Ohio Cooperative Living – June 2023 - Holmes-Wayne

OHIO COOPERATIVE

ALSO INSIDE

Why am I a member?

Letting kids be kids

The state park that wasn’t

Summer stage

Ohio’s college thespians

Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative

Cover image on most editions: College theater programs in Ohio do things a little differently in the summertime. Otterbein University, for example, casts students as well as faculty members, alumni, and professional Equity artists. Shown is the 2022 production of Mrs. Mannerly

This page: South Central Power Company member Kristin Hinkle submitted this multi-generational rite of passage for this month’s Member Interactive feature, “Hook, line, and sinker.”

Separating fact from fiction

Your electric cooperative’s mission to provide members’ homes and businesses with reliable, affordable, environmentally responsible electricity has faced its share of obstacles through the decades. In the past several months, I have warned of threats to our electric system’s reliability from overly ambitious environmental regulations.

Last month, the Biden administration issued a new set of power plant rules that may be the greatest threat yet to our mission. If implemented, those rules all but ban the use of fossil fuels to produce electricity by the 2030s. The U.S. EPA administrator, Michael Regan, has even claimed this can be done at very little cost and without affecting electric reliability.

That, of course, would be wonderful if it were true. The reality is that our electric power system has been built up over decades — and it continues to evolve with new technologies that are cleaner and more efficient. Our system works on the principles of science and engineering, not wishes and dreams. Any plan to move completely away from fossil fuels today is unrealistic based on the limits of technology, time, and money.

Your electric cooperative is a member-owned and -controlled organization that exists solely for the benefit of those members — like you — and the communities we serve. Like many other businesses, we advocate on behalf of the cooperative and our members with the government officials who make the laws and regulations that affect our operations.

Unlike most other businesses, however, your electric cooperative is not pushing for policies that allow us to earn greater profits or gain a competitive advantage. Electric cooperatives are not-for-profit organizations, and our advocacy seeks only commonsense policies that allow us to meet our members’ expectations as a trusted and reliable supplier of an essential service.

People of all political persuasions depend on a reliable supply of electricity for their health, safety, and security. Unfortunately, the administration’s plan is simply not realistic. We will need to fight our federal government for many months, likely years, to avoid the harmful effects it will bring about.

Please stay tuned. We will need your help and support to keep the lights on.

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

Our electric power system has been built up over decades ... it works on the principles of science and engineering, not wishes and dreams.

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 Managing Editor

Amy Howat Associate Editor

Crystal Pomeroy Graphic Designer

Contributors: Margo Bartlett, Jodi Borger, Colleen Romick Clark, Getty Images, W.H. “Chip” Gross, Jill Moorhead, Catherine Murray, and Craig Springer.

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 Pontiac, IL 61764, 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

Why am I a member? Co-ops’ service areas were once loosely defined spots where big companies wouldn’t go. Now they’re written into Ohio law.

8 WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE

Frontier justice: A grisly story of the life and death of Col. William Crawford, whose name lives on across Ohio.

12 CO-OP PEOPLE

Empowering kids to be kids: Co-op-served youth home provides a safe place for kids to realize their worth after they’ve suffered trauma.

15 GOOD EATS

Like butter: There’s just nothing like the taste and feel of rich, smooth, churned-cream deliciousness.

19 LOCAL PAGES

News and other important information from your electric cooperative.

8

12

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

37 CALENDAR

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

40 MEMBER INTERACTIVE

Hook, line, and sinker: All these members’ fish stories are backed up with photographic evidence!

photos and find content submitted

15 40

37

Why am I a member?

BY JEFF MCCALLISTER; PHOTOS COURTESY OF EMILY BANIA

Matthew and Emily Bania, with their children, Kora, 5, and Lane, 2, live between Pleasant City and Sarahsville in rural Noble County. Their home is served by Washington Electric Cooperative.

Emily Bania has been a member of an electric cooperative for as long as she can remember. Growing up around Belle Valley, she and her family were members of Mariettabased Washington Electric Cooperative.

