SUPPORT LINEWORKERS
After Hurricane Helene, lineworkers from Ohio and across the country put their lives on the line to help restore power where they were needed most.
SHOW YOUR SUPPORT BY ORDERING YOUR CUSTOM LICENSE PLATE TODAY
You can honor that courageous spirit the next time you renew your Ohio license plate by choosing FALLEN LINEWORKER under the customization options. The additional registration fee will help support the families of lineworkers who have fallen or been injured doing this dangerous job.
FEATURES
7 OHIO’S ‘PRESIDENTIAL TIMBER’
Some astounding, insightful, and downright impressive facts about the eight U.S. chief executives from the Buckeye State. 22 WHAT IS THAT STAR?
Whether or not you recognize the service flag for what it is, odds are you don’t know its Ohio roots.
26 2024 GIFT GUIDE
A selection of original, useful, and ingenious made-in-Ohio items that will help you sleigh your holiday shopping list.
A reminder from Mother Nature
Every so often, we are reminded of the raw power of — and our relative helplessness against — the forces of nature. Throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina, communities are still coming to grips with the devastation wrought in late September and early October by the one-two punch of hurricanes Helene and Milton, two of the more powerful and damaging storms of the past few decades.
The utter destruction there is difficult to fathom. Recovery will take months, and even years in some communities.
There’s a lot that needs to be done — not the least of which is to restore basic infrastructure enough to safely return electric delivery systems to service. Electric cooperatives, true to their principles of “Concern for Community” and “Cooperation Among Cooperatives,” have jumped in to help in each of these states, working to rebuild damaged facilities and restore vital electric service to even the most remote areas.
Lineworkers from more than 20 states began arriving the day after Helene blew through, working 16 hours a day, seven days a week to repair the damage done to cooperative systems. Ohio cooperatives alone sent more than 100 lineworkers to help their sister co-ops in some of the hardest-hit areas of North and South Carolina. Ohio cooperatives also organized donations of needed supplies and money to assist some of the most stormravaged communities.
We know that we can be overpowered by natural disasters. It’s why electric cooperatives are in a constant state of preparation — to prevent problems that are preventable but also to be ready to respond to situations that are unavoidable.
It takes coordination, teamwork, and dedication to respond safely and effectively to emergencies like these recent hurricanes. Literally thousands of individuals from hundreds of electric cooperatives have had a hand in the response. It’s yet another example of being able to accomplish together things we simply can’t do alone.
So I’m joining with co-op members everywhere to extend a special thanks to the lineworkers who have gone into these battered communities. We know that their help in bringing back crucial electric service is a first step toward recovery.
Pat O’Loughlin PRESIDENT & CEO OHIO’S ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES
Their help in bringing back crucial electric service is a first step toward recovery.
Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives
6677 Busch Blvd. Columbus, OH 43229 614-846-5757 www.ohiocoopliving.com
Patrick O’Loughlin President & CEO
Caryn Whitney Director of Communications
Jeff McCallister Senior Managing Editor
Amy Howat Assistant Managing Editor
Neal Kindig Graphic Designer
Contributors: Adobe Stock, Colleen Romick Clark, Getty Images, W.H. “Chip” Gross, Catherine Murray, Margo Palmer, James Proffitt, Damaine Vonada, and Margie Wuebker.
OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 134-760; ISSN 2572-049X) is published monthly by Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. It is the official communication link between the electric cooperatives in Ohio and West Virginia and their members. Subscription cost for members ranges from $5.52 to $6.96 per year, paid from equity accruing to the member.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to editorial and advertising offices at: 6677 Busch Boulevard, Columbus, OH 43229-1101. Periodicals postage paid at Berne, IN 46711, and at additional mailing offices. Nothing in this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission from Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives, Inc. All rights reserved. The fact that a product is advertised in Ohio Cooperative Living should not be taken as an endorsement. If you find an advertisement misleading or a product unsatisfactory, please notify us or the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, Consumer Protection Section, 30 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215. Periodicals postage paid at Columbus, OH, and at additional mailing offices.
DEPARTMENTS
4 POWER LINES
Disaster response: Ohio coops answer the call as the South digs out from historic storm damage.
8 WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE
Ditch parrots: Might a comeback be in store for ringnecked pheasants in Ohio?
10 CO-OP PEOPLE
Taking the reins: A lifelong love of horses inspires jockey’s success in the saddle.
13 GOOD EATS
So extra! Can you ever have too much of a good thing? Let’s find out.
17 LOCAL PAGES
News and other important information from your electric cooperative.
33 CALENDAR
National/regional advertising inquiries, contact Cheryl Solomon
American MainStreet Publications 847-749-4875 | cheryl@amp.coop
Cooperative members: Please report changes of address to your electric cooperative. Ohio Cooperative Living staff cannot process address changes.
Alliance for Audited Media Member
What’s happening: November/ December events and other things to do around Ohio.
36 MEMBER INTERACTIVE
On horseback: Members share scenes from their equine adventures.
13 8 10 36 33
response Disaster
BY JEFF McCALLISTER
Ohio co-ops answer the call as the South digs out from historic storms.
When electric cooperatives in North Carolina and South Carolina put out the call for help after Hurricane Helene barreled through in late September, Ohio answered.
Less than 36 hours after the storm made landfall late on Sept. 26, an initial force of 40 lineworkers from 11 Ohio co-ops headed south. Twenty-four others who had been ready to leave were rerouted because Helene had unexpectedly pounded areas of southern Ohio, and their help was needed here.
When the Ohio group reached the Carolinas, what they found was shocking. In the western parts of those two states, Helene had left a mutilated landscape in its wake. Roads, bridges, power systems — in some places, even entire villages — had been washed entirely off Appalachian hillsides and into flooded valleys. Damage was widespread, and it was devastating.
It was also grim. In several instances, co-op crews arrived to an area even before first responders, only to find unimaginable tragedy along with the physical destruction. As of mid-October, Helene had been blamed for more than 250 deaths across seven states, and hundreds more were still missing.
All hands on deck
As storm damage in Ohio was repaired over the next several days, a second wave of Ohio workers headed south. In all, more than 100 men from 19 Ohio co-ops — nearly a third of Ohio’s co-op lineworkers — were working to restore power for four of the hardest-hit cooperatives in North Carolina and South Carolina.
The crews worked in rotating 16-hour shifts, cutting away trees, replacing poles, restringing distribution lines, rebuilding circuits, and making repairs. Some stayed in hotels that were themselves without power or hot water.
“It’s maybe our largest and greatest storm response ever,” says Dwight Miller, senior director of safety training and loss prevention at Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, who coordinated the Ohio response.
“We are honored to be a part of helping these folks out. Their lives have been turned upside down, and many are feeling the grief of losing loved ones as the death toll continues to rise. If we can help get their power back on, that’s a big deal.”
Unprecedented
Overall, Helene knocked out electric service to an estimated 1.25 million co-op members in eight states
Continued on page 6
Troy Stockmeister and Todd White from Logan County Electric Cooperative; Chris Kent and Rob Swiger from Firelands Electric Cooperative; and Bill Russell, Travis Russell, Greg Grieves, and Eric Schaaf from Midwest Electric were part of the mutual aid crew that worked to restore systems and power for Rutherford Electric Membership Cooperative in Forest City, North Carolina.
Lorain-Medina and North Central electric cooperative members donated three semi-trailers full of supplies for relief efforts in the Carolinas and Tennessee.
Max Noll, who works for South Central Power Company in Lancaster, stretches as he works to make repairs on lines near Boone, North Carolina. Noll was one of more than 100 Ohio co-op lineworkers who answered the call for help.
Greg Young from Laurens Electric Cooperative in South Carolina (left) worked with Matt Morris, Mike Rowe, Steve Asbury, Josh Johnson, Sean Stewart, and Bowe Firebaugh from Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative in their restoration work.
than 100 lineworkers from 19
Continued from page 5
as it passed from the Florida coast northward, before finally fizzling out near the Kentucky-Indiana state line a little more than two days after it made landfall.
Ohio’s response was part of a national mutual aid effort that brought in more than 7,000 co-op personnel, including lineworkers, support staff, right-of-way contractors, warehouse staff, safety employees, and command center staff, from 14 states.
As the majority of those initial outages were restored over the next two weeks, several of the Ohio crews were able to return home. One group, from Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, moved on to Florida to help repair damage from Hurricane Milton, which came through within two weeks of Helene’s landfall.
“Everyone knows about the principle of ‘Cooperation among Cooperatives,’ and of course we take it seriously,” Miller says. “In reality, it’s just that our guys have this quality to them that makes them want to help whenever and wherever they can.”
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Ohio co-ops worked 16-hour shifts to help restore power in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida after two hurricanes caused catastrophic damage.
Splinters from Ohio’s
‘Presidential timber’
Some astounding, insightful, and downright impressive facts about the eight U.S. chief executives from the Buckeye State.
BY DAMAINE VONADA
Of the 46 individuals who served as U.S. president before this month’s election, eight came from Ohio — more than any other state — inspiring the nickname “Mother of
The Whigs picked Harrison and Virginia Sen. John Tyler to top their 1840 ticket. Their campaign slogan — “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!” — reminded voters that the Ohioan had defeated Tecumseh at the Battle of Tippecanoe. His supporters pushed a giant ball of paper and tin, plastered with pro-Harrison messages, from town to town, generating publicity and ushering a new phrase into America’s lexicon: “Keep the ball rolling.” Harrison, the nation’s ninth president, died of pneumonia a month into his term.
After the abandoned British ship HMS Resolute was discovered adrift by an American whaler in 1855, Congress allotted funds to return her to Queen Victoria as a goodwill gesture. Victoria reciprocated in 1880 by presenting then-President Hayes, the 19th president, with a handsome desk made from Resolute’s timbers. Upon its arrival in the White House, Hayes famously wrote a thankyou note on the Resolute desk, and it has been used by every president since then, with the exceptions of Johnson, Nixon, and Ford.
The 23rd president was born on his grandfather William Henry Harrison’s North Bend farm with a remarkable political pedigree: not only had his grandfather been president, but his great-grandfather signed the Declaration of Independence and his father was a U.S. Congressman. Benjamin was a prominent attorney before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1880, and during his presidential run in 1888, he cannily revived his grandfather’s publicity stunt by replicating the 1840 “victory ball” and rolling it state to state for some 5,000 miles.
The only person to serve as both U.S. president (the 27th) and chief justice of the Supreme Court, Taft was also a lifelong baseball fan, and started the presidential tradition of throwing out the ceremonial first pitch on Major League Baseball’s opening day. On April 14, 1910, at a game between the Washington Senators and Philadelphia Athletics, he tossed a baseball to Senators pitcher (and future Hall of Famer) Walter Johnson, and then watched from the first row as the home team beat the Athletics, 3–0
Presidents.” This presidential election month is the perfect time to ponder the influence (in matters great and small) of Ohioans who occupied the nation’s highest office.
The U.S. Army’s first four-star general and the 18th U.S. president was born in Point Pleasant and raised in Georgetown. After winning the Civil War and serving two terms as President, he retired to New York City, where an unscrupulous business partner ruined him financially. To provide for his family, he wrote his autobiography, The Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, finishing it just days before he died in 1885. Mark Twain, who admired Grant, arranged to have it published, and it is still regarded as a masterpiece of unadorned American prose.
When Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, only months after he had taken office as the 20th president, telegraph wires and newspapers carried the grim news, instigating a protracted death watch that’s considered the first mass-media event. Physicians’ futile attempts to find the bullet riveted the nation — even Alexander Graham Bell tried to help by developing a rudimentary metal detector. Garfield’s struggle finally ended in September, when he died of an infection likely caused by doctors probing his wound with unwashed and unsterilized hands.
McKinley, who was born in Niles, established a law practice in Canton. In 1876, he ran for Congress against Levi Lamborn, a horticulturist from Alliance who bred carnations, and whenever they debated, Lamborn gave McKinley a red carnation. When he was elected the 25th President in 1896, McKinley considered red carnations his good luck charm, habitually wearing them as boutonnieres. On Sept. 6, 1901, moments after he had removed the red carnation from his lapel and given it to a little girl, an anarchist assassinated him.
Harding, campaigning from his Marion home following World War I, promised a “return to normalcy.” But, because the Senate never ratified the 1919 Treaty of Versailles, the nation was still officially at war when he became the 29th president in 1921. Congress passed a resolution ending U.S.-German hostilities that year, and four months later, Harding symbolically ended the war’s horrors when he dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery and delivered a poignant speech eulogizing America’s heroic dead.
William Henry Harrison
Rutherford B. Hayes
Benjamin Harrison
William Howard Taft
Ulysses S. Grant
James Garfield
William McKinley
Warren G. Harding
WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE
Ditch
STORY AND PHOTOS BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS
I’m old enough to have witnessed the demise of much of the ring-necked pheasant population in Ohio firsthand. In the 1960s, I remember my father taking me on a pheasant hunt to private property in the northwest part of the state. We had a great time, and we returned on opening day the next year anticipating the same.
What we didn’t anticipate were the bulldozed fence rows, burned brush piles, and other forms of habitat destruction we found when we got there. Needless to say, we didn’t see many pheasants that November day and we never returned to that farm.
The birds (also known as “ditch parrots” because of their bright plumage as well as their tendency to lounge along roadsides) found the Ohio landscape, with its patchwork of small farm fields and rural areas, welcoming and homey during the early 20th century. Farming was still largely done with horses, so pastures and hayfields were needed to feed those horses, as well as milk cows. Brushy fencerows provided both cover from predators and travel lanes to and from the crop fields where the pheasants found an ample food supply. In essence, it was ringneck paradise.
Ringneck numbers in Ohio peaked during the 1930s and ’40s, and have been on a steady downhill slide ever since. The reason for the decline is simple, as it is throughout the North American pheasant range: the disappearance of quality grassland habitat.
As goes the habitat, so goes the population of birds.
The Asian ring-necked pheasant is a non-native game bird to Ohio; the first stocking here occurred in 1896
The first law regulating the bird’s hunting soon followed, with no hunting permitted until Nov. 10, 1900. By that time, ringnecks had become well established throughout most of the state, with the population peaking at an astounding 5 million wild pheasants!
“The booming pheasant population began drawing hunters from across the Midwest,” says Jim Abrams, a retired Ohio wildlife officer and a member of HancockWood Electric Cooperative. “Hotels were filled and cash was changing hands in diners, bars, hardware stores, and gas stations. Small towns in northwest Ohio — Van Buren, Liberty Center, Arlington, Kalida, and others — became destinations not only for out-of-town hunters but for out-of-state hunters as well. The economic value of the high pheasant population was palpable.”
Hunting was for cock birds only (hens were protected by law) and some
A lifelong love of horses inspires jockey’s success in the saddle.
BY MARGIE WUEBKER; PHOTOS BY MARGO PALMER
Chelsey Keiser vividly remembers growing up in western Ohio and helping her parents, Darke Rural Electric Cooperative members Mike and Debbie Keiser, raise thoroughbreds at their North Star-area farm.
“My first horse was a pony with a yellowish coat,” she remembers with a chuckle. “I called him ‘Black Beauty.’”
Keiser, now 32, never lost her fascination with horses. A 5-foot, 3-inch bundle of energy, she’s living her dream as a professional jockey, compiling an impressive record that includes more than 400 wins and nearly $10 million in career earnings.
“I’ve loved horses forever,” she says, noting that she learned to ride even before she learned to walk.
As she got a little older, Keiser started helping out by galloping the family’s thoroughbreds as part of their training regimen. “I really enjoyed that aspect of working with horses,” she says.
“The hard part was handing the reins off to a jockey at the track.”
She also took up barrel racing — a fast-paced sport pitting horse and rider against the clock on a cloverleaf-shaped course, where the fastest finisher wins.
“I went through high school dreaming of being a jockey,” Keiser says.
After she graduated from Versailles High School, she headed off to the University of Dayton to study nursing — which might not seem at first like a path to the horseracing profession, but it was strategic. “I had visited nursing homes during high school, and I liked being around older people and loved hearing their stories,” she says. Also, “Most nurses work three 12-hour shifts, and that would give me four days to ride.”
But while her fellow students spent their weekends on campus, she would always go back home to work with the horses. By her sophomore year, she says, she could no longer ignore “the itch.”
After talking at length with her mother, she left school and took a job training horses in Florida. Later assignments took her to Virginia and then Maryland as she pursued the dream that grew stronger with each passing day.
the reins
She began her career as an apprentice jockey, or “bug rider,” in March 2013 at Maryland’s Laurel Park racetrack. Her first win came that same month, aboard a 2-year-old colt named Smileforthecamera. In keeping with tradition, her fellow jockeys saluted the milestone by pelting her with water, baby powder, and eggs. She rode the next heat with bits of shell still clinging to her hair.
“Being a female jockey came with challenges back then,” she says. “I had to prove I was as strong as the boys and not get pushed around. I quickly learned to turn off my emotions and accept things I couldn’t change. Now I ride and win just like them.”
She mounted up in almost 600 races that first year, and finished in the money (first, second, or third place) in more than a third of them.
By 2016, she decided she wanted to be closer to family and moved back to Ohio. She currently rides at Thistledown Racino near Cleveland, Hollywood Gaming near Youngstown, and Belterra Park Racino near Cincinnati.
The job is much more than saddling up for races. Keiser is up by 4:30 a.m. almost every morning and arrives at the stable 60 minutes later for what will likely be a 15-hour day.
Taking care of her four horses means time galloping or breezing each of them on the track, four feeding times, and four cooling baths. She hurriedly walks from one pen to another, waving to other stable personnel or talking on the cell phone along the way; there is no time to sit and rest. Often, she’ll log more than 20,000 steps before noon.
“If you don’t take good care of the horses, you won’t get good results on the track,” she says. “Jockey and horse have to work together as a team. You spend hours working toward those couple of minutes that you fly around the track.”
Horse racing, of course, can be a dangerous sport (as attested by the ambulance stationed at every track), and Keiser’s 114-pound frame has sustained numerous injuries in her career — a broken collarbone, a bruised spleen, and a broken sternum among the most serious — but she has no plans to step away.
“I absolutely love riding,” she says. “Winning gives me the highest of highs; losing, the lowest of lows. I would rather have a bad day doing something I love than a good day at something I hate.”
SoExtra!
Can you ever have too much of a good thing? Let’s find out.
‘FOR THE LOVE OF GARLIC’ GRATIN POTATOES
Prep: 30 minutes | Cook: 1 hour, 20 minutes | Servings: 8
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, ¼-inch slices
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
1 tablespoon salted butter
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
6 cloves roasted garlic*
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stems removed
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup shredded Asiago cheese
¼ cup crispy fried garlic**
Place potato slices in a large pot; cover with water and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and let boil until potatoes are just fork-tender. Drain and rinse to cool slightly.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9x13-inch ovenproof baking dish and layer in potato slices. Blend cream with roasted garlic, rosemary leaves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a blender or food processor. Pour cream mixture over potatoes, then evenly sprinkle Asiago on top. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbling and potatoes are fully cooked through. Top with crispy garlic and serve.
*Roasted garlic can be made ahead of time. Trim the top of a bulb of garlic until cloves are visible, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil, and roast at 350 F for 45 to 60 minutes, until cloves are mushy soft and light to medium brown. Pull cloves out of husk with the tine of a fork and refrigerate until ready to use. (Leftovers will keep in fridge for 7 days, in freezer for 3 months.)
**To make crispy garlic, gather 8 large garlic cloves, ¼ cup olive oil, and salt for sprinkling. Set a strainer over a small, heat-safe bowl and set aside. Pour oil into a small skillet over medium heat. Test oil temperature by tossing a piece of garlic in — when bubbles immediately form around it, the oil is ready. Carefully slide garlic into the oil. Stir continually with a wooden spoon until pale golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Immediately transfer to the strainer, letting oil drain off the garlic. Spread garlic across paper towels to soak up remaining oil and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt. When cool, transfer fried garlic to an airtight container and keep at room temperature. Reserve oil in fridge for future uses.
RECIPES AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY CATHERINE MURRAY
OH-SO-CHEESY CROQUE MONSIEUR DIP
Prep: 25 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes | Servings: 8
½ cup shredded Parmesan*
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese*
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese*
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/3 cup minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups hot milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground thyme
¼ pound thinly sliced deli ham, chopped
2 8-ounce cans crescent roll dough
Toss cheeses together in a medium bowl and put a small handful of cheese aside for sprinkling later. In a medium pot, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened; add garlic and sauté another minute. Lower heat a bit, whisk in flour, and continue whisking 3 minutes to form a roux. Slowly pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly. Turn heat back to medium and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in Dijon, pepper, and thyme, then mix in the cheese and ham. Cover with lid and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake one can of crescent rolls according to package directions. Meanwhile, grease a 9-inch oven-safe skillet (cast iron preferred) with cooking spray. Roll the remaining can of crescent rolls and place them along the outer edge of the skillet, then spoon cheese mixture into the middle. Brush the crescents with a tablespoon of melted butter, then sprinkle with reserved cheese. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, until crescents are golden brown. Let cool a few minutes before serving fondue-style straight out of the skillet, tearing off pieces of crescent roll and dipping into cheese.
*For a smooth melted dip, freshly shred the cheeses rather than using pre-shredded.
DEATH BY CHOCOLATE TRIFLE
Prep: 30 minutes | Bake: 30 minutes | Servings: 12 to 16
18.4-ounce package brownie mix and eggs, vegetable oil, and water, according to brownie instructions
6-ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix and cold milk,
amount according to pudding instructions
16 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups chopped-up candy bars or Oreo cookies
This recipe is a great way to use up leftover Halloween candy! Fill a standard-sized trifle bowl or use any glass dish or dishes of your choosing. The brownies and pudding can be made a day or so ahead.
Prepare and bake brownies according to package instructions; let cool completely. Prepare pudding according to package instructions. Chill in fridge until ready to assemble trifle.
Crumble half the brownies into bottom of the bowl(s), then spoon half the pudding on top. A layer of candy can be added here, or it can all be piled on top if preferred. Continue layering with half the whipped topping. Repeat brownie, pudding, and whipped topping layers. Sprinkle candy on the top when ready to serve.
