldron were delivered to the Ohio State Penitentiary for their part in a violent robbery.

They were also inadvertent witnesses to a nearly forgotten moment in Ohio history: They were the first prisoners ever escorted to the penitentiary by a woman — Maude Collins, the first woman in state history to be elected sheriff.

Originally appointed to the job after her husband, Vinton County Sheriff Fletcher Collins, was murdered, Sheriff Maude (as she was called) was elected by an impressive majority the following year. During her groundbreaking tenure, Maude Collins not only transported a fair number of prisoners, she also took down moonshine stills, investigated five murders, and even took the former marshal of Hamden into custody after he was convicted of killing a suspect.

Widow with a badge Born in 1893, Maude Collins was the granddaughter of Randall McCoy, patriarch of the McCoy clan during its infamous feud with the Hatfields. Maude’s husband, Fletcher, was a former Navy fireman and a popular sheriff.

Fletcher, however, was shot in October 1925 while attempting to serve an arrest warrant, leaving Maude to raise their five children alone.

When the local coroner (next in line for the position of sheriff) turned down the job,

26 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

Maude Collins (above and at right on the top photo, opposite page) was the first woman to be elected as a county sheriff in Ohio. She first got the job when she inherited it from her husband after he was killed while in office, but was reelected in a landslide and later elected as the county’s clerk of courts.

Ohio’s trailblazing sheriffs Maude Collins’ election was a first in Ohio, but she was almost forgotten outside of Vinton County until 1976, when Kathy Crumbley was elected sheriff of Belmont County, and folks there claimed she was Ohio’s first female elected sheriff.

Officials in Vinton County wanted to set the record straight. “After they made a big deal about the Belmont County election, we wanted to make sure people knew about Maude Collins,” says Deanna Tribe of the Vinton County Historical and Genealogical Society. “We didn’t want to create a big fuss, but we wanted the stories to be accurate.”

county officials offered the post to Maude. It was not uncommon at the time for widows to inherit political positions — typically to hold the post for the local political party until the next election.

With her husband gone, Maude’s decision to carry on as sheriff likely was a financial one. In Vinton County, the sheriff’s house was adjacent to the jail, and as the sheriff’s wife, Maude would have served as the jail matron, feeding prisoners, cleaning the jail, handling paperwork, and taking care of female prisoners.

“When Fletcher was murdered, the county commissioners appointed Maude as sheriff. Had she turned them down, she and her five children would have lost the roof over their heads, and she would have had no other way to support them,” says author Jane Ann Turzillo, who wrote about Collins in her book, Wicked Women of Ohio.

Crumbley, like Collins, has a fascinating story. She was the only female sheriff in the nation when she took office, and gained fame not only for her barrier-breaking election but also for her outspoken personality and her imposing physical presence (she was over 6 feet tall). She demonstrated judo holds on Johnny Carson during an appearance on The Tonight Show, and at one point was even in discussions with Paramount Studios to develop a TV series based on her life story. After serving one term, she later worked as a fraud investigator for the Belmont County Department of Jobs and Family Services. She died in 2011.

It would be another 40 years before another woman was elected as sheriff in Ohio. Deb Burchett was elected in Clark County in 2016, and is still the only woman serving as a sheriff in the Buckeye State.

Sheriff Maude served out the last year of her husband’s term and then made the unprecedented decision to run for re-election. Women had only recently gained the right to vote, and while women had made some inroads in law enforcement elsewhere, the few who had been appointed sheriff via widow’s succession had always left the post when their terms were up.

In the 1926 election, Collins handily beat her opponent in the Democratic primary (winning 964 votes to 232), and received nearly 60% of the vote in the general election.

Continued on page 28

Kathy Crumbley of Belmont County gained fame in the 1970s, when she was the nation’s only woman serving as a sheriff.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 27

Illegal moonshine operations such as this one were among the primary crimes investigated by Maude Collins in her time as Vinton County sheriff. Collins has her own section in Jane Ann Turzillo’s Wicked Women of Ohio.

Continued from page 27

Moonshine and murder Vinton County is a largely rural area with a relatively small population, but Collins’ time as sheriff was far from easy. Prohibition was in full swing, and while moonshine stills had always been common in southeast Ohio, illegal liquor operations in the region had grown in scale and scope and brought an increase in violence.

Collins investigated at least five homicides while sheriff.

The most notorious of those came in 1927 when Sarah Stout, the wife of local farmer William Stout, was murdered. Collins arrested Stout’s son, Arthur, for the murder of his stepmother that winter. A few months later, after William Stout himself went missing, Collins determined that Arthur Stout’s teenage girlfriend, Inez Palmer, had murdered the elder stout. Collins’ investigation showed that Palmer bludgeoned Stout to death, donned his boots to create footprints in order to fake his disappearance, forged a will, and then dropped his body down a well.

The lurid case received attention around the state and nationwide, and it was through reports on the Palmer case that Turzillo first discovered Maude Collins. “The first thing I saw when I started to research the murders was Maude’s picture — the one of her in the Annie Oakley hat,” Turzillo says. “There was something about her expression that drew me to her. There was a confidence there, even a bit of haughtiness, and, of course, the fact that she was the first female sheriff in Ohio.”

28 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

After Collins’ time as sheriff, she was elected twice to the position of clerk of courts in Vinton County, and then served as a matron at the Columbus State School. She later moved to California, but eventually returned to Ohio, where she died in 1972. She is buried in Hamden Cemetery, next to her husband.

