Stories | Recipes | Events | People | Places | Things | Local News August 2020
Pea River ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
2020 photo contest winners Mouth-watering pound cake
www.peariver.com
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Manager Randy Brannon Co-op Editor Laura Thornton ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to some 420,000 Alabama families and businesses, which are members of 22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed and taxpaying electric cooperatives. Subscriptions are $12 a year for individuals not subscribing through participating Alabama electric cooperatives. Alabama Living (USPS 029-920) is published monthly by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives. Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER send forms 3579 to: Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, Alabama 36124-4014. ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION
AREA President Fred Braswell Editor Lenore Vickrey Managing Editor Allison Law Creative Director Mark Stephenson Art Director Danny Weston Advertising Director Jacob Johnson Graphic Designer/Ad Coordinator Brooke Echols ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL OFFICES:
340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, Alabama 36117-6031 1-800-410-2737 For advertising, email: advertising@areapower.com For editorial inquiries, email: contact@alabamaliving.coop NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE:
American MainStreet Publications 611 South Congress Ave., Suite 504 Austin, Texas 78704 1-800-626-1181 www.AMP.coop www.alabamaliving.coop USPS 029-920 • ISSN 1047-0311
u
Made in the shade
. This time of year, there’s nothing like spending time in a shade garden, and with the help of a few well-selected plants, any shady spot can become a garden.
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F E A T U R E S
snapshots 9 Sunflower Summer is the perfect time for
taking photos in our state’s beautiful sunflower fields.
Worth the drive 22 Cahawba House pays tribute to
traditional Southern cuisine, with an emphasis on fresh produce and local traditions.
Pleasing pound cakes 30 Mix butter, sugar, eggs, flour and your
favorite flavoring and you’ve got the makings for a classic southern dessert. And don’t forget some delicious Chilton County peaches on top!
Printed in America from American materials
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D E P A R T M E N T S 11 Spotlight 26 Outdoors 27 Fish & Game Forecast 30 Cook of the Month 38 Hardy Jackson’s Alabama ONLINE: alabamaliving.coop
ON THE COVER Look for this logo to see more content online!
VOL. 73 NO. 8 August 2020
This photo of a pelican with its striking colors was taken by Bill Jones of Baldwin EMC. Jones says he got the shot just before taking a dolphin cruise in Orange Beach in March. He entered the photo in our annual photo contest; see the winners starting on Page 12.
30 WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
ONLINE: EMAIL: MAIL:
www.alabamaliving.coop letters@alabamaliving.coop Alabama Living 340 Technacenter Drive Montgomery, AL 36117
Get our FREE monthly email newsletter! Sign up at alabamaliving.coop August 2020 3
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Creating community along the line By Randy Brannon General Manager
P.O. Box 969 Ozark, AL 36361 phone: 334-774-2545 fax: 334-774-2548
Board of Trustees Braxton Green
President• District 8 334-775-8514
Billy Wayne Danzey
Vice-President •District 4 334-726-9836
Bill Strickland
Secretary • District 3 334-795-6614
Lee Grantham
District 1 334-798-9456
Lee Peters
You’d be forgiven for thinking that Pea River Electric Cooperative is defined by geography. After all, our service territory is easily drawn on a map. But I’ve come to realize that our electric cooperative is much more than a set of boundary lines. It’s a community. In a community, neighbors watch out for neighbors, families take care of families, and we all work together toward the common good. That’s not so different from an electric cooperative. We’re community-focused, and our goal is to efficiently deliver affordable, reliable, and safe energy to the people who count on us. That means if we have to choose between making a buck or watching out for your best interest, we’ll choose you and the greater community every time. And really, that’s no surprise. We aren’t a traditional for-profit company. Our electric cooperative was built by the communities we serve, and we continue to be led by consumers like you. Even when we work together with other cooperatives around the country to develop new technologies and infrastructure, we always have an eye on our community at home, working hard to make sure these new solutions work for the local community we represent. To me, the power of a community comes from the people who live here. People who love where they are, and love being together. I know that all of us at Pea River Electric are glad to be a part of your community, doing our part to help it thrive: from securing 24/7 energy sources to building a smarter community grid and more. We didn’t set out to create a community when our electric cooperative began. But I’d like to think, as we’ve grown and served you and your neighbors over the years, we’ve helped to create one along the way. For that opportunity, and so many others, I am truly grateful.