MILE-HIGH APPLE PIE
Prep: 45 minutes | Chill: 30 minutes | Bake: 60 to 70 minutes | Servings: 12 to 16
3 cups + 2 tablespoons flour, plus more for rolling
1¼ teaspoons salt
1¼ cups cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
¼ cup ice water
1½ cups sugar
½ cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
5 pounds of apples, multiple varieties*
1 egg yolk dash of water
coarse sugar for sprinkling (optional)
To make the crust, combine flour, 1¼ teaspoons salt, and butter in a food processor. Pulse in 1-second bursts until the mixture becomes crumbly. Drizzle in ice water and pulse in 1-second bursts until dough begins to stick together. Gather dough and form two disks, one larger than the other. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes, then let rest on counter for 30 minutes.
In an extra-large bowl, mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Peel, core, and thinly slice apples, tossing slices in sugar mixture as you go. Set aside. On a floured surface, roll out the smaller dough and fit to the bottom of a deep-dish pie plate. Stir the apples once more, then begin arranging slices into the pie pan, tightly stacking in layers and doming inward toward the top. Carefully pour ¼ cup of the excess liquid left by the apples into the pie and discard the rest. Roll out second disk of dough and overlap the top of the pie, pressing down lightly to meet the apples. Fold dough edges under, trimming if needed. Cut 8 slits in the shape of a sunburst on top. Whisk egg yolk and dash of water. Brush over the entire crust and sprinkle with coarse sugar (if desired). Place pie in fridge until oven is preheated.
Preheat oven to 425 F. Place pie on a baking sheet with sides and position on bottom rack of oven. Bake 20 minutes, then reduce temperature to 375 F and bake another 40 to 50 minutes, until bubbling and golden brown. If top crust becomes too brown, cover edges or lightly tent with aluminum foil. Let cool before slicing to produce clean edges.
* Mixing 3 or 4 baking apple varieties in a pie builds a blend of flavors and textures.
MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER
May your holidays be merry and bright
As November kicks off, it’s hard to believe we’ll soon be gathering with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season. This festive time of year brings joy and warmth, but as the weather gets cooler and we spend more time indoors, the holidays can also bring increased energy use and a higher risk of electrical and fire hazards.
As your local electric cooperative, our team at Guernsey-Muskingum cares about your well-being. This month, I’d like to share a few practical tips to help you stay safe and efficient during the holiday season.
Safety first
My family truly enjoys decorating our home for the holidays. Before we deck the halls, I always check electrical cords and light strands to make sure they aren’t frayed or damaged. This gives us peace of mind, knowing our holiday lights are ready to safely brighten our home. I also double-check the lights we use outside to make sure they’re rated for outdoor use.
Like many households, we also enjoy holiday-scented candles. While festive, candles can create fire hazards and should never be left unattended. One of the best and easiest ways to safeguard your home is to test smoke alarms often. I test mine on the first of each month, so it’s easy to remember. Testing smoke alarms only takes a few seconds and could save lives, so make it a habit.
’Tis the season for savings
Spending more time indoors with a few more guests in the home can really affect home energy use. By taking
Brian Hill GENERAL MANAGER/CEO
a few small steps to save energy during the holiday season, you can lower your bills.
I like to remind my family members to mind the thermostat. Since heating and cooling make up the majority of home energy consumption, the thermostat is one of the best places for savings. Lower it a few degrees, especially when you have family or friends stopping by. Good company brings additional warmth to your home.
Your family can also save energy by decorating with LED holiday lights. LEDs are the most energy efficient lighting options available, and they last much longer than traditional bulbs.
There’s no denying one of the best parts of the holiday season is the food — not just the meals, but the time we spend together in the kitchen. There are many ways to save in the heart of your home, but one of the best approaches is to cook with smaller countertop appliances, such as air fryers, slow cookers, and toaster ovens. These handy appliances consume a fraction of the energy used to heat the oven, creating the perfect recipe for mealtime and energy savings.
I hope you will implement some of these energy-saving and safety tips into your holiday plans. For additional advice, visit our website at www.gmenergy.com We’re here to help you with safety and savings year-round.
From your friends at Guernsey-Muskingum, we hope your holiday season is merry and bright.
Is a ductless mini-split system right for your home?
How would you like a personalized comfort zone, one where the temperature is customized to your liking and may be different than the temperature in other areas of your home? The opportunity for such flexibility and customization is precisely why mini-split systems, also known as ductless air-source heat pumps, and their energy efficiency aspects are so popular.
Let’s unpack some mini-split basics and explore whether this type of system is a good choice for your home heating and cooling needs.
A mini-split system is a type of HVAC equipment used for heating and cooling, allowing you to control the temperature in individual rooms or spaces. Mini-split systems have two main components — an outdoor compressor and an indoor air-handling unit or units. A narrow conduit links the indoor unit or units to the outdoor compressor.
While central heating and cooling systems feature an indoor unit connected by long lengths of ductwork, minisplits are typically ductless. This means energy is not lost traveling through long stretches of ductwork. Installing the air-handling unit in a desired room or area enables you to control the temperature more precisely, reducing energy consumption. That’s because you’re adjusting the temperature to a single room or space, rather than the whole home.
Is a mini-split system right for you?
Mini-split systems are a popular option in home additions, or to supplement heating and cooling in a space that may be farthest away from the main living area, such as a finished attic or basement. In these instances, it may not be feasible to install or extend the ductwork required in traditional central cooling and heating systems. In contrast, mini-splits are relatively easy to install, requiring just a small hole for the conduit connecting the indoor and
Ray Crock
outdoor units. Most systems can handle up to four indoor rooms or zones connected to one outdoor unit. Each of the zones can be customized because each includes a thermostat that enables you to heat or cool the space as needed, saving energy and money over time.
Cool solutions
Mini-split systems bring additional benefits. They are quiet, improve indoor air quality, and are typically easy to install. Many come with remotes to make temperature control even easier, and because of their smaller size, minisplit systems have many placement options for indoor and outdoor units.
One of the greatest benefits of mini-splits is that they typically have a higher SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) rating than traditional central heating and cooling systems. The higher the unit’s SEER rating, the more energy efficient it is.
Additional considerations
However, according to the Department of Energy, “minisplits cost about $1,500 to $2,000 per ton of cooling capacity. That’s about 30% more than central systems (not including ductwork) and may cost twice as much as window units of similar capacity.”
While the technology is improving, those in particularly cold climates may need a fuel backup to run a mini-split system. Aesthetics are another factor to consider, as some homeowners don’t like the appearance of the indoor units, which are more visible than central air conditioning vents.
If you’re considering an upgrade or additional heating and cooling equipment, talk to a qualified technician to learn whether a ductless mini-split system could work for your home.
ABLES RANDALL S
ACKERMAN MATTHEW J
ADAMS R M
ADKINS JAMES D
ADKINS JESSE K
ADKINS WILLIAM M
AERIAL COMMUNICATIONS
ALASARA CASSI
ALEXANDER C
ALLBRITAIN NAOMI S
ALLIANCE COMM PART - BUCK
ALLTEL
ALLTEL OHIO INC
ALPINE FARMS INC
AMERITECH CELLULAR SERVIC
AMSTUTZ ALFRED
ANADARKO PETROLEUM CORP
ANDERSON WILLIAM
ANGLE TIMOTHY J
ANKER MEGAN E
ANNON WALTER
APPERSON JEFFREY L
ARBOGAST RON F
ARMSTRONG JAMES
ARMSTRONG MELODY
ARNOLD DEBORAH A
ARON MARION G
ARTER JOHN
ASGHAR LOUISE Z
ASHFORD MIKAL J
ASHTON T S
ASHWORTH MARIE F
ATLAS ROOFING CO INC
BABCOCK MARY L
BABUREK PAUL
BACHTEL DODI J
BAKER HOMER V
BALL HAYLEY C
BARBOUR DAVID P
BARKER MICHAEL C
BARKEY LORI L
BARKHURST JON
BARLOW CHRIS R
BARNES JAMES W
BARNETT MICHAEL A
BARRICK DAVID J
BATEMAN PATRICIA
BATTEIGER ANGELA R
Official notice of intention to reallocate patronage capital
The following is a listing of former members of Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative, Inc., who received service from the cooperative in prior years. Attempts were made to mail capital credit checks to these former members in 2020. These capital credit checks have remained unclaimed for at least four years.
The cooperative’s code of regulations provides that capital credit payments that remain
BATTRESS TYLER
BAUGHMAN DAVID W
BEACH KATHY D
BEAL CHARLES
BEAR JACQUELIN E
BEARDMORE JODY K
BEBOUT GEORGE
BECKER KENNETH R
BECKETT EVAN
BEEBE SUE T
BEISSER MYRA J
BELL BERNARD
BENNETT PLASTICS INC
BEREA OIL & GAS CORP
BEREAN BAPTIST CHURCH
BERGDORF DONALD G
BERRY ROGER D
BETHEL CHARLES W
BICE RICK
BIRD WILLIAM
BIRDS RUN GRANGE
BISHOP DONALD
BLACK DEBORAH
BLACKFORD EDWARD D
BLAIR DONALD E
BLANKENSHIP TARAH N
BLAUROCK JACK E
BLOOMFIELD JOANN
BLUE CHARLES
BLUE ROCK HUNT CLUB
BOARMAN LINDA K
BOBO'S BOAT SHOP
BONNELL SHIRLEY C
BONNETT TERRY L
BOOKMAN JENNIE L
BORING CARL
BOTSON MICHAEL
BOWMAN BARBARA M
BOWMAN DONALD E
BOWSER HELEN
BOYLE NORMA R
BOZAY ROBERT B
BRADCO ENERGY
BREWER JANET
BRIGGS DOROTHY
BROCK PATRICIA L
BROKAW RONALD
BROTHERS ROBERTA F
BROWN JAMES
BROWN JAMES C
unclaimed for four years shall, after proper notice is given, be reallocated to the current margins of the cooperative. After such reallocation, these unclaimed payments will no longer be available for payment to the former members listed.
If you have any information on any of the names published in this listing, please call the cooperative’s office at 800-521-9879. Thank you for your help in locating our former members.
