Empowered is a monthly newsletter for members of
MEET YOUR NEWEST TRUSTEES
Central Rural Electric Cooperative members elected Randy Wedel and Randy Ethridge as the district one and seven trustees, respectfully. Members who attended the drivethru meetings surpassed quorum with nearly 12% of district one members voting and nearly 10% of district seven members voting.
Three candidates filed to run for the district one position. The vote took place on Aug. 22 at the Payne County Expo Center in Stillwater. Through the ranked-choice voting process, Wedel received the majority of votes at the meeting. The district seven meeting was held Aug. 29 at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds in Chandler. Four candidates filed for the district seven trustee position where Ethridge received the majority of votes. Both trustees will attend their first board meeting and begin their term on Tuesday, October 3. Central has
Randy Wedel, District 1 Trustee
a three-year term limit with a fourterm maximum. Wedel retired from an insurance agency he started in 1979 while a student at Oklahoma State University. He received his B.S. in Agricultural Economics from OSU in 1980. Before retiring, he operated his insurance agency and family farming operation for more than 40 years. He has served on various boards including the Payne County Excise Board and United Way of Payne County board.
Randy Ethridge, District 7 Trustee
Ethridge retired as manager and CEO of People’s Electric Cooperative in Ada, Okla. He holds a B.S. in Accounting from OSU. Ethridge has served on various boards including the Western Farmers Electric Cooperative board and the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives board as a past president. Ethridge is a church minister and founder of the Maranatha Outreach Center Home.
CELEBRATE CO-OP MONTH This October, Central is celebrating National Co-op Month along with cooperatives from across the nation! Co-op Month is an opportunity to raise awareness of cooperatives and how we differ from other business structures.
www.mycentral.coop facebook.com/MyCentralCoop twitter.com/MyCentralCoop instagram.com/MyCentralCoop
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Empowered Editors: Jillianne Tebow - Vice President of Business Development and Marketing Larry Mattox - Director of Communications Kory Bowman - Marketing and Communications Specialist Ivy Swan - Marketing and Communications Specialist
CO-OP MONT MONTH H CEN
Hunter Robinson - Chief Executive Officer
OBER IS T C O
Central will promote Coop Month along with programs that have been created for members EST.. 11938 EST 938 through Today, Central R AL email, at ER provides P RUR mycentral.coop AL ELECT RIC COO electricity to more and on our social than 20,000 meters media accounts. If you with a service area covering don’t already, follow Central on 2,000 square miles in Noble, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Garfield, Lincoln, Logan, Oklahoma, Instagram @MyCentralCoop. Pawnee and Payne counties.
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Central Board of Trustees: James Wells, President (District 6) Gary McCune, Vice President (District 1) Carol Dvorak, Secretary/Treasurer (District 3) Greg Tytenicz (District 2) Sid Sperry (District 4) Ken Starks (District 5) Bill Davis (District 7)
Central was organized in 1938 when ten local men came together to create Central State Rural Electric Cooperative and borrowed $85,000 from the newly created Rural Electrification Administration to construct a distribution system that would provide electricity to 141 farms and homes.
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LEARN ABOUT YOUR COOPERATIVE
CO-OP FUN FACTS! Before the Rural Electrification Administration in 1938, one out of every 10 rural residents had electricity.
Central provides power to the Tumbleweed in Stillwater and to the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie. VOLUNTARY AND OPEN MEMBERSHIP
Contact Us: Central and other cooperatives operate by a set of seven core principles editor@mycentral.coop that ensure the needs of members come first. 405-372-2884 | 800-375-2884 MEMBERS’ MEMBERS’ DEMOCRATIC 3305 S. Boomer Rd. | P.O. Box 1809 DEMOCRATIC VOLUNTARY ANDAND MEMBERS’ VOLUNTARY ECONOMIC DEMOCRATIC ECONOMIC MEMBER MEMBER Stillwater, OK 74076 OPENOPEN VOLUNTARY AND MEMBERSHIP ECONOMIC MEMBERSHIP PARTICIPATION MEMBER PARTICIPATION CONTROL CONTROL OPEN MEMBERSHIP PARTICIPATION CONTROL MEMBERS’ DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS’ MEMBERS’ DEMOCRATIC VOLUNTARY AND DEMOCRATIC AUTONOMY AND ECONOMIC VOLUNTARY VOLUNTARY ANDAND MEMBER ECONOMIC ECONOMIC Notice: MEMBER OPEN MEMBERSHIP MEMBER INDEPENDENCE PARTICIPATION OPEN MEMBERSHIP OPEN MEMBERSHIP CONTROL PARTICIPATION PARTICIPATION Central’s office will be closed on CONTROL CONTROL Monday, October 9 for an inservice holiday. AUTONOMY AUTONOMY Central Rural Electric Cooperative is an equalANDAND AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE INDEPENDENCE opportunity provider and employer. INDEPENDENCE
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EDUCATION, EDUCATION, COOPERATION COOPERATION EDUCATION, TRAINING ANDAND TRAINING COOPERATION AMONG AMONG CONCERN FOR FOR TRAINING AND INFORMATION CONCERN INFORMATION AMONG COOPERATIVES CONCERN FOR COOPERATIVES COMMUNITY INFORMATION COMMUNITY AUTONOMY AND EDUCATION, COOPERATIVES COMMUNITY AUTONOMY EDUCATION, AUTONOMY ANDAND EDUCATION, COOPERATION INDEPENDENCE COOPERATION TRAINING AND COOPERATION INDEPENDENCE TRAINING INDEPENDENCE TRAINING ANDAND AMONG AMONG INFORMATION AMONG INFORMATION INFORMATION COOPERATIVES COOPERATIVES COOPERATIVES
CONCERN FOR CONCERN CONCERN FORFOR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY COMMUNITY
YOUR FALL GUIDE AROUND CENTRAL
LoCaL PaTcHeS CrOsS TiMbErS FaRm PuMpKiN PaTcH
2161 Harrison Ave., Harrah Pick out your favorite pumpkin, take a selfie with a scarecrow, get lost in the corn stalks or the corn pit, take a ride in the barrel train and visit the petting zoo.