District 2 334-685-2018
Lowell Bristow
District 5 334-696-4392
Wayne Money
District 6 334-726-2089
Ed Jones
District 7 334-762-2258
James Miller
District 9 334-687-3949
In case of power outages, you may call 24 hours a day: 1-800-264-7732 4 AUGUST 2020
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At Pea River Electric, we’re proud to be a part of it, bringing people together by providing energy for all the things you love. www.alabamaliving.coop
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| Pea River Electric Co-op |
Helping your child succeed in school Here are some tips to help your child develop good study habits and a lifetime love of learning. § Start early by instilling a love for learning. Read to preschool children every day. It arouses their natural curiosity about the world around them and encourages them to want to learn to read for themselves. § Provide books and supplies. Give your children the tools they need to improve their reading and to do projects. § Work out a schedule. Decide how much time should be set aside for homework. Establish a routine. § Help your children get organized. Using a calendar gives students a sense of accomplishment. § Designate a quiet, comfortable place for studying. Study in the same place every day, away from distractions. Parents want their children to grow up to become well-adjusted, happy and successful adults. Most know that for their children to be successful, they need a good education. Studies show children do better in school if their parents are involved and show an interest in helping them learn and establish good study habits. Although small children are inquisitive and eager to learn, they need encouragement and reinforcement to start them off and keep them going in the right direction in school. Good reading skills are necessary for success.
§ Provide reinforcement. Praise your children for working hard and completing assignments. § Talk with your children about what is going on in the world around them. Encourage new ideas and interests. § Set an example for them. Parents are, after all, the most important teachers in a child’s life.
Drivers watch for back-to-school kids On average, 26 children in the United States are killed every year while getting on or off a school bus, or while waiting at the bus stop. To avoid such tragedies, drivers are reminded to: § Carefully back out of driveways. Watch for children walking to the bus stop. § Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street and playing or congregating near bus stops --especially in the early morning hours, when it may still be dark. § Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking. § Obey the law. Yellow flashing lights on a bus mean motorist should slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights mean motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop sign is withdrawn and the bus starts moving again. Unless their is a median, oncoming traffic also must stop.
Alabama Living
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Visual Example of Mar
used as a label on products, homes, Energy Star Appliances: ® een verified to meet ENERGY STAR Do They Really Save You Money? If you are in the Certification market for a new appliance, you might wonder save more than $200 over a on how to use the Mark if buying an ENERGY STAR-certified version will make a differ- 12-year lifespan. ence in your energy bills. Tip: EnergyStar.gov ofshort answer is yes, when you compare its estimated energy fers a “Flip Your Fridge” calconditionscosts isThetoavailable on page 9. its less efficient counterpart. culator to estimate savings In fact, there are really two costs to consider before buying an depending on the size and how to useappliance: the themark, please referenergy tocosts. age of your largest kitchen cost itself and the projected monthly The energy-conscious appliances donning the square-shaped Energy Star logo use 10 to 15 percent less energy and water than standard models, according to Energy.gov. For example, Energy Star clothes washers use about 40 percent less energy than conventional clothes washers while also reducing water bills. And the longer answer is yes, if you consider the appliance’s lifespan. Energy Star appliances and other products used throughout your home can save you a collective $750 over their lifespan, according to Energy.gov. (Besides appliances, there are other Energy Star-certified products, such as lighting and electronics). While selecting energy-saving designated appliances could have a slightly higher price tag, they don’t always. Compare prices and don’t assume they cost substantially more than less efficient models. The biggest bang for your energy-savings buck might be your refrigerator, especially if it is 15 years old or older. By replacing your old fridge with a new Energy Star-certified model, you can
used in educational and promotional rm others about the benefits of the t may be used on materials that nergy efficiency with ENERGY STAR cular product, home, or building as Additional Promotional Marks for ditions are also available. ase refer to page 13.
s are used in promotional materials ion offers ENERGY STAR certified GY STAR certified new homes. It may gned to provide consumers with t ENERGY 6STAR certified products and ntify a particular product, home, or certified. Additional Linkage Phrase AUGUST 2020
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appliance. According to EnergyStar.gov, if every appliance purchased in the United States this year earned the ENERGY STAR, Americans would: § Prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to the emissions from 225,000 cars. § Save more than 1.3 billion kWh/year of electricity. § Save $425 million in annual energy costs. § Save more than 28 billion gallons of water per year.* *Includes ENERGY STAR-certified clothes washer, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Dollars savings reflect savings generated from the reduction of energy and water usage. Bottom line? The typical U.S. family spends around $2,200 a year on home utility bills. Switching to ENERGY STAR products can help lower these costs over time.