BROWN JONATHAN T
BROWN ROSE
BROWN W L
BRUMBAUGH JOHN AJR
BRUSHY FORK LLC
BRYAN SCOTT A
BRYAN TIM M
BUCHANAN RODNEY G
BURGY ANNA M
BURKE LARRY E
BUTLER JOANNE M
BYLER SAMUEL
CAIN JAMES M
CALE JERRY
CALHOUN TODD
CALLAHAN ALLEN H
CALLANDER & KIMBREL INC
CALLENDAR & KIMBREL INC
CAMPBELL J G
CAMPBELL MURRELL J
CAMPBELL STEWART EJR
CAMPE MATT
CANTER EDWARD
CARLESS RESOURCES INC
CARNES ETHAN
CARPENTER LARRY E
CARPER F W
CARR AMANDA S
CARROLL ROLLAND M
CARTWRIGHT FRANCIS
CARTWRIGHT ROBERT L
CASEY MARY
CASHNER CLIFTON L
CATLETT LEWIS D
CAVENDISH PETRO OF OHIO
CAYNOR MARK
CBS OUTDOOR
CETORELLI RANDY G
CHAMBERS JENNIFER G
CHAMBERS RALPH
CHANDLER DEBORAH L
CHAPMAN RYAN
CHARLES MARCELLA B
CHRISTA OIL CO
CLAGETT WILLIAM S
CLAPPER KELLY
CLARK STEVE
CLARK WADE H
CLARKE FRANK B
CLASSY CUTZ SALON AND SPA
CLAY DAVID W
CLAYSVILLE COMM HOUSE
CLIPNER THOMAS C
COBERLY LARRY R
COCHRAN EDWIN E
COLE GLEN
COLEMAN BESSIE
COLEMAN GREGORY
COLLART LAWRENCE A
COLLINS GLORIA
COLUMBIA NATURL RESOURCES
CONCORD DUP-STREET LIGHTS
CONCORD SQ LTD - ST LIG
CONCORD SQ LTD-SEWAGE-STA
CONFER JAMES H
CONNER KENNETH WSR
CONRAD SEENA
CONROY ROBERT W
CONSOL RESC OF AMERICA
COOK JOHN A
COOK MEGAN M
COOPER RICHARD
COPEN WILLIAM R
CORNELL RICHARD
COSLER RICHARD
COSNER JEFF E
COULTER MAURICE
COUNTRY CORNER
CRISLIP BETTY F
CROFT KENNETH R
CROFUT JANICE A
CROSS BETH
D A WALDRON & ASSOC
DALE DUSTAN L
DALE SHANE A
DALEY JAMES I
DANKWORTH CHARLES
DANLEY ALAN
DANLEY KENNETH
DANNEMILLER CHARLES
DAVENPORT BILL A
DAVIDSON CHRIS
DAVIS C L
DAVIS CHARLES
GUERNSEY-MUSKINGUM
DAVIS DEBORAH
DAVIS JAMES W
DAVIS KENNETH
DAVIS REX A
DAVIS RUSSELL F
DAVIS SUSAN M
DAWSON J R
DAWSON JOAN
DECARO THOMAS R
DECKARD MONA
DELONG MERRY
DEMUTH RHONDA
DENNIS MARY
DENNIS RANDAL M
DEPUY JUNIOR
DERWACTER BEULAH
DEVOLL R B
DEVORE JOSH K
DIAMOND STUART
DICKEN KAREN
DICKEY KRISTY
DICKINSON JOHN H
DICKS JOHN JIII
DICKS'S ELECTRIC
DIETZ ESTHER M
DILL LARRY L
DILLEY BRANDON
DINGUS ROBERT M
DINKINS SANDY
DIPOLD JOSEPH
DISPOSAL TECH
DITTER TAMMY L
DIXON BILLY K
DOBERNECK RITA P
DODD ROBERT
DOERR NANCY L
DONAHOE CURTIS R
DOSS DARLENE
DOUBLE JJ FARMS - AGRO
DOUDNA JAMES S
DOWNARD JAMES D
DREWNIAK TODD A
DUNLAP STEVEN M
DUNN JASON R
DUPLER JEFFREY S
DYKY GREG G
EAGON CINDA
EASTERN STATES OIL & GAS
EBLIN ETHEL
ECHOLS WILLIAM
ECKELBERRY LISA M
EDWARDS MARIE L
EDWARDS P
EDWARDS PAUL
EIKENBERRY ALICE M
ELIAS ROBERT
ELLERMAN BROS
ELSON HAROLD
ELTRINGHAM JON MSR
EMANE THOMAS
EMCH BRENDA A
EMICH BRIAN T
ENTERPRISE GAS & OIL
ERION ENTERPRISES INC
ERWINE JAMES
EVANS TODD A
EVEC STEVE M
FANO DAVID L
FARQUHAR JEFFREY
FAUST LONNIE
FEIDNER JILL
FELTON ROBERT L
FERGUSON JENNIFER
FERRELL CONNIE S
FICKEY JACK
FIGURA MARGARET
FILMORE DONALD
FINDLEY OIL CO
FISHER JEFF
FLOWERS JAN L
FORAKER RAY
FORD WILLIAM F
FORGRAVE ALLEN C
FORTUNE GAS & OIL CO
FOWLER THOMAS J
FRAME FRED
FRANCIS JOSEPH A
FRANKS MALYNDA K
FRE-BRE-GRE
GALBREATH JUDY
GALL RONALD
GANT WILLIAM
GARABRANDT JAMES JR
GARDNER THOMAS MSR
GARNER CAM
GARNER LLOYD P
GARRISON JAMES
GASPRO ENERGY INC
GCR TIRE CENTERS #1256
GEBHART BARBARA
GEM ENERGY CORP
GEORGE CLARENCE CJR
GERTNER CATHARINE M
GHEEN SUE E
GIBBENS JAMES
GIBBS LINDA A
GIBSON DONA
GIBSON EARL
GIBSON RONALD J
GIESEY RACHEL
GIESEY WESLEY D
GILBERT M A
GILMORE CHARLES
GINGERICH ELAM
GIRARD DON J
GLAUB TADD A
GLENDENNING BRANDON
GOINGS JOYCE E
GORMLEY JOSEPH A
GOSSETT GLENN F
GREATHOUSE DEBRA
GREEN ROBIN
GREEN TEA ROOM
GREGORY MELISSA N
GRESH MORRIS HIV
GRIMM ANGELA J
GRIMSLEY CATHERINE
GRISSOM HELEN
GROMMECK BRIAN M
GROSS MONTE
GROSSENBAUGH CARL E
GROVES JAMES R
GUERNSEY PETROLEUM
GULLEY RICHARD
GUNN TALMAGE L
GUSTAFSON RALPH A
GUTMANN LEO
HAGUE TREVOR D
HAMILL ROBERT
HAMILTON JAMES
HAMMER MICHAEL S
HAMMOND DAVID
HAMMONS CONSTANCE L
HAMMONS MARK
HANDLEY RANDY A
HANENKRAT HEATHER D
HANLON CONNIE M
HANNAHS DANA R
HARDING OSCAR Z
HAROLD RAYMOND C
HARPER HEIDI
HARPER JEFF
HARPER KATHRYN A
HARPER WILLIAM L
HARTSOCK LINDA D
HASHMAN JEREMIAH J
HASSINGER JAMES JR
HASTINGS EVA
HASTINGS LINCOLN R
HAWK MICHAEL J
HAWKINS EVELYN
HAWKINS GLENNDA G
HAWTHORNE MARTHA
HAYES BRICE
HAYES DWAIN A
HAYES WILLIAM C
HEAGEN RANDALL L
HEANEY JIM
HEATHERINGTON RICHARD H
HEAVILIN PATRICK H
HECK CHARLES E
HEDDLESON DANIEL
HEDLESTON FRANK H
HELMS JAMES E
HENARY GEORGE
HENDERSHOT JERRY
HENDERSON JAMES E
HENKELS & MCCOY
HENRY WILLIAM J
HENTHORNE RODGER
HERRMANN TRACIE L
HERRON RICK
HEWISON BRIAN S
HEWITT PATTY J
HICKMAN GERALD A
HICKMAN PRESTON J
HIDDEN SPRINGS FARM COM
HIGBEE JOHN
HILDEBRAND DAVID J
HILL CORY D
HILL ERICH
HILL JACK B
HILL JOSEPHINE
HITE RICK
HOFFMAN JOHN L
HOLDSWORTH DAVINA
HOOD DERRICK
HOON MARGARET
HOOPER NANCY
HOPPERTON ROBERT
HOSKINSON DORIS
HOULEHAN GARY K
HOUSEHOLDER DELORA A
HOUSTON L E
HOUSTON RICKI J
HOWDYSHELL DANIEL
HOWELL CHRISTINE L
HUBBARD MARSHA A
HUEY CODY L
HUFFSTUTLER C M
HUMESTON MIKE A
HUTTON DALE E
IANTO EMERIC
IVES WILLIAM L
J & S TOOL CORP
JACK JOHN C
JACKSON ELAINE
JACKSON L
JACOBS JERRY L
JACOBS TERRY
JAMES LAWRENC D
"JAMES T JOHNSON, TRUSTEE"
JENKINS MILDRED E
JES BASEMENT SYSTEMS
JIMERSON DON
JOHNS HELEN
JOHNSON BRENDA L
JOHNSON HOLLY
JOHNSON JAMES
JOHNSON JULIE L
JOHNSON R A
JOHNSTON HAROLD W
JOHNSTON JOHN A
JOINER WENDY
JONES DAVID
JONES PATRICK T
JONES ROBERT L
JONES STEVE
JORON GROUP LTD
JUSTICE BUTLER
JUSTICE JAMES J
KALB JOHN
KAPPEL HENRY C
KEIRNS JIM
KEITH JERRY
KELTNER JAMES
KENDALL MARC L
KENNEDY ALICE
KENNEY T R
KERN BROOKE E
KESSLER RUTHANN
KIDD MARK A
KIMBLE PAUL JR
KIMBLE ROY
KINDER ROSANNE
KING CHARLES
KING JENNIFER L
KING PATRICIA
KING TERESA A
KING LIMESTONE
KINGSTON OIL CORP
KIRKLAND CECIL D
KLASSEN CORPORATION
KLETT LARRY L
KLIE TIMOTHY F
KLINE KERRY
KLINGENSMITH PHILIP DSR
KLINK DARRIN L
KNAPP WILLIAM A
KNAUP KRISTINA R
KNIGHT A W
KNIGHTON ROBERT
KOEHLER CHAD
KOMPAN DIANE N
KONRAD PHILIP
KOPFER MIKE C
KRAMER ROBERT
KUSNIRAK PHYLLIS
L & S OIL & GAS
LACY HAZEL C
LAFFERTY JAMES F
LAGLE JANET
LANDOW B T
LANDPROVEST INC
LANNING J M
LANNING JERRI L
LAPOLLA DAVID
LAPRADD GEORGE
LASHLEY DALE A
LASHLEY WILLIAM R
LASKO M J
LAWLER KEVIN L
LAZAR MICHAEL
LEHMAN RICK L
LEMMON JOSEPH W
LENGEN JOHN A
LEONE RODNEY
LEPI GEORGE
LERNER PAUL
LESCALLEET AMY
LEVINE ALFRED
LEWIS CHARLES WJR
LEWIS SCOTT A
LEWIS TERRI L
LEY ROBERT
LFG SPECIALTIES INC
LINCICOME BARBARA A
LINDSAY SANDRA L
LITTLE BRYAN
LOCKLEAR WILLIE
LOE MARY
LOHMAN ROBERT
LOHRMAN ROB DJR
LONGABERGER WANDA E
LONGABERGER CO
LONGFELLOW JAMES
LONSINGER JUNE E
LONZO LARRY
LOOMIS HARDY
LOONEY LARRY D
LOWE DOUGLAS R
LOWE KATHRYN T
LOWE RAYMOND C
LOWE ROY L
LUCAS DENNIS R
LUCAS MITCHELL
LUCK BECKY M
LUMPKINS DAWN
LUMPKINS MARLENE E
LUTEY ELWOOD D
LYNN JOHN C
LYON TRAVIS S
LYONS MEL
MADINGER ALBERT R
MAHONEY JAMES E
MALVERN GROUP INC
MANGOLD R J
MAPLE MARK D
MARLATT MARGARET E
MARLING MARK
MARSH ADAM E
MARSHALL OTIS
MARTIN JIM
MARTIN JOHN A
MASON LINDA
MASSEY DARLENE L
MASTERS CARL E
MATHENEY J R
MATHERS ROBERT W
MATHEWS FLORA
MATISKO DANA
MATTISON ERIC
MATVEY JOSEPH J
MATZ MARY
MAULLER RICHARD E
MAY CHRISTINA R
MAYLES WILLIAM
MAYS CHRISTINA L
MCCLEAN WILLIAM D
MCCLELLAN TAMMY S
MCCLOSKEY CARL
MCCONNELL TERRY
MCCOUN NELLIE A
MCCRAY JOSEPH
MCDONALD JOHN W