When she married her husband, Matthew, they moved to their place between Pleasant City and Sarahsville, in northern Noble County, where they still live with their kids, Kora and Lane. They have remained members of Washington Electric for the past 10 years. “It’s just what we’ve always had,” Emily says. “We’ve always just appreciated being members. We know several people who work for the co-op, including one of our neighbors, who’s a lineman. They’re always friendly and helpful and I haven’t given it much thought past that.”

Emily’s story is typical for co-op members. They get their electricity from, and pay their bills to, one of Ohio’s 25 electric distribution cooperatives; usually vote in the election for the coop’s board of directors; and maybe attend the annual meeting of members. They might even get capital credits in the form of a check or a bill credit at the end of the year when the not-forprofit co-op’s revenues outpace its expenses.

It’s also typical for members not to think much about why their home or business gets electricity from a cooperative and not from one of the investor-owned utilities that operate in Ohio.

Co-ops, in fact, only came into being because the large, forprofit electric companies had no interest in stringing power lines out to farms and other rural areas — there was little or no profit to be made from doing so.

So, the farmers did it themselves. Thanks to the New Deal’s Rural Electrification Act back in the mid-1930s, funding became available for local co-ops to form and build out the infrastructure needed to turn on the lights on farms and in hamlets that were ignored by the power companies.

The first electric cooperative pole in the nation, in fact, was set by Piqua-based Pioneer Electric Cooperative in 1935, when only one out of every 10 rural Ohio farms and homes was electrified. By June of 1937, more than 36 percent of rural Ohio had electricity, and by 1950, it was almost 100 percent.

There have been as many as 57 distribution cooperatives in Ohio since that time. Through mergers or attrition, 25 still operate within the state. (West Virginia’s one co-op is a member of Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives, which provides shared services such as Ohio Cooperative Living magazine; Michigan-based Mid-Ohio

Service territory FAQs

What is a service territory?

Electric certified territories (ECTs), often called “service areas” or “service territories,” are geographic regions where an electric company — which may be either an investor-owned utility or a rural electric cooperative — has the obligation and exclusive right to provide electric service. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is the authority regarding ECTs, and you can view the PUCO’s interactive map of ECTs at https://puco.ohio.gov/utilities/electricity/servicearea-map/electric-certified-territories-webmapping-application.

What’s the di erence between my co-op and an investor-owned utility?

Investor-owned utilities are business organizations that are intended to be profitable. An electric cooperative is a notfor-profit, member-owned utility that provides electric service solely to its members. Each cooperative has its own unique set of bylaws and is governed by a board of directors elected from and by the members of the coop. Nationally, more than 800 distribution cooperatives serve about 56% of the U.S. land area and more than 21.5 million homes, schools, businesses, and farms.

Why does the PUCO not regulate cooperatives?

The PUCO does not have jurisdiction over electric cooperatives and municipalities by the definitions of a “Public Utility” as defined in 4905.02 of the Ohio Revised Code, which states that an electric company that operates its utility not for profit, or that is owned and operated by any municipal corporation, is not included.

Co-ops’ service areas were once loosely defined spots where bigger electric companies wouldn’t go. Now they’re written into Ohio law.

Ohio’s co-op service territories

North Western Electric Cooperative, Bryan

Tricounty Rural Electric Cooperative, Malinta

Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative, Paulding

Hancock-Wood Electric Cooperative, North Baltimore

North Central Electric Cooperative, Attica

Firelands Electric Cooperative, New London

Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative, Wellington

Midwest Electric, Inc., St. Marys

Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative, Kenton

Darke Rural Electric Cooperative, Greenville

Pioneer Electric Cooperative, Piqua

Logan County Electric Cooperative, Bellefontaine

URE–Union Rural Electric Cooperative, Marysville

Consolidated Cooperative, Mount Gilead

Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Millersburg

Carroll Electric Cooperative, Carrollton

Frontier Power Company, Coshocton

The Energy Cooperative, Newark

Guernsey-Muskingum Electric Cooperative, New Concord

South Central Power Company, Lancaster

Washington Electric Cooperative, Marietta

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative, Oxford

Adams Rural Electric Cooperative, West Union

Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative, Rio Grande

Midwest Energy and Communications, Cassopolis, Michigan

Energy and Communications serves 1,000 members in northwestern Ohio.)