Collins’ story was presented as a play by the Ohio History Center in 2014 and was given even more exposure via Turzillo’s book. Sheriff Maude was also elected to the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000.

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MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 31

I

n the pale light of a wintry afternoon, Joyce Nelson leads the way past the milking parlor and into the barn at Dugan Road Creamery. The contented sound of lowing mingles with the faint aroma of hay as two Holstein calves step out of their stalls to greet Joyce and eagerly press their soft, pink muzzles into her outstretched hands. “This is Wilma, and this is Penny,” she says proudly. “Wilma is two weeks old, but Penny was born last week.”

Joyce and her husband, Chris, are Pioneer Electric Cooperative members who live on a 22-acre farm near Urbana. They’ve raised Holsteins for decades. Chris grew up on an Arizona dairy farm that boasted one of the largest herds in the nation in the 1950s.

“I’ve been milking cows since I was 8 years old,” he says. “I hardly know anything else and always do it the best I can.” Joyce, who is from Ontario, met Chris when he was working on a farm his father had in Canada. The self-described “city girl” fell for Chris — and for dairy farming. “I started out feeding one calf, and before I knew it, I was milking cows every day,” says Joyce. “When our second child was just 6 hours old, she was out in the barn with me while I milked.”

32 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

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‘Locavore’ movement inspires dairy farm’s rebirth as a microdairy.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAMAINE VONADA

After moving to Champaign County in 1988, the Nelsons worked their family dairy farm with the help of their four children and sold their milk to a national milk-marketing cooperative. In recent years, however, plummeting milk prices soured their profits. The couple made the difficult decision to sell most of their 45 cows and take advantage of the “locavore” trend by changing their business model from a conventional dairy farm to a microdairy processor and retailer.

“Microdairies are already big on the East Coast, especially in places like New Hampshire and Vermont,” Chris says. “The appeal is that people want to buy milk directly from a farmer and see for themselves how the animals are treated. Microdairies are much more artisanal than the big commercial operations.”

After purchasing a vat pasteurizer and bottler, the Nelsons converted part of their farm’s milk house into a processing plant and opened Dugan Road Creamery in 2017. They now produce fresh whole milk; soft cheeses, such as mozzarella and halloumi; cream cheese in several flavors; Greek-style yogurt; and kefir, a fermented beverage

Dugan Road Creamery currently keeps five Holstein cows that each produce about 8 gallons of milk per day.

with a tart taste. “Kefir is a probiotic drink,” Joyce says. “It’s like Activia times a thousand.”

Dugan Road Creamery specializes in creamline milk, which is pasteurized but not homogenized. “With our milk, the cream rises to the top, so you have to give the bottle a good shake before pouring it,” Joyce says.

There are people who believe that homogenization compromises milk’s health benefits by using high pressure to break up its fat molecules. “The fat in milk is what helps your stomach digest it,” Joyce says. “People come here because they can’t drink store-bought milk.

One guy who was told he was lactose intolerant is so excited because he can drink our creamline milk.”

The Nelsons currently have five cows that each produce 70 pounds (about 8 gallons) of milk per day. They’ve expanded their product line to include chocolate, strawberry, orange creamsicle, and cookies-and-cream flavored milk, and in addition to their farm store, which is open most evenings and by appointment, several independent grocers and specialty shops now carry Dugan Road Creamery’s milk and cheese. Like the milkmen of bygone days, Chris even delivers to dozens of businesses and homes. His route extends from Sidney to Lebanon, and individual customers simply put their money in an insulated cooler by their front door.

Chris and Joyce Nelson have raised milk cows for decades and recently converted their Dugan Road dairy farm to a microdairy and creamery that produces milk products they sell in their farm store and at a few independent grocers.

“Operating a microdairy is almost more work than when we were milking 45 cows because we’re processing milk and cheese daily,” Chris says. “That daily processing is what allows us to sell a very fresh product to our customers.”

Dugan Road Creamery, 1751 S. Dugan Road, Urbana, OH 43078.

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MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 33

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MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 35

source To the

Ohio’s rivers inspire reflection, inspiration for a modern Ohio explorer.

BY KEVIN WILLIAMS

O

ur state’s very name, translated from the language of its original inhabitants, means “Good River.”

While Ohio is named specifically for the mighty waterway that forms its eastern and southern borders, that name serves as an apt description of the entire place.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Ohio is home to more than 3,000 named rivers and streams, and while our namesake obviously is the most acclaimed, each has its own story to tell.

Rivers, to me, are analogies of our humanity: They begin as spindly streams, unglamorous trickles, and, like people, they find their way — carving their character as they go, widening and deepening with distance. If a river can have such an ignominious beginning yet end with a glorious, glowing connection to something larger, then couldn’t that be a template for a life well-lived?

I grew up on the banks of the Great Miami River, which carves a 160-mile course from Russells Point to Cincinnati.

Towns along the Great Miami are still — more than a century later — haunted by the ghosts of 1913, when its waters rampaged. In my hometown of Middletown, the downtown still displays high-water marks from that disaster.

36 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

The tales from old-timers about the Great Flood spurred my interest in rivers, and since that time, I’ve embraced other Ohio waterways. I’ve been tubing in Twin Creek. I’ve gotten stuck in floodwaters on the Wabash. I’ve strolled along both the Stillwater and the Scioto, biked along the Mad, tossed rocks into the Olentangy. I explored the nightclubs and bars along the Cuyahoga when I was a college student and picnicked along the Hocking as an adult. I’ve endlessly entertained my 6-year-old by contemplating the lack of a “Daddy River” while hanging out on the banks of the Maumee.