MCELFRESH DORIS
MCELWAIN J
MCFARLAND ROBERT
MCFARLAND VIOLET M
MCFIN OIL CO
MCHENRY DON
MCINTIRE MATTHEW
MCKAHAN L
MCKELVEY BILL J
MCKIM JEAN E
MCLAIN JOANN
MCLAIN SAMUEL
MCPECK LISA I
MCVICKER MARTHA A
MEADOWS GREGORY K
MELL DOUGLAS L
MENCER JOHN J
MENNENGA DIANE
MERZ WILLIAM J
MESSERSCHMIDT TERRY
METZGER BRUCE A
MIKUS JR DANIEL B
MILEY JEFFREY
MILHOAN BONNIE
MILLER AMY E
MILLER BRUCE C
MILLER CAROL A
MILLER EDWIN L
MILLER KENNETH D
MILLER MANUEL WJR
MILLER MARIE
MILLER MICHAEL L
MILLER PAUL F
MILLER ROY D
MILLER RUSSELL JJR
MILLER TIMOTHY P
MILLIGAN NICK
MILLIGAN WARREN
MILLS EARL
MISSION GAS
MITCHELL CAROL A
MITCHELL CHARLES
MITCHELL MARK D
MITCHELL TRACIE L
MIZER DAN SR
MOHRMAN MICHAEL S
MOON DAVID I
MOORE ANDREW B
MOORE CARROL E
MOORE CHARLES J
MOORE DICK E
MOORE FAYE
MOORE JOE W
MOORE JULIA J
MOORE LARRY
MOORE MICHAEL L
MOORE PRISCILLA A
MOORE SARA
MOORE STEPHEN
MOREHEAD JAMES
MORRILL BOBBY
MORRIS SYLVIA R
MORRISON CLIFFORD
MORRISON HELEN
MORRISON LORAINE
MORRISON NELDA
MORRISON TODD A
MOSER ZACHARY G
MOUGHIMAN DORIS M
MOYER JASON M
MULLIN CHARLENE A
MULLINS EDWARD
MUSK VALLEY FISH ASSN
MUSKINGUM MINE
MUSKINGUM MINING INC
NAMOSKI RICHARD
NASH CATHERINE
NASSER SCOTT E
NATLAND ENERGY
NEFF MARK S
NEFF TONIA
NEUHART KENNETH
NEWBERRY VERA L
NGO DEVELOPMENT
NICHOLAS IRA A
NICHOLS H S
NIEKRO LEO B
NORDSTROM EVERAL AJR
NORMAN FRANCIS
NORRIS DAN A
N-STARR ENERGY INC
NUTTER HERMAN
OGG RAY L
OGLE JACK
OXFORD OIL CO
PALLET RECYCLING
PARAGON ENERGY CO
PARKER CHAD
PARKS CONNIE E
PARR CHRISTINA L
PARRETT DAVID B
PATRICK PAUL R
PEACH CARL W
PEAIRS DEBORAH B
PEARSON MARY A
PECKA LOUISE M
PEEPER E J
PEMCO GAS INC
PENNINGTON MARGARET
PENWIM JOINT VENTURE
PEOPLES WILLIAM D
PERKINS GOLDIE M
PERRINE DELMUS R
PERRY TWP TRUSTEES
PETERSON CARL
PETERSON DAVID K
PETERSON WILLIAM
PFOUTS RICHARD L
PHILLIPS JOHN
PHILLIS RODNEY
PIERCE DAN
PIERCE SANFORD A
PILOT ENERGY
PITMAN GARY KJR
PLEASANT VIEW BAPTIST CH
PLETCHER BRENDA
PLETCHER DEBBIE
POFF TIMOTHY M
PORTER SANDRA M
POTRIDGE DENNIS
POTTS JEFFREY A
POTTS RICHARD M
POWELL JULIE
PRESLER KURT M
PRESTO CHEMICAL CO INC
PRICE DEBRA
PRICE PAUL R
PRINTZ DARREN P
PRIORITY AUTO SALE & SERV
PRO-ALARMS SYSTEMS LTD
PUGH JAMES
Q STATE OIL & REF CORP
Q STATE OIL REF CORP
R E GAS DEVELOPMENT LLC
R P J ENERGY FUND MGMT
RAACH ROBERT
RADER DANIEL L
RAEDER NANCY
RAMAGE BRITTANY S
RANDALL JACK
RANSOM JEFFREY L
RARICK PATTI A
RATH E A
RAYBACK DAN
REED DAVID W
REED JENNIFER
REED JIM
REED MICHAEL L
REEP DAVID
REESE RUTH S
REHL ROBERT
REPASKY ALEXANDER
REYNOLDS D F
RHODES EDNA G
RICE THOMAS E
RICHARDS DON
RICHARDSON JAMES A
RIDDLE ARDEN
RIDING CHRISTOPHER J
RIEHL AMANDA L
RIGGLE ERNEST E
RIGGS ALICE K
RINEHART GREG R
RINGER MARY L
RITCHEY DAVID
RIVERA JACKI
RIVERS RUTH N
ROBB CONSTANCE S
ROBERTS KENNETH
ROBERTS WILLIAM E
ROBERTSON JAMES
ROBINSON A S
ROBINSON EDWARD M
ROBINSON JEFF A
ROBINSON ROBERT L
ROCK JOHN A
ROCK JOINT VENTURE
Welcome, Levi Staker
Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative, Inc., welcomes new employee Levi Staker. Levi was hired in August as a field engineer. He is a graduate of Tri-Valley High School and Zane State College, where he earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in electro/mechanical engineering technology. Levi worked at GMEC from April 2022 to November 2023 as an assistant field engineer, and prior to that he worked for an investor-owned utility as a customer design technician. Levi and his wife, Amber, reside in Duncan Falls. Welcome back, Levi!
ROETS STEPHANIE D
ROGER C DUPKE OIL CO INC
ROGERS JAY A
ROMANS ROBERT
ROSINTOSKI JAMES
ROSS PAUL R
ROSS STEPHEN W
ROSS THONIA
ROSS WANDA E
ROSSITER JOSH R
ROTRUCK RUBY
RUMMELL WENDY
RUPE TRINA D
RUTTER LARRY D
RYAN STEVE
RYMAN RAY
SABOL LARRY AJR
SADDLER JACK M
SAKASH GEORGE
SALTERS HAZEL E
SANDERS ROGER
SANDERS RUTH
SANSOM NOAH
SAPPIER MARY C
SARBAUGH DEAN A
SARCHET LINDA L
SARGENT DAVID J
SARRA DOUG
SAUNIER VICKI L
SAYLOR MARY
SCHLOSSER LARRY D
SCHMID MARY C
SCHNUPP WILLIAM R
SCHRAMM MICHAEL
SCHRIM HOPE H
SCHROEN ROBERT
SCURLOCK FRANK EJR
SEALEY DAVID M
SEELEY HARRY RII
SEEVERS HARLEY
SEEVERS KENNETH J
SELLARS PAUL RJR
SENECA MARINA
SEYERLE JOHN
SHALOSKY PATRICK K
SHATTO J D
SHEETS DEWEY
SHELINE GARY DII
SHERMAN DEBRA
SHINGLER WILLIAM S
SHIPLEY ROBERT R
SHIPLEY WILLIAM A
SHIRER PHILLIP E
SHOENFELT WARREN S
SHOOTER ROGER J
SHUEY CARL
SIDWELL ADAM J
SIDWELL VIOLET
SIMS ELMER H
SIMS WILLIAM
SINGLETON RALPH J
SINK RON
SMITH DAN
SMITH ELMA J
SMITH HAROLD J
SMITH JEFF
SMITH KEVIN T
SMITH LUKE P
SMITH MATTHEW T
SMITH RICHARD E
SMITH ROBERT P
SMITH STEVEN E
SNACK KARL
SNEDDEN DON
SNELLING TINA M
SNYDER W JJR
SOLI DARRELL L
SOTHEN R S
SPEARS ANDREA L
SPECK SAMUEL WJR
SPENCE WILLIAM H
SPENCER RICHARD L
SPICER PENNY
SPIKER MABEL I
SPURGEON DIANE L
ST CLAIR NICHOLAS R
STACKHOUSE DARREN W
STANGER STEPHEN D
STARR WILLIAM
STEESE GERALD C
STEIN GARY A
STEINBERG CRAIG
STEINBERGER ELVIRA
STEPHENS JAMES V
STEWART GREG L
STEWART RENEE L
STEWART RUBEN
STEWART TAM J
STILLION KAREN S
STILLWATER COONHUNTERS
STILTNER GREGORY
STILWELL JED
STOCKER AMY J
STOCKER & SITLER INC
STONEBURNER ROBERT L
STOTTS KEITH A
STOTTS MICHAEL D
STOTTSBERRY ELLEN
STRAIN CHERYL A
STULL ALEX
SULPHER TOM
SUTTLE SEYMOUR
SWINGLE JAIME M
SWINGLE JOEY C
SZTARY WANDA
TABLER VICTORIA
TAINTER JERRY W
TANDY BRETT
TATUM PETROLEUM CO. LLC
TAULBEE SCOTT A
TAYLOR DOUGLAS SS
TAYLOR JENNY
TAYLOR MARTHA D
TAYLOR MISTY
TAYLOR MITCHELL C
TAYLOR RICHARD E
TCI CABLEVISION OF OHIO
TEAGUE ROY
TEETS GLENN C
TEISL TIHOMIR
TEMPLE JAMES B
TETIRICK E
TEXAS EAST TRANS CORP THE AVON COMPANY
THE EIKENBERRYS LTD
THE END-TIME FARM
THE LIGHTHOUSE OF FAITH
THOMAS CLYDE S
THOMAS JOHN
THOMPSON JAMES
THOMPSON MAX L
THOMPSON PAMELA K
THOMPSON VICTOR E
TIGHE MARVEL M
TIGNOR BRIAN E
TOBIN CATHLEEN A
TODD JOHN M
TOOPS VERONICA A
TOUVILLE JAMES W
TRACY RICK L
TRANSKI BRIAN E
TRAVIS LOMA
TRIAX SOUTHEAST ASSOC LP
TRI-GRAI INC
TRI-PETRO WELL SERV INC
TROXELL MARK M
TRUBISKY NICK
TRUSHEL RAY
TURCOTT-BRINK JUDITH K
TURKALY JACK
TURNER CHARLES E
TYSON JAMES
ULRICH EVERETT
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Cooperative holiday hours
Office closed for the Thanksgiving holiday: Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29.
Office closed for the Christmas holiday: Tuesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25.
Office closed for the New Year’s holiday: Wednesday, January 1.
If outages occur during the holidays, someone will be available to take your call and dispatch a trouble crew to correct your problem. GuernseyMuskingum's drop box is always available for your convenience.
Veterans Day is Nov. 11.
Guernsey-Muskingum honors the brave men and women who have served our country.
If you’re heading out of town during the holiday season, remember to set your home to vacation mode. You can save energy while you’re away by lowering your thermostat a few degrees or creating an “away” schedule with a smart or programmable thermostat. Newer water heaters include a vacation mode setting to help you save on water heating costs, or you can simply lower the temperature manually.