The co-ops determined the areas they’d serve when they formed, mostly based on geography and whether service was available from anyone else. Those territories remained mostly constant, though they were not legally defined. The situation led to some areas of overlapping service, which not only created confusion and safety issues, for example, for first responders arriving on an accident scene, but made it difficult for the utilities to plan for future growth.

Then in 1978, co-ops banded together to push the Ohio Legislature to pass House Bill 577, which defined service territories and mandated the Public Utilities Commission to certify the areas where each electric provider in the state has both the obligation and exclusive right to provide electric service. The legislation protected both co-ops and consumers, who could no longer be denied service for simple reason of convenience to the electricity provider. With the publication of the PUCO map, all co-ops, municipal systems, and investor-owned companies were granted specific, legally defined, and agreed-upon areas they serve. Co-ops serve about 400,000 homes and businesses in areas within 77 of Ohio’s 88 counties.

Service territories remained unchanged in the 1990s despite the deregulation that allowed competing energy providers to supply electricity to consumers through energy choice; co-ops and municipalities were specifically exempted. The PUCO’s regulatory authority does not extend to either government-run municipalities or member-run cooperatives.

And while that history is nice, members like the Bania family are just happy the place they live happens to be served by a co-op. “When our power was out for a couple of days during that winter storm a while back, we would watch our neighbor go out at all hours to get people reconnected,” Emily says. “He kept checking on us because he knew it might be a while and wanted to make sure we were OK. I can’t imagine you get that with the bigger companies.”

Remember when you were a child and got your first bicycle? I do. It gave me a sense of independence . . . I felt like I could go anywhere, and it was so much easier and more enjoyable than walking. Well, at my age, that bike wouldn’t do me much good. Fortunately, there’s a new invention that gives me the freedom and independence to go wherever I want . . . safely and easily. It’s called the Zoomer, and it’s changed my life.

My Zoomer is a delight to ride! It has increased my mobility in my apartment, my opportunities to enjoy the out-of-doors, and enabled me to visit the homes of my children for longer periods of time. The various speeds of it match my need for safety, it is easy to turn, and I am most pleased with the freedom of movement it gives me.

Sincerely, A. Macon, Williamsburg, VA

After just one trip around your home in the Zoomer, you’ll marvel at how easy it is to navigate. It is designed to maneuver in tight spaces like doorways, between furniture, and around corners. It can go over thresholds and works great on any kind of floor or carpet. It’s not bulky or cumbersome, so it can roll right up to a table or desk– there’s no need to transfer to a chair. Its sturdy yet lightweight aluminum frame makes it durable and comfortable. Its dual motors power it at up to 3.7 miles per hour

and its automatic electromagnetic brakes stop on a dime. The rechargeable battery powers it for up to 8 miles on a single charge. Plus, its exclusive foldable design enables you to transport it easily and even store it in a closet or under a bed when it’s not in use.

Why spend another day letting mobility issues hamper your lifestyle? Call now and find out how you can have your very own Zoomer.

Away

Joystick Control (adaptable left or right)

WOODS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE

Frontier Justice

A grisly story of the life and death of Col. William Crawford, whose name lives on across Ohio.

BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS

One of the most infamous incidents in all of early Ohio history occurred 241 years ago this month, on June 11, 1782, when Col. William Crawford of the fledgling U.S. Army was burned at the stake by Native American locals out for revenge.