www.alabamaliving.coop
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| Pea River Electric Co-op |
Keep Your Furry Friends Safe Around Electricity
You do all you can to keep your pets healthy: you take them to the veterinarian for checkups, feed them well and ensure they are up to date on vaccinations. After all, for many people, pets are part of the family. Two-thirds (67 percent) of U.S. households, or about 85 million families, own at least one pet, according to the 2019-2020 National Pet Owners Survey. The survey was conducted by the American Pet Products Association, and the numbers are up 11 percent from 1988. There is something else you can do for your pets, and that is to keep them safe around electricity. Pea River Electric and Safe Electricity offer these tips: § Puppies and other pets love to chew on electrical cords. Keep cords out of sight or hidden with a cord cover. Provide teething or play alternatives. § Watch your pet around dangling or sagging cords, including phone or tablet charging cables. Unplug charging cables once your devices are charged. Not only do they draw a small amount of energy when not in use, but the dangling cords are just crying to be played with. § Watch where you place lamps and other plugged-in items. Lamps can be a fire hazard if they are knocked over, especially if they have halogen bulbs. § Do not leave your pet alone around items that get hot: curling irons and straighteners, an outdoor grill, a portable heater and other electric appliances, including cooktops. Pet proof your home much like you would for a baby or toddler. If you suspect your pet has been shocked or burned, take it to the vet right away. Owners may not realize a pet has been shocked until a few hours later when it has trouble breathing. Other symptoms include ulcers in the mouth and lesions on the tongue and gums.
For more information about electrical safety, visit SafeElectricity.org.
Alabama Living
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Winning starts here.
It’s time for Friday night lights…no matter what team you’re on, we’re cheering for you. We’re proud to support our area schools. We value your membership. We value you. www.peariver.com 800.264.7732
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www.alabamaliving.coop
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Chocolate Pound Cake
Red Velvet Pound Cake
Cynthia's Banana Pound Cake
3 sticks butter or margarine 3 cups sugar 5 eggs 3 cups flour ½ cup cocoa ¼ teaspoon salt 1¼ cups milk 1 tablespoon vanilla ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cups unsalted butter, room 1 temperature 3 cups sugar 5 large eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup cocoa ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon baking soda 1 cup whole buttermilk 1 1-ounce bottle liquid red food coloring 1 teaspoon white vinegar 1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cups shortening 1 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (6 medium-size bananas) 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 cups all-purpose flour 11/4 teaspoons baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional
Cream butter and add sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder, cocoa and salt. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Add vanilla before last flour. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake in greased and floured tube or bundt pan for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cook’s tip: I like to heat a can of chocolate icing and drizzle over cake. Optional: garnish with peanut butter cups. Beth McLarty Cullman EC
Amaretto Butternut Pound Cake 2 sticks lightly salted butter, room temperature 6 extra-large eggs, room temperature 3 cups sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sour cream ¼ teaspoon baking soda 2 tablespoons amaretto liqueur 2 tablespoons Southern Flavors butter nut flavoring Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare pan with butter and flour. Sift 3 cups flour. Measure again and place back into sifter with baking soda, sift again. Cream butter, add sugar, cream again. Add eggs one at a time. Blend in sour cream. Add flour mixture, blend. Add amaretto and flavoring, blending gently. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes. Turn into prepared pan. (Cook’s note: I use an angel tube pan, bottom lined with parchment paper.) Bake for 1½ hours. Remove from oven. Place on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Turn cake onto cooling rack to cool completely.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 12 cup bundt pan with baking spray and flour. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, beat in 1 at a time. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together. In another bowl, mix wet ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture, alternately with wet ingredients. Beat at low speed just until combined after each addition. Bake about 50 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Drizzle with cream cheese glaze. Cream Cheese Glaze: 3 ounces cream cheese, softened 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted 1 tablespoon milk
Beat shortening at medium speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Combine bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Combine flour, soda and salt; add to shortening mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix at low speed after each addition just until blended. Stir in pecans. Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 15 minutes; remove cake from pan, and cool completely on wire rack. Janice Bracewell Covington EC
Mix and drizzle over cooled cake. Linda Lee Cullman EC Chocolate Pound Cake
Helen G. Johnson Central Alabama EC Alabama Living
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LET’S LET’S
POWER POWER SAVINGS SAVINGS
Cool down your electric bill and avoid scalding. Keep your water Cool heater set to 120º. down your electric bill and avoid scalding. Keep your water heater set to 120º. We value your membership. We value you.