I’ve spent untold hours absorbed in Google Earth, following the routes of my favorite Ohio rivers — tracing those broad strokes that fade to chocolatecolored squiggles and then vanish in a thicket or a field. I always imagined springs bubbling up from nowhere, and being able to leap across the Scioto, for example, in a single bound. I recently realized I needed to jump off of the glowing screen and seek those sources in real life.

As I studied the maps, I noticed a pattern to Ohio’s rivers: A bunch of them start in a seeming no-man’sland north of Dayton and south of Toledo. The Great Miami, Stillwater, Mad, Auglaize, St. Mary’s, and Scioto all have their sources there. Even Indiana’s river is Ohio’s — the famed Wabash, whose graceful currents have sparked many a Hoosier ballad, gets its start in the same cradle of rivers, south of Fort Recovery.

It seemed only fitting to start my quest with the Scioto.

The Scioto is Ohio’s river. Its gracefully swirling waters give the city of Columbus a waterfront, then slice southward toward a watery rendezvous with the Ohio. I had traced its route many times on Google Earth, each time pinning its humble headwaters to a farm field in eastern Auglaize County. But when I got there in real life, it wasn’t the near-spiritual experience of a bubbling spring. I was instead greeted by a drainage ditch in a desolate field. A weathered sign marked the Scioto’s start, but the waters soon drained into underground pipes and disappeared again.

Continued on page 39

At left, the Stillwater River widens as it flows through Ansonia.

Above, the Stillwater “begins” from a rusty pipe under an unmarked bridge on Zumbrun Road in rural Darke County.

At right, Jim Davis of Roundhead, Ohio, watches the Scioto just a few miles from its source. Roundhead is the first town the river reaches after its source. Davis recalls playing in the river as a child and drinking from springs that fed it.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 37

Cradle of rivers That the area of western Ohio between Toledo and Dayton is a source for so many rivers owes to its geological history.

Two million years ago, before the start of the last ice age, the giant Teays River flowed from North Carolina toward the north and west all the way to what is now Illinois, including roughly the course that the Scioto and upper part of the Wabash take today.

That one long river and its watershed drained most of the Midwest. But as the ice age dawned, glaciers smothered the Teays — the reflow created, among others, the Ohio River.

“As the ice sheets were retreating, it reconfigured the surface drainage. You will see the divide between the Great Lakes drainage and the Mississippi drainage. You have a massive watershed divide,” says Wright State University Professor Stephen Jacquemin, an expert on wetlands.

The glaciers also left behind rich underground water reservoirs that still bubble up to the surface, as well as a patchwork of ponds and lakes. All of those serve to birth and feed the many trickles that come together and form the cricks, streams, and, eventually, the mightiest of rivers.

The Great Miami River lazily flows near Port Jefferson, which was once a promient stop on the Miami-Erie Canal route.

38 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

Continued from page 37

At least the Scioto’s start, in tribute to being Ohio’s river, is marked with a sign. The Stillwater River begins under a nondescript bridge, water running out of a rusty pipe. Beer bottles were strewn around the bridge when I visited. A bit later, freed from its straitjacket of ditches and field tiles, it snaked as a small stream into a nearby forest. I looked again at the pipe, searching in vain for any trace of a spring.

I turned to Stephen Jacquemin, a biology professor at Wright State University and a nationally known expert on wetlands, for answers.

Jacquemin says that if I had visited the area before it was cleared for agriculture in the 1800s, I would have found what I was hoping for: groundwater seeping to the surface, a marshy swamp, and a river’s humble headwaters.

When settlers came along and decided they needed agricultural land, he says, they buried tiles about 3 feet below the surface. Those tiles drain the naturally occurring springs and wetlands into pipes that then empty into human-made ditches, which only then launch the river into its natural course — leaving behind rich, nutrient-dense farmland.

“We have been digging those ditches since we started farming,” Jacquemin says. “Agriprofessionals will channelize the ditch to move water more quickly out of the field.”

Not all of the wetlands were drained. Grand Lake and Indian Lake were created out of existing wetlands and made into large lakes to feed the water-hungry Miami and Erie Canal in the 1830s and ’40s. Because of that, the Great Miami gets a bit more of a glamorous start than a field pipe — spilling over a dam on the south side of Indian Lake. Its source would otherwise have been in the same general area, which was a muddy, swampy marsh before the canal was constructed.

I went back to find the reemergence of the Scioto, and when I found it, crossing under Ohio Route 385, it looked more like the natural stream I was expecting. I happily leapt across in a single bound and, now satisfied, headed home.

The Scioto begins in this barren drainage ditch on a farm in Auglaize County.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 39

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NORTHEAST

Cleveland’s favorite eateries. 216-862-8803 or www. greaterclevelandaquarium.com.

MAR. 20–21 – Militaria Collectors Show, Lakeland Community College, Athletic and Fitness Ctr. Main Gym, 7700 Clocktower Dr., Kirtland (Rt. 306 and I-90 exit 193), Fri. 4–8 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–2 p.m. $5; students, veterans, and active military with ID, $3. lakelandmilitariashow@ gmail.com or www.facebook.com/lakeland.militaria.show.