Small actions can also stack up to energy savings. Unplug devices that consume energy when they’re not in use, including phone chargers, toothbrush chargers, TVs, and gaming consoles.
Are your name and account number here?
If so, call the cooperative’s office and receive a FREE home change-out to LED lightbulbs (limit six bulbs). Thanks for reading the local pages of Ohio Cooperative Living magazine.
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Net
#38-0211-16-00
#74-0058-26-01 ..... Nathan A. Lawrence
#49-0070-14-01 ...... Elizabeth J. Paulley
*Rider T — Kilowatt-Hour Tax applies to all rate schedules and must be added to the rates shown.
Seasonal Residential Service rate schedule S-1*
Service Availability Charge — $456/yr. First 800 kWh/yr. — 22.669¢/kWh 800 to 6,000 kWh/yr. — 13.545¢/kWh Over 6,000 kWh/yr. — 13 745¢/kWh (Minimum annual charge — $456/yr. for service between March 1, 2024, and Feb. 28, 2025)
Commercial Service rate schedule C-1*
What is that star?
Whether or not you recognize the service flag for what it is, odds are you don’t know its Ohio roots.
BY CRAIG SPRINGER
Ohio seems to have a bit of a thing with flags. It’s not just that our state flag is the only one out of the 50 that is not a rectangle (an interesting story in its own right). Or that the current 50-star field on Old Glory was designed by a Boy Scout from the Buckeye State (who later went on to become mayor of Napoleon).
This month in particular, we stop to consider another Ohio-rooted banner — less well-known, perhaps, but one that commands attention, honor, and respect across the country: the service flag, more commonly known as the Blue Star flag.
You might have seen a service flag: a blue star (or stars) on a field of white, surrounded by a red border — hanging in the picture window of a seemingly random home in the neighborhood or in a shop window of a downtown building. But many folks might be unaware, or at least unsure, of its significance.
Authorized by an act of Congress and under specific rules administered by the Secretary of Defense, the
proudly displayed Blue Star flag in a residence means that an immediate family member of someone living there is serving in the military, in any of its branches, in a time of war or conflict. Multiple stars on the display correspond to the number of family members in service.
It’s an indoor-only flag, with the same dimensions as the national flag (when displayed simultaneously, the service flag must never be larger than the American flag).
Organizations and businesses are also permitted to display the banner, under slightly different rules, to honor members or employees currently serving.
The idea for the Blue Star banner came from the wellspring of the mind (or perhaps, more likely, the heart) of Robert Queisser, a captain in the Ohio National Guard, in 1917. It was a time when a good many American men were “Over There” fighting in the trenches of Europe in World War I — including Queisser’s two sons. He devised the banner in 1917 to honor his boys, and even got a patent on it.
On Sept. 24 , 1917 , U.S. Rep. Henry Ivory Emerson read into the Congressional Record, “…the Governor of Ohio has adopted this service flag. The world should know of those who give so much for liberty: The dearest thing in the world to a father and mother — their children.”
By the next month, you could buy a 24-by-36inch Blue Star flag from the United Service Flag Company of Cleveland for two bucks — all sewn, not printed. By law, service flags, just like American flags (at least those purchased by the government) must be manufactured in the U.S. or one of its territories.
After the Blue Star flag was standardized by Congress, its use proliferated during World War II and the conflict in Korea. It fell out of favor during the Vietnam years, when, because of the controversy over the conflict, service members regrettably were not treated as honorably and respectfully as their predecessors had been. It’s only been relatively recently that public sentiment has swung toward honoring the veterans from that era, and the Blue Star banner consequently came back into common use with the military’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A somber note: The service flag serves a second purpose. Family members of those who give their last full measure while in service during a conflict are entitled to sew a gold star onto the blue star — slightly smaller such that the gold is rimmed in blue. The gold star signifies the death of the service member. While the Blue Star flag must be taken down at the end of hostilities, a Gold Star family may display the flag in perpetuity. Gold Star family members also are presented with special lapel pins, and in Ohio, are entitled to Gold Star-emblazoned license plates.
So keep your eyes peeled for the stars — blue and gold — and remember what they mean. And certainly don’t hesitate to offer up your gratitude.
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Bowling Green United Home Comfort (419) 352-7092 unitedhomecomfort.com
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Medina Sisler Heating (330) 722-7101 sislerwaterfurnace.com
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Gift Guide 2024 Holiday
COMPILED BY DAMAINE VONADA
Wrap up your shopping and sleigh the holidays this year with our gift guide’s selection of original, useful, and ingenious made-in-Ohio items, which will make it the most wonderful time of the year for everyone on your list.
Barb Barbee Jewelry, Delaware
At her home studio in Delaware, Worthington Craft Guild member Barb Barbee fashions jewelry using 14-karat goldfilled wire, sterling silver, freshwater pearls, and precious and semi-precious stones. Her holiday line has Christmas tree-shaped green malachite pendants; mother-of-pearl snowman earrings; and stunning Christmas spiders that channel an East European folktale.
Rubber City Soaps, Akron
Building fun and functionality into everything she makes, Gynnise Gilbert-Mills handcrafts soaps and novelty bath products like Snow Globe Bath Bombs, which feature glitter-filled bouncy balls and skin-softening cocoa butter. Peppermint-scented Miss Christmas is a cold-process soap with jolly red, pink, and white stripes, while her cupcakeshaped bath bombs conjure visions of sugar plums. 614-206-5591; www.barbbarbeejewelry.com; Facebook: Barb Barbee Jewelry
info@rubbercitysoaps.com; 330-800-0235; www.rubbercitysoaps.com
Cleveland Ketchup Co., Westlake
Matt and Lisa McMonagle started their condiment company in their kitchen with the goal of making ketchup that tastes great, has no high-fructose corn syrup, and is naturally glutenfree. Now they’ve expanded to add mustards and mayonnaise, and their products’ distinctive flavor profiles include Bacon and Bourbon Ketchup, Jalapeño Mustard, and Dill Mayo.
orders@clevelandketchup.com; 216-400-5212; www.clevelandketchup.com
Baqette, Cincinnati
Quinn Mcilhargey-Nicholson skillfully upcycles leather into luxurious handbags and accessories with luscious colors and lovely accents. Walnut and cherry handles that she designed give her Crescent Woodie bags a dash of panache, while her Party Bucket sports bespoke style with three mix-and-match options for straps: multicolor rope, leather in different lengths, and vintage glass beads that double as a necklace.
hello@baqette.com; www.baqette.com; instagram.com/baqette
Columbus Washboard Company, Logan
Founded in Columbus in 1895, the nation’s last washboard company is locally owned and operated in Logan, where a downtown building houses its factory, retail space, and antique washboard exhibits. The washboards are handmade from Ohio-grown poplar using tools and equipment dating to the 1800s. Give that person-who-haseverything their own rub-in-a-tub experience with timehonored washboards like the family-size MaidRite and pail-size Dubl Handi.
info@columbuswashboard.com; 740-380-3828; www.columbuswashboard.com
Perkie Prints, Columbus
Jonni Perkins specializes in turning mobile phone pictures of beloved pets into apparel and decorative items that their owners cherish. Hand-created and individually printed, her pet portrait products include coffee mugs, tote bags, throw pillow covers, and exclusive Pet-in-Pocket tees that are available in cropped or classic versions. And of course, Jonni’s holiday ornaments make paws-itively wonderful gifts. hello@perkieprints.com; www.perkieprints.com
Possum Products, Newcomerstown
In his home’s basement workshop, Frontier Power Company member Russ Riggle hand-makes wooden toys that operate on brains rather than batteries. His materials all are sourced in the United States, and most of them come from Ohio. Besides his popular tractors and log trucks, Russ designs airplanes, trains, animals, and Bigfoot on wheels.
www.possumproductsllc.com
Lavender Meadows, Chillicothe
Vicki Wissler grows and hand-harvests 17 varieties of lavender on her century-old family farm. The South Central Power Company member then distills the essential oils to make lavender products ranging from room sprays and candles to body lotion and bath salts. Tip: For Christmas gifting, Vicki adorns her merchandise with little Santa hats and bells.
lavendermeadowsohio@gmail.com; 740-649-6148; www.lavendermeadowsohio.com
R & R Candles, Columbus
Brenda Recife’s small-batch candles are planet- and animal-friendly. She recycles and repurposes discarded beer, water, and soda cans into candle containers and donates a percentage of the candles’ proceeds to animal rescue groups. Tip: Use Brenda’s custom services to create a novel and memorable gift by choosing the candle’s container, label, type of wax, and fragrance.
rrcandles2@gmail.com; 614-600-7729; www.rrcandles.com
The Cat’s Meow Village, Wooster
For decades, Faline Jones has made small wooden replicas of structures and scenes that keep customers’ memories of events and places alive. Always displaying a black cat, her distinctive pieces cover national locales from Alabama’s state barn to Wyoming’s Yellowstone National Park, and they capture Ohio’s Yuletide season with merrily embellished models of landmarks such as the Marblehead Lighthouse and Hale Farm’s Meeting House.
cmv@catsmeow.com; 330-264-1377; www.catsmeow.com
Hooked by Angel, Grove City
A crochet hook, high-quality yarns, and plenty of imagination are the only things Angela Doherty needs as she designs and crafts adorable canine cup and mug cozies. Although her personal favorite is the Schnauzer, Angel’s cozies cover breeds from Australian cattle dogs to Yorkshire terriers with lots of “doodles” — including the Labradoodle, goldendoodle, and Bernedoodle — in between.
hookedbyangel@gmail.com; 614-395-3214; https://hookedbyangel.etsy.com
Sweet Memories Vintage Tees and Candy, Girard
Chock-full of retro sweets, toys, and proprietary T-shirts whose yummy themes include Good Humor bars, Dots, and Tootsie Rolls, Linda Barton’s retail store is a fun destination. Her special “Made in Ohio” box features candies from the state — think Spangler Circus Peanuts, Original Candy Buttons, and Waggoner Buckeye Bars — plus an Ohio “Home Sweet Home” tee.
Farmhouse Stoneware, Chardon
Making durable, practical, and artful pottery is a vocation Jim and Betsy Anderson have pursued for more than 30 years. The Andersons’ combination studio and showroom is in a barn behind their farmhouse, and their individually crafted wares are lead-free and microwave and oven safe. Bestsellers include clever microwave bacon and egg cookers; chicken roasters; apple bakers; and French butter keepers. info@sweetvintagetees.com; 330-759-3500; www.sweetvintagetees.com
That Dam Jam, Milford
Barbie Hahn’s versatile jams contain pineapple plus peppers picked by Ohio farmers. While all four flavors are sweet, they have varying levels of heat. Her Pineapple Yellow Pepper Jam is an “All Sweet, No Heat” product. Pineapple Jalapeño Jam tastes mildly spicy; bestselling Pineapple Habañero Jam delivers a kick; and Pineapple Ghost Pepper Jam packs a fiery punch.
513-310-0399; www.thatdamjam.com farmhousestoneware@windstream.net; 440-286-1100; www.farmhousestoneware.com
The Oak Barrel Company, Berlin
In the heart of Ohio’s Amish Country, Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative member Chris Deffenbaugh makes unique household furnishings from used oak barrels. His bestsellers include handsome barrel sinks and leather-topped ottomans, and his serving trays and lazy servers can be personalized with a family name or crest. Tip: His Berlin retail store has gift items starting at $5.