Eastern Woodlands tribes rarely killed captives in such a manner, reserving this worst of tortures and deaths for their

greatest of enemies. In Crawford’s case, however, the Natives killed the wrong man. And they knew it. …

The story begins several months earlier, in March 1782, when 96 members of the Delaware tribe, who had converted to Christianity, were rounded up, massacred, and burned along with their entire village of Gnadenhutten (meaning huts, or tents,

Detail from an artist’s rendering of the execution of Col. William Crawford.

of grace) along the Tuscarawas River by Col. David Williamson and his contingent of frontier militia.

Not surprisingly, when the Delaware Nation heard of the murders, its population was furious and swore vengeance. After the Moravian Massacre (as it came to be known because the Natives had been converted to Christianity by Moravian missionaries), Williamson and his men returned to Fort Pitt, which one day would become Pittsburgh.

Soon thereafter, some 500 Pennsylvania militiamen volunteered to return to the Ohio country and continue the campaign to punish tribes for their ongoing depredations on white settlers and frontier forts south of the Ohio River. Williamson and Crawford were both considered to lead the contingent. Crawford, 60 years old and a seasoned military leader of the American Revolution, had come out of retirement to join the campaign and was elected by a handful of votes; Williamson would be his second-in-command.

The Army headed northwest on horses, moving toward Natives’ towns located along the headwaters of the Sandusky River. The area was mainly prairie land, with copses of scattered trees. During the early afternoon of June 4, the advance guard was fired upon by tribesmen hiding in the tall grasses.

Not only had the frontiersmen not surprised their targets, as they had hoped, but they found themselves outnumbered 2-to-1. The ensuing Battle of Sandusky raged over a period of two days, resulting in an eventual rout of the militia. Crawford was captured during the chaotic retreat, and many other militiamen were either captured or killed.

The irony of the battle is that Williamson escaped without injury. Knowing he had been responsible for the deaths of the 96 innocent Moravian Delawares, Native combatants would have liked nothing better than to have captured Williamson, as well as Crawford. As they felt someone needed to be held accountable for the Gnadenhutten Massacre, Crawford became the scapegoat.

Chief Wingenund of the Delaware Tribe reportedly told Crawford coldly, “Now, you must pay for Williamson’s crime, because you have not attended to the Indian principle that as good and evil cannot dwell together in the same heart, so a good man ought not to go into evil company.”

The Delaware took Crawford back to their encampment, stripped him, and tied his hands behind his back. Crawford was then tethered to a large wooden post where the Natives lit a large, circular fire around him. The scene is too gruesome to describe here; suffice it to say he died several hours later.

A monument to Col. William Crawford stands today near the small town of Carey in Wyandot County. Adjacent Crawford County is named for him, as is the local Colonel Crawford School District. The site of the Moravian Massacre, Gnadenhutten, is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

There are numerous historical markers and monuments around Ohio and Pennsylvania that tell part of the history of Col. William Crawford. This one stands near Carey, Ohio.

Got a monstrously delicious dish you serve during the Halloween season? A ghoulishly clever presentation? We’re looking for SPOOKY recipes — and the stories behind them — for our

2023 Reader Recipe Contest.

2023 Reader Recipe Contest

Three ways to enter by June 15:

Submissions may be an original recipe or one adapted from an existing recipe published elsewhere, with at least three distinct changes from the published version. Include your name and address, a phone number and email address where you can be contacted, and the name of your electric cooperative.

Send your recipe, including all ingredients and measurements, directions, and number of servings. Then tell us the basic story behind your recipe — is it a family tradition, passed down through generations? Or did you make it up one day out of thin air? A good back story can never hurt!

Entrants must be electric cooperative members or residents of an electric cooperative household. Limit of three recipes per entrant. Contest winners will be announced in the October edition of Ohio Cooperative Living.

EMPOWERING KIDS

to be kids

BY JODI BORGER; PHOTOS COURTESY OF CCHO

About 60 years ago, the pastor at a church in tiny Rittman, near Wooster, heard about a young person who needed a safe place to stay. At the time, the pastor and his family weren’t in a place to be able to take the boy in, so he described the situation to members of his congregation — some of whom were members of a larger group that encompassed parishioners from multiple churches in the area.