MAR. 21 – Campbell-Dickinson 5K Run Bike Walk and Kids’ 1K, 201 S. 4th St., Toronto. Proceeds benefit cancer research. 740-537-9500 or www.thegemcity.org.

MAR. 21–22 – Chagrin Fall’s Spring Avant-Garde Art THROUGH MAY 31 – “Tying the Knot: The History and Craft Show, Federated Church- Family Life Ctr., of Bridal Fashion,” McKinley Presidential Library and 16349 Chillicothe Rd., Chagrin Falls, Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Museum, 800 McKinley Monument Dr. NW, Canton.

Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. $3, under 12 free. Features a variety Exhibit explores wedding fashions from the 1860s to of local artists and crafters selling their original handmade the present day. Learn more about the history behind items. Full concession stand on site. 440-227-8794 or timeless wedding traditions, such as the bouquet www.avantgardeshows.com. toss, wedding cakes, the engagement ring, the role of the best man, and more! 330-455-7043 or www.

MAR. 22 – Flea Market of Collectables, Medina County mckinleymuseum.org/events.

Fgds. Community Ctr., 735 Lafayette Rd. (St. Rte. 42), Medina, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $2. Early bird special admission, MAR. 14 – Medina Gun Show, Medina County Fgds.

Community Ctr., 735 Lafayette Rd. (St. Rte. 42), Medina, 9 6–9 a.m., $3. A treasure trove of vintage items and collectables. 330-948-4300 or www.conraddowdell.com/ a.m.–3 p.m. $7. 450 tables of displays. 330-948-4400 or event/listing. www.conraddowdell.com/event/listing.

APR. 4 – “Did Your Ancestors Wear Tartan?,” MAR. 20 – Adult Swim: Ohio Wine and Beer Tasting, Cleveland History Ctr., 10825 East Blvd., Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Aquarium, 2000 Sycamore St., noon. $15. Trace your ancestors from America to Cleveland, 7–10 p.m. $40 admission ($30 for GCA Scotland. www.wrhs.org/events. members) includes food samplings, 20 tasting tickets, and souvenir tasting glass. $20 non-drinking “designated APR. 4 – History on Tap: “A CLE Speakeasy,” Cleveland driver” option also available. Local wineries and breweries History Ctr., 10825 East Blvd., Cleveland, 5–9 p.m. are spotlighted, with food from some of Celebrate the Jazz Age as you enjoy a craft cocktail in our historic mansion. We’ll be exploring how Prohibition

closed many Cleveland breweries while also sparking a speakeasy boom and the rise of the Mob era. Dress to impress, wear your dancing shoes, and enjoy an evening out in the Roaring ’20s. www.wrhs.org/events.

APR. 4–5 – Strongsville Spring Avant-Garde Art and Craft Show, Strongsville Ehrnfelt Recreation Ctr., 18100 Royalton Rd., Strongsville, Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. $3, under 12 free. Features artists and crafters selling their original handmade items.

Full concession stand on site. 440-227-8794 or www. avantgardeshows.com.

APR. 5 – Teddy Bear Concert: “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” Renaissance Theatre, 138 Park Ave. W., Mansfield, 2:30 p.m. $5. An engaging musical adaptation of the classic tale, featuring audience participation, interactive storytelling with local actors, and live music from the Mansfield Symphony Orchestra. 419-522-2726 or www.mansfieldtickets.com.

APR. 5 – Train and Toy Show, Medina County Fgds.

Community Ctr., 735 Lafayette Rd. (St. Rte. 42), Medina, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $6. 330-948-4400 or www.conraddowdell. com/event/listing.

APR. 13 – Cleveland Dyngus Day Festival, Detroit Ave. and West 58th St. (Detroit Shoreway area), Cleveland, 10 a.m.–9:30 p.m. Celebrate Cleveland’s Polka heritage and other Eastern European cultures still thriving in northeast Ohio. Polka bands, authentic Polish food and beer, a designated family area, parade, entertainment, Miss Dyngus Day pageant, Lolly the Trolly free rides, and an avant-garde artisan and crafter market. https:// clevelanddyngus.com.

SOUTHEAST

MAR. 28 – Southeast Ohio Poultry Breeders Assoc.

Show, Washington Co. Fgds., 922 Front St., Marietta.

740-444-9505, seohiopoultrybreedersassoc@gmail.com, or www.poultryshowcentral.com/Ohio.html.

APR. 3 – “The Talking Machine Works,” Campus Martius Museum, 601 Second St., Marietta, noon–1 p.m. Free. Greg Brown discusses the history of recordings and the importance of preserving antique phonographs, gramophones, and records. https:// mariettamuseums.org/events.

APR. 4 – Easter Egg Hunt, Buckeye Furnace Historic Site, 123 Buckeye Park Rd., Wellston. Begins at eggsactly 12 noon, so we recommend you come early! Three age groups: 1–4, 5–9, and 10 and up. The Easter Bunny will be there for photo opportunities. janmckibben@gmail.com.

APR. 4 – Guided Hike at Gladys Riley Preserve, Tick Ridge-Koenig Hill Rd., Otway. Arrive at 9:45 a.m.; hike is from 10 a.m. sharp to mid-afternoon. See the Golden Star Lily in peak bloom. The preserve is the first refuge specifically created for the protection of this extremely rare and endangered early spring wildflower.

Registration required. http://arcofappalachia.org/gladysriley-guided-hike.