Tickled Sweet, Milford
Chocolatier Bambi Merz loves candy, and thanks to her passion for high-quality sweets, her downtown Milford shop is a delectable destination. Among Bambi’s many fine confections are supersized “Galapagos” turtles; chocolate bark with festive flavors such as pumpkin spice and peppermint; and 40 kinds of fudge that encompass everything from traditional chocolate to trendy orange cream. chris@theoakbarrelcompany.com; 330-466-0636; www.theoakbarrelcompany.com bambi@tickledsweet.net; 513-880-4169; www.tickledsweet.net
2024 CALENDAR
NOV. 6, DEC. 4 – Down on the Farm Story Time, Proving Ground Farm, 5670 E. Twp. Rd. 138, Tiffin, 10 a.m. Stories and activities geared for preschool-age children focus on farming and nature in a picturesque outdoor setting. 419-447-7073, www.conservesenecacounty.com, or find Seneca Conservation District on Facebook.
NOV. 16 – Country Collection Christmas Craft Show, Allen Co. Fgds., 2750 Harding Hwy., Lima, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. $4. Craft vendors from all over Ohio and surrounding states. www.visitgreaterlima.com.
NOV. 22–DEC. 29 – NWORRP North Pole Express, Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc., 12505 Co. Rd. 99, Findlay. $5; 12 and under, $3. Hop on board our quarter-scale trains for a trip through a winter wonderland of lights and festive decorations. See operating toy trains and hundreds of decorated trees, plus Santa and Mrs. Claus on select nights. 419-423-2995, www.facebook.com/nworrp, or www. nworrp.org.
NOV. 27 – Grand Illumination, downtown Sidney, 6–6:30 p.m. Free. Coordinated lighting of the holiday lights downtown. www.sidneyalive.org.
NOV. 29 – Christmas in the Village Parade and Black Friday, downtown West Liberty. Join us for the annual parade of floats, lit up and ready for the
WEST VIRGINIA
NOV. 7–JAN. 5 – Winter Festival of Lights, Oglebay Resort, Wheeling. Featuring 300 acres of twinkling lights over a 6-mile drive, with more than 100 lighted attractions. Per-car donation requested, valid for the entire festival season. 877-436-1797 or www.oglebay. com/events/festival-of-lights.
NOV. 30–DEC. 1, 7–8 – Spirit of Christmas in the Mountains, Fort New Salem, 81 Settlers Lane, Salem, beginning 12 p.m. Living history, demonstrations, and more. Caroling at 5 p.m., followed by grand processional and tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. 304-6952220, director@fortnewsalemfoundation.org, or www. fortnewsalemfoundation.org.
holidays! Shop Black Friday deals found only in the Village. Santa will be lighting the Christmas tree and spreading smiles. www.mywestliberty.com.
NOV. 29– DEC. 31 – Lake of Lights, Saulisberry Park/France Lake, 13344 St. Rte. 67 W., Kenton, 6–9 p.m. daily. A drive-through lighting event. Special events held on the weekends. 567-674-4567, lakeoflights08@gmail.com, or www.facebook.com/ LakeOfLights.
DEC. 1 – Cowboy Christmas Tack Swap, Christmas Shopping, and Live Auction, The Show Arena (formerly WB Ranch), 1640 Co. Rd. B, Swanton. Free admission/parking. Tack swap 9 a.m.–2 p.m.; live auction at 2 p.m., consign the same day. Call or text for more info: 419-356-1350 or 419-283-5383
DEC. 4–8 – Christmas Tree Festival, Allen County Museum, 620 W. Market St., Lima. Free; donations welcome. See over 100 decorated Christmas trees from community organizations, as well as “Evergreen” the talking Christmas Tree. Also tours of MacDonell House, demos in the Log House, and kids’ activities. www.allencountymuseum.org/events.
DEC. 5, 7 – Lakeview Christmas in the Village, 115 E. Lake St., Lakeview. Santa is coming to town with a grand parade and tree-lighting ceremony Thursday evening. Saturday morning, enjoy breakfast with Santa, photos, petting zoo, and scavenger hunt before our big gift giveaway at the firehouse. Don’t forget to shop at Santa’s Workshop too! www.facebook.com/ downtownlakeviewohio.
DEC. 6 – First Fridays Christmas Parade, downtown Bellefontaine. Winter-themed activities start in the afternoon and culminate in an hour-long parade that will have you feeling the Christmas spirit for weeks to come. www.firstfridaysbellefontaine.com.
DEC. 6–7, 13–15 – Country Christmas, Marmon Valley Farm, 7754 St. Rte. 292 S., Zanesfield. $14/ person. Bundle up to enjoy a heartwarming event that captures the true Christmas spirit: a unique hayride tour that brings you right into the story of our Savior’s birth. www.marmonvalley.com.
DEC. 7 – Christmas at Apollo Craft Show, Apollo Career Center, 3325 Shawnee Rd., Lima, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. $3; 12 and under free. Over 100 crafters selling homemade and handcrafted wares. Food available for purchase. www.facebook.com/apollocareercenter.
DEC. 7 – West Liberty Christmas Tour of Homes, 129 N. Detroit St., West Liberty, 5–8 p.m. Tour beautifully decorated homes, plus shop ’til you drop with your included Shop Hop pass. www. mywestliberty.com.
DEC. 7 – Winter Wonderland Market and Parade, downtown Sidney. Free. The downtown will be busy with various activities, ending with a wonderful nighttime parade celebration. www.sidneyalive.org.
DEC. 7–8, 14–15 – Christmas at the Logan County History Center, 521 E. Columbus Ave., Bellefontaine. See the History Center decked out in the grandeur of the holiday season, featuring more than two dozen trees and the 1906 Orr Mansion fully decorated. www. loganhistory.org.
DEC. 14 – Lima Symphony Orchestra and Chorus: “Bells, Brass, and Bows,” Lima Civic Center, 7 Town Square, Lima, 7:30 p.m. $35–$45. Our holiday concert features music from cherished Christmas films and sing-alongs of sacred hymns and beloved carols, concluding with Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite 419222-5701 or www.limasymphony.com.
DEC. 14 – Wreaths Across America Day at Shawnee Cemetery, Shawnee and Zurmehly Rds., Lima, 12 p.m. Free. Remember and honor our veterans by laying fresh evergreen remembrance wreaths on the graves of our country’s fallen heroes. Sign up at https://wreathsacrossamerica.org/pages/179674/ Overview/?relatedId=179651
DEC. 15 – NW Ohio Low Brass Collective Winter Concert, Allen East High School Auditeria, 9105 Harding Hwy., Harrod, 4 p.m. Free to the public. Come hear musicians from around northwest Ohio and beyond play familiar tunes! www. facebook.com/people/NW-Ohio-Low-BrassCollective/100085554007401
2024 CALENDAR
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
Grove City, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. For updates, visit www. columbusminiaturesociety.org, call 740-497-8292, or find us on Facebook.
NOV. 16 – Veterans Day Concert, Epiphany Lutheran Church, 268 Hill Rd. N., Pickerington, 4 p.m. Free admission; freewill offering will be taken. Join the Pickerington Community Chorus for a patriotic concert to honor our veterans. www.pickeringtoncommunitychorus. com or follow us on Facebook.
NOV. 1, DEC. 6 – First Friday Art Walk, downtown Zanesville, 5–8 p.m. Come downtown on the first Friday of each month, when all our participating galleries, studios, and small businesses are open at the same time! https://artcoz.org/arts-district-map.
NOV. 15–16 – Christmas in the Country, various businesses in the Amanda, Tarlton, and Stoutsville area. Enjoy a ride in the country to shop for holiday treasures, vintage finds, good food, and much more. Join our scavenger hunt to gather entries into our drawing for Shop Hop Bucks. 740-503-2125 or www.countryshophop. com.
NOV. 16 – Columbus Miniature Society Annual Miniature Dollhouse Show and Sale, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, 3220 Columbus St.,
NOV. 17 – National Take a Hike Day, YMCA entrance of the Roundtown Trail, Circleville, 1 p.m. To register, email mellis@pickawaycountyohio.gov. Program will be canceled in the case of inclement weather. Please dress to be outside and for a hike. An adult must accompany all children under 12. 740-420-5451 or www. pickawaycountyparks.org.
NOV. 23 – Hopewell School Craft and Vendor Show, 23720 Airport Rd., Coshocton, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Over 40 vendors, food, 50/50, raffles. Fundraiser for Hopewell School PTO and Coshocton County Special Olympics. 740-575-4809 or tcollins@coshdd.org.
NOV. 24 – Buckeye Comic Con, Courtyard by Marriott Columbus West, 2350 Westbelt Dr., Columbus, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $5; 6 and under free. Free parking. Comic and toy vendors, comic creators, hourly prizes. 330-462-3985, jeff@harpercomics.com, or www.harpercomics.com.
NOV. 29 – Annual Holiday Bazaar and Craft Show,
THROUGH NOV. 30 – Pumpkin Blow, Neusole Glassworks, 11925 Kemper Springs Dr., Cincinnati, Wed./ Thur. 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Fri.–Sun. 10 a.m.–8 p.m. $55 per 30-min. session. Must be age 5 or older. Blow your own pumpkin from hot molten glass. Reservations required. 513-751-3292 or neusoleglassworks@hotmail.com.
NOV. 9 – Under the Stars with Jim Carr, Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 8–10 p.m. Free. Join us for an exciting evening stargazing. For all ages. 937-962 5561, pcpdevents@gmail.com, or www. preblecountyparks.org.
Lake Park Pavilion, 23253 OH-83, Coshocton, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. With over 40 talented vendors of handmade crafts, you will be sure to find that special gift or something special for yourself. Come and enter to win one of many door prizes! www.coshoctonlakepark.com.
DEC. 6 – Pickerington Holiday Gathering, around the Olde Village, Columbus and Center St., Pickerington, 5–8 p.m. City Christmas tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. Horsedrawn wagon rides, ice carving, petting zoo, activities for kids, mini train rides, strolling carolers, food trucks, Holiday Gift Market, and more. 614-382-2452 or www. pickeringtonvillage.com.
DEC. 13 – Columbus Symphony Orchestra Holiday Spectacular, Faith Memorial Church, 2610 W. Fair Ave., Lancaster, 7:30 p.m. Adults $30, children $10, under 2 free. Tickets available online or by calling CBUSArts Ticket Office at 614-469-0939 or the church office at 740-654-1711. For more information, visit www. columbussymphony.com or www.faithm.ch.
DEC. 13–14 – Lancaster Camp Ground Christmas Walk, 2151 W. Fair Ave., Lancaster, 4–9 p.m. 740-6532119 or www.lancastercampground.org.
DEC. 14 – Annual Holiday Cookie Walk, Fairfield County Genealogical Research Library, 503 Lenwood Dr. (corner of W. Mulberry and Lenwood), Lancaster, 1–4 p.m. Great variety of holiday treats! 740-653-2573 or www. fairfieldgenealogy.org.
Christmas tree-lighting celebration in downtown Troy. Be sure to get there early to catch the arrival of Santa Claus, get in line for the horse-drawn carriage rides, and more! www.troymainstreet.org
NOV. 30 – Hometown HoliDazzle Illuminated Parade and Festival, downtown Wilmington. Events begin at 3 p.m.; parade at 7 p.m. www.hometownholidazzle.com.