That event set in motion an idea that soon became the Christian Children’s Home of Ohio, perfectly nestled on 163 acres of former farmland just north of Wooster, served by Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative. Originally conceived as a foster/group home for three to five young people, CCHO has grown into a residential center that provides a safe, structured environment to meet the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs of children from across Ohio, many of whom have been abused, neglected, and traumatized by people they trusted most.

When the property was first acquired, there was a barn, a couple of outbuildings, and a farmhouse that was converted to the first foster home. Since then, five more cottages have been added to the property — each set up similarly to the original farmhouse. Cottages are separated by gender and age and can house as many as 36 residents at a time.

“Our kids have experienced severe trauma, so one of the things that we really want them to know is it’s okay to just be a kid,” says Kevin Hewitt, CCHO’s president and CEO. The property has evolved to include a baseball field, a basketball court, playground equipment, a swimming pool, and green space, and toward the back of the property is a 42-foot climbing tower with a 300-foot zipline, and Canopy Hills, a nine-hole disc golf course.

“The founders wanted to create a place where kids and God could meet,” says Hewitt. “Thanks to the vision of one

Co-op-served youth home provides a safe place for kids to realize their worth after suff ering trauma.

men’s group, we have now helped thousands of children and their families through the 50-year history of CCHO.”

Last month marked CCHO’s 54th anniversary, and it’s still living up to its original purpose: to help people realize their worth. That mission is supported by dozens of churches, community organizations, and individuals, along with the hard work of more than 190 employees and oversight from a board of trustees.

It’s common that kids at CCHO have either thought they were worthless or were told they were worthless and that no one cared about them. Hewitt’s goal is to have all children at CCHO understand who they are and know that they are so much more than what has happened to them.

“Many of our kids have had to tell their deepest, darkest secrets to police officers, child advocates, and prosecutors, and so many times the kids have never had the opportunity to just be kids,” says Hewitt. “Some of my favorite days are when I can have my window open and I can hear our kids laughing and playing ball or laughing and doing field events.”

CCHO currently has 1,500 active clients across all its service programs, which include residential treatment, Encompass Counseling, and Encourage Foster Care.

CCHO is accredited by the Council on Accreditation for Children and Families, licensed by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health, and is a member of the

Upcoming fundraising event

11th Annual Great Grill O June 11, 2023

www.greatgrillo .com

CCHO invites the public to feast on specialty burgers (sliders) on the Wooster-area campus. Events include games for the kids and tours of the campus, including an opportunity to see the climbing tower, log cabin, and trails.

Ohio Association of Child Caring Agencies. It’s also a licensed child care agency by the Ohio Department of Human Services.

Most of the children, aged 6 to 18, are placed at CCHO through local or county children’s services boards or departments of job and family services.

“I got into this field more than 30 years ago and I learned very quickly not to say, ‘I’ve heard everything’ because then another referral would come in,” says Hewitt. It is shocking, he said, what some adults do to children. “All of our kids come from some type of traumatic history, so we do our best to build resilience in them.”

Each child has his or her own therapist and case manager to provide clinical treatment. They also have the opportunity to participate in music and equine therapy on the property. “I have been blessed in my life to have so many people who have believed in me and wanted what’s best for me, and I’ve seen kids take one word they heard from someone and allow that to be the trigger to make tremendous life changes,” says Hewitt. “It springboards them to an unbelievable life. I love to see that. I love the concept of the overcomer.”

To learn more about CCHO or to make a donation, visit www.ccho.org.

bu t ter Like

There’s nothing like the taste and feel of rich, smooth, churned-cream deliciousness.