APR. 4 – Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers, Stuart’s Opera House, 52 Public Square, Nelsonville, 7:30 p.m. $23–$33. 740-753-1924 or www.stuartsoperahouse.org.

singer and songwriter from Dublin, Ireland. 740-371-5152 or www.peoplesbanktheatre.com.

MAR. 20 – Living Word Auction and Banquet, Pritchard Laughlin Civic Ctr., 7033 Glenn Hwy., Cambridge. Doors open at 5 p.m., program and dinner at 6 p.m. $30. 740439-2761 or www.livingworddrama.org.

MAR. 20–21 – River City Blues Festival, Lafayette Hotel, 101 Front St., Marietta. The festival brings together some of the most talented blues and jazz performers from around the country to perform in front of a longtime and loyal fan base. 740-376-0222 or http://bjfm.org/blues-festival.

MAR. 21 – Lorrie Morgan, Peoples Bank Theatre, 222 MAR. 7–8, 21–22, APR. 4–5 – American History Putnam St., Marietta, 8 p.m. Starting at $37. 740-371-5152 Lecture Series, Campus Martius Museum, 601 Second or www.peoplesbanktheatre.com.

St., Marietta, Sat. 11 a.m.–12 p.m., Sun. 2–3 p.m. $5. Learn MAR. 21 – Storybook Breakfast, First Presbyterian about the ideas that drove the Founders to establish Church, 725 Steubenville Ave., Cambridge, seatings our republic and set out on the greatest experiment in at 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. $5. Bring your children to self-government in history. Lectures by Veritas Academy meet their favorite characters! Every child gets a free co-founder and history instructor Kevin Ritter. https:// autograph book, opportunities for character photos, and mariettamuseums.org/events. a full breakfast. Contact Stephanie at 740-439-2667 or MAR. 14 – National Cambridge Collectors Alluwguernsey@guernseyunitedway.com.

Cambridge Benefit Auction, St. Benedict’s Gym, 701 MAR. 22 – Paul Francis Quartet, Majestic Theatre, 45 Steubenville Ave., Cambridge, preview at 8:30 a.m., E. Second St., Chillicothe, 5 p.m. $5–$12. Enjoy the music auction at 9:30 a.m. $2. Over 400 items for auction. 740- of the Grammy Award-winning drummer, educator, and 432-4245 or www.cambridgeglass.org.

Chillicothe native, who has worked extensively with some MAR. 15 – King Kong, Athena Grand, 1008 E. State St., of the world’s greatest musicians. 740-772-2041 or www.

Athens, 7 p.m. $12.50. The 1933 classic, with exclusive majesticchillicothe.net. insights from Turner Classic Movies. 740-593-8800 or MAR. 22 – Southeastern Ohio Symphony Orchestra: www.athenagrand.com.

Children’s Concert, Pritchard Laughlin Civic Ctr., 7033 MAR. 19 – Aoife Scott, Peoples Bank Theatre, 222 Glenn Hwy., Cambridge, 3:30 p.m. 740-826-8197 or Putnam St., Marietta, 8 p.m. $19–$44. Award-winning folk www.seoso.org.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 41

2020 CALENDAR

MARCH/APRIL

Continued from page 41

CENTRAL

MAR. 20–22 – Outdoor Life/Field & Stream Expo, Ohio Expo Ctr., Bricker Bldg., 717 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, Fri. 2–9 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–4 p.m. $5–$15, under 6 free. Weekend passes available. Formerly Ohio Deer and Turkey Expo. Hundreds of exhibitors, demos and displays, trophy contests, seminars, shooting ranges, and the latest products. www.fieldandstreamexpo.com.

MAR. 21 – Sewing Smorgasbord, Sheridan Middle School, 8660 Sheridan Rd., Thornville, 9:15 a.m.–3:05 p.m., doors open at 8:30 a.m. $10. The clothing and textile update of the year for 4-H youth and sewing/quilting enthusiasts of all ages. Over 30 classes and 15 exhibitors.

Attend classes of your choice; no pre-registration. Fat THROUGH MAR. 29 – “Chihuly: Celebrating quarter raffle; sewing machine raffle. 740-405-7891, Nature,”Franklin Park Conservatory, 1777 E. Broad St., crshuster1@gmail.com, or https://perry.osu.edu.

Columbus, daily 10 a.m.–5 p.m. $12–$19, under 3 free.

Exhibit featuring the Conservatory’s full collection of the MAR. 22 – Columbus Toy and Collectible Show, Ohio bold and colorful glasswork of Dale Chihuly. 614-715Expo Ctr., Lausche Bldg., 717 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, 9 8000 or www.fpconservatory.org. a.m.–4 p.m. $10 (cash only), under 11 free. Early buyer, 8–9 a.m., $14 (cash only). Parking $5. Buy, sell, and trade MAR. 8 – Lancaster Community Band Concert: new and used toys, video games, and collectibles at “Rejoice,” Faith Memorial Church, 2610 W. Fair Ave., Ohio’s largest gathering of vintage collectors and dealers.

Lancaster, 2 p.m. Free. 740-756-4430.

Video game tournaments, free arcade games, door MAR. 14 – St. Patrick’s Day Celebration and Parade, prizes. www.ctspromotions.com. downtown Dublin, 7 a.m.–1 p.m. Free. Events take place throughout the city, starting around 7 a.m. with a pancake MAR. 28–29 – Scott Antique Market, Ohio Expo Ctr., breakfast, “Inflation Celebration” at 9 a.m., and parade at Bricker and Celeste Bldgs., 717 E. 17th Ave., Columbus, Sat. 9 a.m.–6 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free admission; 11 a.m. 800-245-8387 or www.irishisanattitude.com. $5 parking. 800 exhibit booths. info@scottantiquemarket.