GrIdEr FaRm PuMpKiN PaTcH
14500 S. Country Club Rd., Perkins A local favorite since 1974, bring your whole family to pick your favorite pumpkin right off the vine.
JoNeS GaRdEn CeNtEr
423 N. Grand, Crescent Find your perfect pumpkin and take the perfect fall photo while you grab items for your own garden!
Oh My GoUrD PuMpKiN PaTcH
9212 E. Glencoe Rd., Glencoe Enjoy pumpkin chunkin’, hay rides, a hamster crawl and a 40-foot slide while you pick your own pumpkin.
PaRkHuRsT PuMpKiN PaTcH
720 S. Henney Rd., Arcadia Take a wagon ride to pick your own pumpkins or gather some pecans while you take a break from the pony rides or petting zoo.
PuMpKiN PaTcH aT HiGhLaNd PaRk UnItEd MeThOdIsT ChUrCh
524 N. Stallard St., Stillwater The Stillwater Noon Lions Club hosts their 9th annual pumpkin patch which will include a bake sale and days for a pancake breakfast, vision screenings, pumpkin catapult, trick or treat, carnival and carriage rides.
On Central’s lines
FaLl fAvOrItEs FrIgHt FeSt FrOnTiEr CiTy
Sept. 23 - Oct. 29 • Frontier City 11501 N. I-35 Service Rd, OKC Kids can enjoy a trick-or-treat selfie trail to show off their spooky costumes but when the clock strikes 7 p.m., the bravest remain for rollercoasters in the dark, haunting main street performances and plenty of scares along the way.
GuThRiE GhOsT WaLk
Every weekend in Oct. Apothecary Garden 102 W. Oklahoma Ave., Guthrie Enjoy a haunting walk through the historic downtown. You’ll hear paranormal tales and learn the history behind famous locations like the first federal prison in the southwest and the oldest saloon in Oklahoma.
ToWn aNd GoWn: AnD ThEn ThErE WeRe NoNe
Sept. 28 - Oct. 1 and Oct. 5-8 3524 S. Perkins Rd., Stillwater Enjoy a classic “Who Dun It” play with local actors as they portray one of Agatha Christie’s finest thrillers.
StIlLwAtEr DoWnToWn HaLlOwEeN FeStIvAl
Oct. 24 • Downtown Stillwater Dress up and enjoy trick-or-treating, free carnival games, bumper cars, inflatables, a costume parade and food trucks.
GuThRiE HaUnTs
Oct. 31 4524 Riverside Cir., Guthrie Get ready to meet ghosts, monsters and other creatures that come out at night at this haunted house.
CYBER SECURITY TIPS YOU NEED TO KNOW Like your electricity, you don’t think about cyber security until you need it and it’s not there. Below are four tips from Central’s own cyber security expert to help keep you safe and cyber aware. � Be sure to follow best practices for passwords. Use passwords that are at least 12 characters long, include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, and avoid common passwords and personal information within your password. Updating your password regularly minimizes the risk of unauthorized access. � Use multifactor authentication when possible. � Know how to spot and avoid phishing email and text schemes. Avoid phishing attacks by developing a security mindset. Be skeptical of every email and text message, verify the sender and be wary of links and attachments. � Keep apps and software up to date with the latest security patches.
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Help Willie Wiredhand find these words!
Wo rd S ea COOP MONTH CYBER ELECTRICITY FALL MEMBER PUMPKIN RURAL TRUSTEE
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When you’re done with the word search, find these words in the newsletter!
Don’t miss Annual Meeting! Oct. 3 • 3-7 p.M. • Chandler • Guthrie • Perry • Stillwater
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