LEMON-BUTTER ARTICHOKES

Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 20 to 60 minutes | Servings: 4

2 large whole artichokes

1 lemon

1 sprig rosemary

1 teaspoon salt

3⁄4 cup salted butter

1 large egg yolk (optional)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper

NOTE: One artichoke serves 2 people as an appetizer. If you’ve never eaten a whole artichoke before, think of it like crab legs or edamame — it takes time to get to the good stu . Use leftover dipping sauce on broccoli, asparagus, or fish.

Trim the artichoke stems with a sharp knife, leaving about an inch. Cut an inch off of the leaves at the top and trim the spiky ends of the outer leaves. Rinse in cold water. Place artichokes in a large stockpot; fill with water until the artichokes float. Wash lemon and cut in half between the ends. Slice one half and add to the water along with rosemary sprig and teaspoon of salt. Cover, turn on high, and bring to a boil. Turn heat down a notch and continue boiling. Cook time varies significantly based on the size and age of the artichokes. Boil 20 to 60 minutes, checking every 10 or 15 minutes. They’re done when a knife easily slides through the stem lengthwise and the leaves are easy to pull off.

Using tongs, place artichokes, stem side up, in a strainer to drain and cool until they’re easy to handle. Slice each artichoke in half through the stem and scoop out the clump of fuzzy, satiny threads near the stem (careful: the threads are thin and sharp!), along with the small clump of spiky purple leaves just behind it.

Melt butter and let cool. Blend egg yolk and Dijon with an immersion blender while slowly adding the melted butter until mixture thickens, then mix in 2 tablespoons juice (from the remaining half-lemon), and black pepper. (If desired, you can skip the egg yolk and blender and simply mix remaining ingredients with a spoon.)

To eat, pull off each leaf, dip the end that was attached to the artichoke in the dipping sauce and scrape the tender flesh off with your teeth, discarding the rest of the leaf. Once you’ve made your way through the leaves, eat the remaining soft flesh near the stem.

Per serving: 355 calories, 36 grams fat (22 grams saturated fat), 144 milligrams cholesterol, 399 milligrams sodium, 7 grams total carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 3 grams protein.

BY CATHERINE MURRAY

RECIPES

Prep: 10 minutes | Bake: 25 minutes | Servings: 9

1 cup cornmeal

3⁄4 cup flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

11⁄2 cups buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 stick salted butter, softened

3 tablespoons honey

1⁄2+ teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce

Preheat oven to 425 F and grease a square 8 x 8-inch baking dish. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, melt the 6 tablespoons of butter, then whisk in buttermilk and eggs. Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix until well incorporated. Pour into greased dish and bake 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together softened butter, honey, and hot sauce until smooth. Taste for spice level and add more hot sauce if desired, then serve with cornbread. Butter can be kept at room temperature in a covered container for 2 days and added to other dishes like roasted carrots, fried chicken, or grilled corn on the cob. Per serving: 303 calories, 20 grams fat (12 grams saturated fat), 90 milligrams cholesterol, 476 milligrams sodium, 28 grams total carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams protein.

CORNBREAD WITH HOT HONEY BUTTER GOOEY BUTTER CAKE

Prep: 10 minutes | Bake: 35 minutes

Servings: 14

4 large eggs, divided 1⁄2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon

lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1 (15.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix

8 ounces cream cheese, softened 31⁄2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, blend together 2 of the eggs, butter, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. With mixer on low, add yellow cake mix, then increase speed to medium until smooth and thick. Spread batter into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Once empty, use the same bowl to beat cream cheese, remaining 2 eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla for 2 minutes, then mix in the powdered sugar. Pour over the cake batter, smoothing out the top. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until edges are golden brown and middle is slightly jiggly. Cool before dusting with powdered sugar, then slice and serve.

Per serving: 387 calories, 17 grams fat (9 grams saturated fat), 89 milligrams cholesterol, 318 milligrams sodium, 55 grams total carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 4.5 grams protein.