MAR. 19 – Yoga for Gardeners, Pickerington Public Library, Main Branch, 201 Opportunity Way, Pickerington, com or www.scottantiquemarkets.com.

APR. 2–5 – Equine Affaire, Ohio Expo Ctr., 717 E. 1 p.m. Hosted by the Pickerington Garden Club. Public is 17th Ave., Columbus, Thur.–Sat. 9 a.m.–7 p.m., Sun. 9 welcome. 614-582-4977.

a.m.–5 p.m. $8–$15, under 6 free. The nation’s premier equine exposition, featuring an impressive educational program, the largest horse-related trade show in North America, top equine entertainment and competition, and opportunities to experience, buy, and sell horses of all types. 740-845-0085 or www.equineaffaire.com.

APR. 3–4 – Nunsense 2: The Second Coming, Marion Palace Theatre, 276 W. Center St., Marion. $20 for show only; $42 includes pre-show dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the May Pavilion. The Little Sisters of Hoboken, those humble nuns with a touch of showbiz flair, return in style. 740383-2101 or www.marionpalace.org.

APR. 4 – Egg Scramble: An Adult Easter Egg Hunt, Clary Gardens, 588 W. Chestnut St., Coshocton, 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. For ages 21 and over. Enjoy a social hour with drinks and food prior to your hunt, then rush to find as many eggs as you can! 740-622-6524 or www. visitcoshocton.com.

APR. 14 – Inventors Network Meeting, Rev1 Ventures for Columbus, 1275 Kinnear Rd., Columbus, 7 p.m. Educational presentations and discussion about the invention process.

Meetings held the 2nd Tuesday of each month. 614-4700144 or www.inventorscolumbus.com.

MAY 1–3 – Columbus Audubon’s EcoWeekend, Hocking Hills. The best family nature weekend retreat in Ohio.

Pre-registration required. Register by Apr. 7. Contact Maura Rawn at 740-653-8574, email at ecoweekend@ columbusaudubon.org, or visit www.ecoweekend.org.

SOUTHWEST

MAR. 28–29 – Ruffles and Rust Expo, Butler Co. Fgds., 1715 Fairgrove Ave., Hamilton, Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. $5 admission good both days, under 13 free. Vintage items, home decor, handmade items, gourmet food, and boutique clothing and jewelry. www. rufflesandrustexpo.com/ohio.

MAR. 31 – Drawing Room Chamber Concert, TroyHayner Cultural Ctr., 301 W. Main St., Troy, 7:30 p.m.

Hosted by Steven Aldredge. Kun Dong and Benita TseLeung, the critically acclaimed violin-piano duo, return for an encore performance. www.troyhayner.org/music.html.

APR. 3 – Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass, Butler County Bluegrass Association, Community Ctr., 5113 Huston Rd., Collinsville, 7–9 p.m. Enjoy lively bluegrass music with lightning-fast instrumentals, close harmonies, and entertaining novelty songs. Food available on site.

513-410-3625 or www.fotmc.com.

APR. 4–5 – Dollhouse and Miniatures Show and Sale, EnterTRAINment Junction Expo Room, 7379 Squire Ct., West Chester, Sat. 11 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. noon–4 p.m. $5, C. (4–12) $3, under 4 free. https://entertrainmentjunction. com/calendar.

APR. 5 – Salute to the Railroaders, Bradford Railroad Museum, 200 N. Miami Ave., Bradford, 2–6 p.m. Learn about railroad history. Meet with past and current railroaders to find out what it’s like living the railroad life. www.bradfordrrmuseum.org.

2747, cabinfeverartsfestival@gmail.com, www.apartguild. com, or on Facebook.

MAR. 21 – G-Scale Swap Meet, EnterTRAINment Junction, 7379 Squire Ct., West Chester, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Free. Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Garden Railway Society. https://entertrainmentjunction.com/calendar.

MAR. 21 – Jazz in March: Robin Eubanks and the Keigo Hirakawa Trio, Troy-Hayner Cultural Ctr., 301 W. Main St., Troy, 7 p.m. www.troyhayner.org/music.html.

MAR. 21 – LEGO Brick Blowout, WACO Air Museum, 1865 S. Co. Rd. 25A, Troy, noon–5 p.m. Creative event for all ages! Includes a LEGO Build Zone, LEGO Scavenger Hunt, MAR. 11–APR. 15 – Bluegrass Wednesdays, Vinoklet Winery, 11069 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati, every Wednesday, building competition, and much more. wacoairmuseum@ gmail.com or www.wacoairmuseum.org.

6:30–8:30 p.m. Enjoy dinner, wine, and an evening of lively bluegrass music by Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian MAR. 27 – Community Concert: Jerry and Vaughn Grass. 513-385-9309, vinokletwinery@fuse.net, or LIVE!, Troy-Hayner Cultural Ctr., 301 W. Main St., Troy, 7:30 www.vinokletwines.com/post/2018/09/30/bluegrassp.m. The duo performs folk songs, oldies, and new songs. wednesdays-spaghetti-meat-balls.

They write their own tunes about life, love, and laughter. www.troyhayner.org/music.html.