We value your membership. We value you.
www.peariver.com 800-264-7732 www.peariver.com 800-264-7732
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Alabama Living
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| Our Sources Say |
Lessons from Admiral Stockdale T
hese are very unsettling times. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the world, the country, the state and all of our communities very hard. Maybe you know someone, maybe a loved one, who didn’t survive the virus. I have been very fortunate thus far, in that I haven’t known anyone who has become a victim of the virus. We possibly haven’t yet seen the worst. The virus may have receded to some degree (and doctors know more about it and how to better treat those with it), but we don’t know if there will be a recurrence in the fall or winter. We will not be in the clear until there is an effective vaccine or effective treatment readily available and distributed. Equally important, we are just starting to experience the severe economic and societal repercussions of the COVID pandemic. Economic recovery will likely prove to be a very long road back. We are not sure what impacts the COVID pandemic will have on us, our businesses, or our lives, and what changes may result. The future is as uncertain as I have ever known. I was thinking about the future and how to cope with the present when I came across a story on Rear Admiral James Stockdale that I thought was pertinent to our situation today. The story is from an interview of Admiral Stockdale by Jim Collins that is included in Collins’ outstanding management book, Good to Great. Admiral Stockdale was the highest-ranking U.S. military officer held prisoner in the “Hanoi Hilton” POW camp during the Vietnam War. From 1965 to 1973, Stockdale was tortured at least 15 times, lived out the war with no prisoner rights, with no set release date, and with no certainty as to whether he would even survive or see his family again. One of the first questions Collins asked in his interview was how the Admiral dealt with those eight years — the uncertainty of his fate, the brutality of his captors. The Admiral answered, “I never lost faith in the end of the story. I never doubted not only that I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.” “Who didn’t make it?” Collins asked. “Oh, that’s easy,” said Stockdale. “The optimists.” “The optimists? I don’t understand,” Collins said, now confused, given what Stockdale had said just moments earlier. “The optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, ‘We’re going to be out by Christmas.’ And Christmas would come, and Christ-
mas would go. Then they’d say, ‘We’re going to be out by Easter.’ And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart.” Then, after a long pause, Stockdale said, “This is a very important lesson. You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end — which you can never afford to lose — with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they may be.” “To this day,” Collins wrote, “I carry a mental image of Stockdale admonishing the optimists: “We’re not getting out by Christmas; deal with it!” Admiral Stockdale wrote books on courage and leadership, including Courage Under Fire and In Love and War. He was obviously a fighter. He refused to compromise. He refused to give in, regardless of the cost. He disfigured himself with a stool and a razor, so his image could not be used to portray him as a well-treated prisoner of war. He attempted suicide because he was scared of being weak and giving up the secrets of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident to the enemy. In his summary, Collins writes, “A key psychology for leading from good to great is the Stockdale Paradox: Retain absolute faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties. And, at the same time, confront the most brutal facts of your current reality whatever they might be.” How then does the Stockdale Paradox, a business principle, relate personally to all of us in these days of quarantine, disorganized businesses, disrupted plans and possibly health challenges? How do we maintain through the COVID-19 crisis? The paradox offers this insight: Instead of saying optimistically, “It’s going to be over by such and such a date,” and wasting the days and months ahead of us because this situation can’t last long, we should rather face the harsh reality that no one knows when the end will be. We can’t allow the situation to destroy our will. We must confront the brutal consequences of the disease with discipline and resolve that with God’s help and an absolute faith we will prevail in the end. We have the opportunity to turn the experience into a defining event of our lives, which, in retrospect, we would not trade. Hopefully, this is a worthwhile lesson from an American hero. I hope you have a good month. Stay strong and safe.
Gary Smith is President and CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.