SAGE BROWN BUTTER GNOCCHI

Prep: 5 minutes | Cook: 10 minutes | Servings: 4

1 pound gnocchi

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

handful of fresh sage leaves, small

1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

black pepper to taste

Heat gnocchi according to package directions. Drain well. Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add sage and continue cooking for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until butter has brown flecks and a nutty smell. Quickly set aside and sprinkle nutmeg and salt over top.

Place a large skillet on the hot burner and melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Toss in gnocchi and let brown on one side, flip, and brown on the other side. Add in the sage brown butter and toss to coat. Serve with shaved Parmesan and black pepper to taste.

Per serving: 359 calories, 19 grams fat (12 grams saturated fat), 49 milligrams cholesterol, 498 milligrams sodium, 42 grams total carbohydrates, 0 grams fiber, 7 grams protein.

Have you tried one of our recipes? Do you have a recipe to share with other Ohio co-op members? Visit the Member Interactive page on www.ohiocoopliving.com to find recipes submitted by our readers and to upload yours.

www.ohiocoopliving.com

How a Safe Step Walk-In Tub can change your life

Remember when…

Think about the things you loved to do that are dif cult today — going for a walk or just sitting comfortably while reading a book. And remember the last time you got a great night’s sleep?

As we get older, health issues or even everyday aches, pains and stress can prevent us from enjoying life.

So what’s keeping you from having a better quality of life?

Check all the conditions that apply to you.

Personal Checklist:

Arthritis Dry Skin

Insomnia Anxiety

Diabetes Mobility Issues

Lower Back Poor Pain Circulation

Then read on to learn how a Safe Step Walk-In Tub can help. Feel better, sleep better, live better

A Safe Step Walk-In Tub lets you indulge in a warm, relaxing bath that can help relieve life’s aches, pains and worries.

A Safe Step Tub can help increase mobility, boost energy and improve sleep.

It’s got everything you should look for in a walk-in tub:

• Heated Seat – Providing soothing warmth from start to nish.

• MicroSoothe® Air Therapy System – helps oxygenate and soften skin while offering therapeutic bene ts.

• Pain-relieving therapy – Hydro massage jets target sore muscles and joints.

• Safety features – Low step-in, grab bars and more can help you bathe safely and maintain your independence.

• Free Shower Package – shower while seated or standing.

ANNUAL REPORT

District 6

Chester and Plain townships in Wayne County

2023 Board of Trustees Election: Districts

District 5

Hardy, Monroe, and Prairie townships in Holmes County

District 4

Berlin, Clark, Mechanic, and Salt Creek townships in Holmes County

Candidate information is presented as provided by each candidate.

HWEC Code of Regulations requires a nominating committee consisting of one member from each of the nine districts to select a minimum of one and maximum of three candidates for the election process.

District 4 District 4

Name: Chris Young, P.E., P.S. (incumbent)

Home Address: 2860 TR 128 Millersburg, OH 44654

Email Address: youngcivileng@gmail.com

Number of years as HWEC Member: 18

Cooperative voting district: 4

Education and specific degree: The Ohio State University - Bachelor of Science in civil engineering (1995); Stark Technical College - associates degree in civil engineering technology (1992); Registered Professional Engineer (#64075) and Surveyor (#8197) in the State of Ohio

Current employment or employment history: Holmes County engineer/Highway Department – county engineer (2001-Present): Responsible for the planning, budgeting, maintenance, and construction for 250 miles of roads and 286 bridges; Holmes County Sewer District - county sanitary engineer (2008-Present): Manage the sewer district’s six treatment plants and collection systems for the County Commissioners. More than 30 years of experience in construction, engineering, and surveying on both private and public works projects

Leadership and community activities: Holmes Wayne Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees, member of the Ohio Public Works Commission – District 14 Committee, member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and charter member of the Structural Engineering Institute, member of the National Association of County Engineers, member of the County Engineers Association of Ohio, member of the Professional Land Surveyors of Ohio, member of the American Public Works Association, Board of Directors – County Engineers Association of Ohio (2014-2018).