MAR. 17 – St. Patrick’s Day 5K Beer Run, Can’t Stop Running Co., 321 N. Main St., Piqua. Drink a beer — or MAR. 27–29 – Southern Ohio Indoor Music Festival, a root beer — at every mile. www.cantstoprunningco.com. Roberts Convention Ctr., 123 Gano Rd., Wilmington, doors open at 10 a.m. $35–$65. Award-winning bluegrass, MAR. 20–22 – Quilt, Vintage, and Fabric Arts Show, Warren Co. Fgds., 665 N. Broadway, Lebanon, old-time, and gospel music. 937-372-5804 or http:// somusicfest.com/index.html.

10 a.m.–5 p.m. $5 online, $7 at door. Free parking.

Browse quilts, quilting and craft supplies, patterns, MAR. 28 – Routes for Roots, Fort Piqua Conference fabrics, vintage textiles, and more. 513-932-1817 or Ctr., 116 W. High St., Piqua. Registration starts at 8 a.m., www.wchsmuseum.org. welcome opening at 8:45 a.m., and classes at 9:15 a.m. Preregistration $25, walk-ins $30. Historical and MAR. 21 – Cabin Fever Arts Festival, Southern State Community College, Patriot Ctr., 100 Hobart Dr., Hillsboro, genealogical workshop presented by the Miami County Historical and Genealogical Society and sponsored by the 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Free. Presented by the Appalachian Piqua Public Library. Four teachers present eight classes.

Artisans Guild. More than 60 artists selling handcrafted Door prizes. www.mchgs.org. items. Live music. Food available on campus. 937-393-

42 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

NORTHWEST

MAR. 14–15 – Maple Syrup Festival, Indian Lake State Park, 12774 St. Rte. 235 N., Lakeview, 8 a.m.–1 p.m. Enjoy a pancake and sausage breakfast. Learn how maple syrup is extracted from the tree, then it’s on to the Sugar Shack for a demonstration of the process by which sap is transformed into true maple syrup. Pure maple syrup available for purchase. 937-843-2717 or http://parks. ohiodnr.gov/indianlake.

MAR. 14–15 – ARRL Great Lakes Convention and Toledo Hamfest, 30335 Oregon Rd., Perrysburg, Sat. 8:30 a.m.–9:30 p.m., Sun. 8 a.m.–2 p.m. Convention forums, banquet, and Wouff Hong on Saturday; Hamfest on Sunday. Register at www.toledoglc.org.

MAR. 21 – Camp Creek Poultry Show, Allen Co. Fgds., 2750 Harding Hwy., Lima. 419-3718881, campcreekshow@gmail.com, or www. poultryshowcentral.com/Ohio.html.

MAR. 22 – Flag City Model Train Show, Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc., 12505 Co. Rd. 99, Findlay, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $4; under 13 free if accompanied by adult.

Model trains, toy trains, and railroad memorabilia on display and for purchase. Quarter-scale train rides will be available for additional cost: $3 adult, $2 child. 419-4232995, www.nworrp.org or www.facebook.com/nworrp.

MAR. 26 – Waitress, Veterans Memorial and Civic Ctr., 7 Town Square, Lima, 8 p.m. $44 and up. A Broadway musical baked from the heart. www.limaciviccenter.com.

MAR. 28 – Annual Market Day and Fiber Fair, hosted

by Black Swamp Spinners Guild of Northwest Ohio, Wood Co. Fgds., 13800 W. Poe Rd., Bowling Green, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. $1. For hand spinners, weavers, knitters, crocheters, felters, and anyone with fiber interests. www.facebook.com/blackswampspinnersguild or www. blackswampspinnersguild.org.

the wondrous underwater world of Bubblelandia. www.limaciviccenter.com.

APR. 3–5 – Southern Gospel Expo, Trinity Friends Church, 605 N. Franklin St., Van Wert, Fri. 5 p.m., Sat. 4 p.m., Sun. 6:30 (doors open at 4:30 p.m.). Free. Over 25 gospel groups from around the country. Food court available each night. 419-238-2788 or www.trinityvw.com.

APR. 4 – Blacksmith Open Forge Demo, Wood County Historical Ctr. and Museum, 13660 County Home Rd., Bowling Green, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Free. 419-352-0967 or http://woodcountyhistory.org.

APR. 4–5 – Tri-State Gun Show, Allen Co. Fgds., 2750 Harding Hwy., Lima (2 miles east of Lima on St. Rte. 309), Sat. 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun. 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. $6, free for members, under 18 free if accompanied by adult. Over 400 tables of modern and antique guns, edged weapons, and sporting equipment. 419-647-0067 or www.

MAR. 28 – Dagan Hawkins Purse Bingo Fundraiser, tristategunshow.org.

Cairo Gymnasium, 519 Wall St., Cairo, 6 p.m. $35.

APR. 9 – “Wood County Bicentennial: Whose History Dagan is 12 years old and was diagnosed with leukemia Is It?” Wood County Historical Ctr. and Museum, 13660 in 2019. Proceeds assist him and his family with County Home Rd., Bowling Green, 2–4 p.m. $23 travel, food, lodging, and other expenses as he goes (museum admission included). Reservations required. through treatment. https://z-m-www.facebook.com/ Hear about some of the lesser-known people and events events/703043446874235. in northwest Ohio’s history as we explore how history MAR. 28 – Maple Syrup Festival, Williams Co. Fgds., 619 “is not what it was.” Includes catered luncheon and tea.