THROUGH DEC. 18 – Bluegrass Wednesdays, Vinoklet Winery, 11069 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati, Wed. 6:30–8:30 p.m. Enjoy dinner, wine, and an evening of free entertainment by Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass. Reservations recommended. 513-385-9309, vinokletwinery@fuse.net, or www.vinokletwines.com.
NOV. 23 – Hometown Holiday Horse Parade and Christmas Celebration, downtown Greenville. More than 100 lighted horse-drawn carriages, hitches, and riders illuminate the downtown. 937-548-4998 or www. downtowngreenville.org.
NOV. 29 – Grand Illumination, Public Square, Troy, 5–8:30 p.m. Kick off the holiday season with the annual
SCOTT ANTIQUE MARKETS
DEC. 7 – Angel House Christmas Bazaar, Tipp City Global Methodist Church, 8 W. Main St., Tipp City, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Free admission. 30+ artisan/craft vendors. Quilt show, cookie walk, food. To benefit Angel House Children’s Home in Tanzania, Africa. For more information, email tcgmcbazaar@gmail.com.
DEC. 7 – Annual Lebanon Horse-Drawn Carriage Parade and Festival, downtown Lebanon, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. Parades at 1 and 7 p.m. Beautiful horse-drawn carriages glide through the streets adorned with lights, garlands, and ornaments. Festival features food and craft vendors, live entertainment, Santa, and more! Visit @lebanoncarriageparade on Facebook.
DEC. 7 – Downtown Piqua Holiday Parade, beginning at corner of Main and Greene, Piqua, 2 p.m. This year’s parade celebrates the 20th anniversary of the release of The Polar Express. www.mainstreetpiqua.com.
DEC. 7 – Indoor Christmas Caroling with the Dulcimer Guy (Matthew Dickerson), Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 3 or 4 p.m. Join us for music, hot chocolate, and sweets. Limited space; RSVP required. 937-962-5561, pcpdevents@ gmail.com, or www.preblecountyparks.org.
DEC. 7–8, 14–15 – “The Bethlehem Experience,” Countryside Church of Christ, 468 Tranquility Pike, Seaman, 6–8:30 p.m. Free. Interactive guided tour representing a walk through the little town of Bethlehem as you celebrate the birth of Christ. 937386-3154, www.countrysidechurchofchrist.com, or find us on Facebook.
SOUTHEAST
NOV. 1–JAN. 1 – Dickens Victorian Village, downtown Cambridge. Stroll the streets to view scenes depicting life in Victorian England, featuring life-sized, handmade mannequins wearing real vintage clothing. 800-933-5480 or www. dickensvictorianvillage.com.
NOV. 1–JAN. 1 – Guernsey County Courthouse Holiday Light Show, Cambridge, 5:30–9 p.m. nightly. (Nov. 1–4 begins at 6:30 p.m.) Four different light and music shows performed each evening. Extended hours on selected dates. 800-933-5480 or www.dickensvictorianvillage.com.
NOV. 22 – Turn to Stone: A Tribute to ELO, Majestic Theatre, 45 E. Second St., Chillicothe, 7 p.m. $39–$59. Turn to Stone captures the magic of a 1970s ELO performance with a live string section, light show, and 70s clothing. www.majesticchillicothe.net.
NORTHEAST
NOV. 16–DEC. 16 – “Elegance of Christmas Past,” Victorian House Museum, 484 Wooster Rd., Millersburg, Sun.–Thur. 1–4 p.m., Fri./Sat. 1–8 p.m. $10; seniors and veterans/active military, $9. Grand opening Nov. 16, 4–8 p.m. 330-674-0022 or https:// www.holmeshistory.com/museum.
NOV. 20 – Ricardo Morales Vivero and Grace Blackford: An Evening of Hispanic Music, Medina County District Library, 210 S. Broadway St., Medina, 6:30–7:30 p.m. Free. Seating is on a first-come, firstserved basis. 419-853-6016 or www.ormaco.org.
NOV. 22 – Window Wonderland, downtown Wooster, 3 p.m. Free. Decorated storefront windows, Santa descending from the rooftop of the Briggs & Starr Building, hot chocolate, treats, live reindeer, horse-drawn carriage rides, lighting of the Christmas tree in the square, and much more. 330-262-6222 or www.mainstreetwooster.org.
NOV. 22–24 – Downtown Holiday Open House, downtown Chillicothe, Fri. 6–8 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. 12–5 p.m. Free. Ring in the holiday with the annual tree lighting, Shine On Chillicothe display lights, carriage rides, shopping, dining, caroling, trolley rides, and more! www. downtownchillicothe.com.
NOV. 23–DEC. 14 – The Hay Loft Christmas, 5027 Co. Rd. 6, Kitts Hill, Sat. 3–7 p.m. Pictures with Santa, his elves, and the Grinch. Hot chocolate, cookies, popcorn, and other snacks. Decorate Christmas cookies and other activities. There is a charge for pictures with Santa and for food. 740-534-2926 or www.facebook.com/thehayloftvenue.
NOV. 30 – Christmas Parade, downtown Cambridge, 5 p.m. This year’s theme is “Christmas in the Wild West,” honoring our legendary cowboy, Hopalong Cassidy. 740-439-2238 or www. downtowncambridge.com.
NOV. 30–DEC. 22 – Santa Train, Hocking Valley Scenic Railway, Nelsonville Depot, 33 W. Canal St., Nelsonville, every Sat. and Sun., 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., and at 6 p.m. on select dates (see website). $19–$24; under 3 free. www.hvsry.org/trainlist/#santa.
DEC. 4 – Rudolf Run 5K and Glow Walk, Elks Lodge, 42 W. Second St., Chillicothe, 6 p.m. $20–$30. A glow nose and necklace will accompany your registration (register by 11/24). www. downtownchillicothe.com.
DEC. 7 – Chillicothe Christmas Church Walk, downtown Chillicothe, 5 p.m. $10–$15. This walk features four churches and a variety of entertainment at each stop that will put you in the holiday spirit! www.downtownchillicothe.com.
DEC. 7 – Cookies with Santa, Deerassic Park Education Center, 14250 Cadiz Rd., Cambridge, 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Make a $5 donation or bring a toy in exchange for a dozen sugar cookies! Cookie decorating, craft making, hot cocoa, and more. 740435-3335 or www.deerassic.com.
DEC. 7 – Phil Dirt and the Dozers, Majestic Theatre, 45 E. Second St., Chillicothe, 7:30 p.m. $25–$40 Fans of all ages will enjoy hearing the oldies but goodies along with some of the band’s Christmas favorites. www.majesticchillicothe.net.
DEC. 7–8, 14–15 – Holidays at Adena, Adena Mansion and Gardens, 847 Adena Rd., Chillicothe, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $6–$12. Tour the beautifully decorated mansion and see how the holiday season was celebrated in the 19th century. Visit the Tenant House to learn how German tenants celebrated with traditions they brought to Adena. www. adenamansion.com.
DEC. 15 – Columbus Symphony Holiday Pops Spectacular, Ohio University Chillicothe, 101 University Dr., Chillicothe, 4–7 p.m. $5–$25. www. downtownchillicothe.com.
NOV. 29–DEC. 1, 6–8, 13–15, 20–29 – Medina County Fair Drive Thru Holiday Lights, Medina Co. Fgds., 720 W. Smith Rd., Medina, Sun.–Thur. 6–9 p.m., Fri./Sat. 6–10 p.m. Cars $10, small bus/15passenger van $20, large bus $50 330-723-9633 or www.medinaohiofair.com.
NOV. 29–JAN. 10 – Christmas in the Ville with Steubenville Nutcracker Village and Christmas at the Fort, Steubenville Visitor Center, 120 S. 3rd St., Steubenville. Free. Over 200 large-as-life, unique nutcrackers are stationed under a canopy of lights and holiday decorations throughout the downtown and Fort Steuben Park 24/7; Advent Market, hayrides, the Holly Trolley, children’s activities, music, crafts, and much more. 740-283-4935 or www. steubenvillenutcrackervillage.com.
NOV. 30 – The Handmade Market, Painesville Railroad Museum (NYC Painesville Depot), 475 Railroad St., Painesville, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Handmade arts and crafts, bake sale, raffle. 440-655-4455, prrmevent@att.net, or www. painesvillerailroadmuseum.org.
NOV. 30 – One Stop Christmas Shop, Church of the Saviour Gymnasium, 480 Fry Rd., Wooster, 9 a.m.–2 p.m. Free admission. Over 30 vendors; cash-and-carry specials; food trucks. Wheelchair accessible. Email theonestopshopvendors@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook: bit.ly/4blfeY9
NOV. 30–DEC. 1 – Christmas in the Alpaca Barn, 16800 Cowley Rd., Grafton, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Come and enjoy an up-close and personal look at these
wonderful peaceful creatures. Shop for unique gifts at the Farm Store. 440-724-7070 or www. ourlittleworldalpacas.com.
DEC. 2 – Christmas in Zoar, 198 Main St., Zoar. $10; 12 and under free. Learn about early American and German holiday traditions. Visits from Kristkind, the German Belsnickel, and Santa. Self-guided tours and extended shopping opportunities at the Zoar Store available. 800-262-6195 or www.historiczoarvillage. com.
DEC. 7 – Handbell Christmas Concert, Lincoln Way Vineyards, 9050 W. Old Lincoln Way, Wooster, 1 p.m. Presented by the Grace Ringers and Friends. Honoring veterans. Food truck on-site. Call 330-8049463, 330-464-0792, or 330-345-6472 for more information.
DEC. 15 – Cleveland Trombone Collective: Holiday Tunes, Wadsworth Public Library, 132 Broad St., Wadsworth, 2–3 p.m. Free. Enjoy lively brass arrangements of holiday music and more. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. 419-853-6016 or www.ormaco.org.
DEC. 15 – Massillon Train and Toy Show, Massillon Knights of Columbus Hall, 988 Cherry Rd. NW, Massillon, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. $5; 12 and under free. Free parking. All gauges and parts, running layouts, farm and vintage toys, diecast models, NASCAR items, and more. Food and drink available. 330-262-7488 or http://cjtrains.com/shows.
On horseback
A love of horses is passed down in this three-generation picture of me, our granddaughter Susie, and daughter Kim, when we visited them in Louisiana.
My
Our great-granddaughter, Evelyn Grace Dougherty, age 3½, loves her riding lesson. Lawson and Peggy Widman, Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative members
Liam
My
For February, send “Love language” by Nov. 15.
For March, send “Hoops hysteria” by Dec. 15. Upload your photos at www.ohiocoopliving.com/memberinteractive. Your photo may be featured in our magazine or on our website. Send us YOUR picture!
my
daughter, Keisha Towns, with my granddaughters Kamari, Karisah, and London, riding horseback at The Wilds. Sally Trivanovich, South Central Power Company member
friends, Beth and Angie, and I celebrated
birthday by going horseback riding in Hocking Hills. Delona Joiner, South Central Power Company member
and Taylor Schumann riding at horseman’s camp at Dew Downs in Sidney. Charles Vondenhuevel
Logan County Electric Cooperative member
My daughter, Aryiah, on Bubbles during riding lessons. Brittney Schumacher, North Central Electric Cooperative member
Beth Howard, Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative member
SERVING YOU
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