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| Classifieds | How To Place a Line Ad in Marketplace Closing Deadlines (in our office): September 2019 Issue by July 25 October 2019 Issue by August 25 November 2019 Issue by September 25 Ads are $1.75 per word with a 10 word minimum and are on a prepaid basis; Telephone numbers, email addresses and websites are considered 1 word each. Ads will not be taken over the phone. You may email your ad to hdutton@areapower.com; or call (800)410-2737 ask for Heather for pricing.; We accept checks, money orders and all major credit cards. Mail ad submission along with a check or money order made payable to ALABAMA LIVING, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124 – Attn: Classifieds.
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Education
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Answers to puzzle on Page 25
Alabama Living
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| Hardy Jackson's Alabama |
Illustration by Dennis Auth
Festivals in the age of social distancing
S
outherners have always liked to get together. Family reunions, church socials, birthday parties. We can even turn a funeral into a gathering. We particularly like festivals, and down in the South we have some humdingers. For example. Every year the town of Sally, South Carolina, hosts its annual Chitlin Strut, where everyone has a dandy time eating fried and boiled pig guts. Then there is the Marlington, West Virginia, Road Kill Festival, which features a cook-off where creative chefs prepare dishes which, according to the rules, Harvey H. (Hardy) Jackson is Professor Emeritus of History at Jacksonville State University. He can be reached at hhjackson43@gmail.com
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“must have as their main ingredient any animal commonly found dead on the side of the road.” However, festivals are not always about food. Though eating something you would not normally eat seems to be an important criteria for having an event, these gatherings are often about doing things you always wanted to do but didn’t because your Mama probably wouldn’t approve. Like hollering. Which is what they do at the National Hollerin’ Contest held at Spivey’s Corner, North Carolina. A few years ago the winner was on the The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson and you can still find it on the internet. Something more wholesome to do than trolling politics and porn. Pikesville, Kentucky, has Hillbilly Days, where local folks do all sorts of things they believe they would do if they were really
hillbillies. The main thing they do is shake down city slickers who pay big bucks to attend and who buy all sorts of doodads that local folks pass off as the real thing. Up north and out west they also have festivals, but they lack something. Out in Pullman, Washington, they have the National Lentil Festival, which promotes healthy eating. Sally, South Carolina, does not fear the competition. In California there is the Tarantula Awareness Festival, which features a “hairy leg contest.” OK, it is California where “awareness” is a big deal, but I’ll take a pass. Alabama is loaded with festivals – Google Alabama Festivals, pick one, and go to it. The Big Bug Fest in Tuscaloosa gives folks an opportunity to appreciate insects and even eat one – on purpose. There are festivals devoted to gospel music, the blues, and tacos. Talk about diversity. For years a group of civic-minded hunters down in Clarke County held the Armadillo Gourmet Society Wild Game Supper. The hunters cooked what they had killed. Their wives made desserts. Tickets were sold. Politicians showed up and contributed. And the money went to the Sheriffs’ Boys’ Ranch. Meanwhile, down on the Gulf Coast, some folks heard of an Oklahoma cow chip throwing contest, and decided to throw a fish instead. The result: Alabama’s most widely known contribution to the festival frenzy – the Flora-Bama International Mullet Toss. I have been there, done that, and got a T-shirt. But not this year. The virus that has done so much damage to the nation has caused festivals to be canceled in Alabama and beyond. Someone suggested that wearing a mask could keep out the smell of chitlins as well as any germs lurking around, but it is kinda hard to eat when your mouth is covered. As for tossing fish, anyone who has ever been to the Flora-Bama wing-ding knows that social distancing just ain’t gonna happen. With that in mind, organizers of the event have postponed the throwing until a later date. They are not alone. All around the state concerned folks are putting up TBA postings to let everyone know that the future is uncertain. So, we must wait it out. Meanwhile those who can should fire up the grill, turn some ice cream, and make the best of a bad situation. Something Alabamians are good at. www.alabamaliving.coop
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CALL FOR ENTRIES Alabama Rural Electric Association’s
11 Quilt Competition th
Our 2021 theme is: First responders
Mail, or E-mail form below for your entry package. Deadline to submit quilt square is January 29, 2021.
Name:_________________________________________________ Address:_______________________________________________ City, State Zip:___________________________________________ Mail to: Linda Partin AREA E-mail:_________________________________________________ 340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, AL 36117 Phone:_________________________________________________ Cooperative:____________________________________________ or Phone: 334-215-2732 E-mail: lpartin@areapower.com (The electric cooperative name on front of this Alabama Living.)
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