E. Main St., Montpelier, 8 a.m.–noon. Contact the Williams 419-352-0967 or http://woodcountyhistory.org.

SWCD at 419-636-9395 ext. 3 or email amichaels@ APR. 11 – Easter Egg Hunt on the Square, 100 E williamsswcd.org.

Court St., Sidney, 11 a.m. Free. For ages 1 through 11.

APR. 3 – B: The Underwater Bubble Show, Held on the Court House lawn. 937-658-6945 or www.

Veterans Memorial and Civic Ctr., 7 Town Square, sidneyalive.org.

Lima, 7:30 p.m. $25–$65. A modern fairy tale set in

off quilting projects. Spend your days quilting and your nights relaxing by the fire in the lodge lobby. 304-6432931 or www.northbendsp.com.

APR. 4 – Civil War Symposium, I.O.O.F. Hall, Beverly.

The topic is “Rascals, Rangers, and Swamp Dragons: Civil War Irregulars.” Sponsored by the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation. Symposium followed by soirée dinner at 6 p.m. at the Beverly Heritage Center. 304637-7424, info@beverlyheritagecenter.org, or www. beverlyheritagecenter.org.

APR. 12 – Easter Sunday at North Bend, 202 North Bend Park Rd., Cairo, Visit the Easter Bunny and join in MAR. 22–27 – Quilters’ Retreat, North Bend State for the egg hunt. Fun and games for all ages. 304-643Park, 202 North Bend Park Rd., Cairo. Enjoy the peaceful 2931 or www.northbendsp.com. atmosphere of the park while working on some long-put-

WEST VIRGINIA

PLEASE NOTE: Ohio Cooperative Living strives for accuracy but urges readers to confirm dates and times before traveling long distances to events.

Make sure you’re included in our calendar!

Submit listings AT LEAST 90 DAYS prior to the event to Ohio Cooperative Living, 6677 Busch Blvd., Columbus, OH 43229 or send an email 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.

MARCH 2020 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING 43

MEMBER INTERACTIVE

tip of the 1

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1. My first grandson, Alexander “Lex” Hendrix, on his first St. Patrick’s Day in 2011.

Joyce Willison South Central Power Company member 2. Our daughter, Rylee, putting a hat on her great-grandpa, who is a 98-year-old World War II veteran!

Dana Melvin Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative member 3. My daughter, Molly Prochaska, overcame a devastating illness to dominate in many 5K races.

Dena Prochaska South Central Power Company member

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4. Our little man, Miles, being festive in his little hat.

Linda Iles South Central Power Company member

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5. Our sweet granddaughter wearing grandma’s hat!

Pat and Larry Quaglia South Central Power Company members 6. My 4-year-old Chihuahua, Cindy Ellen, thinks her hat makes her look all grown up!

Bobby L. Barnett Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative member

5

7. I create fascinator-style hats. This is one of my favorites that I wore for a Mad Hatter’s Ball.

Jill Ann Ladrick South Central Power Company member

6

7 Send us your picture!

For June, send “I want to ride my bicycle” by March 15; for July, send “Corn-y” by April 15. Upload your photos at www.ohioec. org/memberinteractive — and remember to include your co-op name and to identify everyone in the photos.

44 OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING • MARCH 2020

power future

Electric cooperatives the

We’ve come a long way from starting cars by hand. Now, we can plug in to motor out.

What will they think of next?

Whatever new technology is on the horizon, electric cooperatives will be there to power the future.

ohioec.org/energy

Detach and bring this card to the annual meeting on March 21.

OFFICIAL REGISTRATION CARD Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative, Inc. annual members’ meeting

Member name (print clearly)­__________________________________ Account #__________________________________________________

Reliability Reliability

Teamwork Innovation

Communication Communication

Register

You must present this card March 21 to register for the meeting and be eligible for door prizes.

Goals

Operation Round Up

Success

SmartHub

Member services Member services

Planning

Member Member Services Services

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OFFICIAL NOTICE

District 1......................... .Joseph Kohnen District 2....................... William Dowler District 3.................................Tim Derck District 4................................Jay Dangler District 5..................... Steve McMichael District 6....................... Dr. John Saxton District 7.................................. Ken Niese District 8.....................Douglas Fortman District 9......................Dr. Ronald Black

Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative, Inc. March 21 at 10 a.m.

Notice is hereby given that the annual meeting of the members of Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative, Inc., will be held at 401 McDonald Pike, Paulding, Ohio, on March 21, 2020, at 10 a.m.

The following matters will be discussed and acted upon:

1. Reports of the trustees and officers.

2. Report of trustee election results.

Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative, Inc.

ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATION CARD Please bring this card with you to the annual meeting March 21 at 10 a.m. Registration starts at 9 a.m.

AGENDA

Each membership in attendance will receive a $5 bill credit.

1. Registration..............................................................................................................................Starts at 9 a.m.

2. Call to order, minutes, meeting notice, and proof of publication................................. Dr. John Saxton 3. Treasurer’s report..........................................................................................................................Jay Dangler 4. Chairman and President’s report......................................................Dr. John Saxton and George Carter 5. Scholarship and Youth Tour announcement............................................................................ Renee Boss 6. Trustee election results and oath of office............................................... George Carter/Norman Cook 7. Adjournment.......................................................................................................................Dr. John Saxton 8. Door prizes; lunch to follow.................................................................................................. Erika Willitzer

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Paulding-Putnam Electric Cooperative

German St.

Sugar St.

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