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the HWEC Board of Trustees or serving another term? I would enjoy and be proud to serve another term representing the members of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative. I feel that I have been able to contribute positively to the board of trustees decisions over the past three years. Through the combined efforts of its leadership, employees, and members they serve, I believe Holmes-Wayne Electric to be one of the best electric co-ops in the state. I am proud to be a part of such a well-run organization that always keeps the best interests of the membership in mind for every decision that is made. The people and the businesses of the community will continue to thrive as a result of good infrastructure, strategic planning, and smart growth. I feel that the quality of life in our community is in large part due to the hard work that has built a strong local economy. This strong economy requires reliable and affordable electricity. As a professional engineer and father, I wish to help our community remain strong and prosperous for future generations by continuing to serve on the HWEC Board of Trustees.

Any additional information you feel is essential for members to be aware of:

As the Holmes County engineer and sanitary engineer, I am responsible for budgeting and management, including maintenance and construction of the county’s critical infrastructure when it comes to roads, bridges, and sanitary sewers. I feel my collective experience and thorough understanding of critical infrastructure will directly translate into serving as an effective trustee on the HWEC Board.

Family: Spouse, Diane; children: Matthew and Nathan.

Name: Matt D. Polcyn

Home address: 7838 Township Road 102, Millersburg, OH 44654

Email address: mattpolcyn@gmail.com

Number of years as HWEC Member: 14

Cooperative voting district: 4

Education and specific degree: Bachelor of Arts — Moody Bible Institute

Current employment or employment history: Self-employed plumbing contractor since 2004. Mr. Rooter franchise from 2008-2016. The Trenchless Guys 2012-present specializing in Epoxy drain replacements and excavation work. Early years, I was general farm labor and helped milk cows for a local farmer. At 16, I worked as a farm and field tech for Open Road Holsteins out of Stillwell, Ohio. Later switched to excavating for Tom Miller and then got started in plumbing with Trail Plumbing from Berlin, Ohio. Later moved to Chicago and pursued a BA degree in communications at Moody Bible Institute.

Leadership and community activities: Business owner and leader for almost 20 years. I enjoy being involved in young lives and encouraging them to think bigger and beyond the immediate. I have a small campground and Airbnb and I enjoy interacting with new people from different walks of life. I travel a lot and have been to all 50 states, many of them numerous times. I enjoy meeting new people and opening my eyes and mind to new ideas and experiences.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the HWEC Board of Trustees or serving another term? As a local business owner and homeowner for numerous years now, I have seen the importance of what you do as an organization providing power to rural America. I’ve traveled to numerous Caribbean islands and have seen how important dependable and regular, reliable electricity is. It definitely is one of those blessings that you really appreciate when they aren’t available. Holmes-Wayne, to me, has done an amazing job providing consistent power for my homes and business in places that many others in the world would hope to have.

Family: Ex-spouse, Jennifer; children: Laura and Adam; parents: Richard & Margaret.

Chris Young

Matt Polcyn

Board of Trustees Election: Candidates

District 5 District 5

Name: Ronnie R. Schlegel (incumbent)

Home Address: 8011 Township Road 323, Holmesville, OH 44633

Email Address: ronnierschlegel@gmail.com

Number of years as HWEC Member: 50

Cooperative voting district: 5

Education and specific degree: High school graduate, Waynedale; University of Akron, Wayne General College; NRECA CCD Certificate, Director Gold Credential; Dale Carnegie Sales Training Certificate

Current employment or employment history: G&R Schlegel Farms, Rayco, Reberland Equipment, Shearer Equipment, North Central Ag Equipment, Ohio Ag Equipment Manager, retired.

Leadership and community activities: Former 4-H Advisor (10 years), former 4-H County Committee chairman, Holmes County Farm Bureau, previous Farm Bureau Advisory Council member, previous member of Holmes County Fairground & Expo committee, previous board member of Federal Land Bank Association, current United Way of Wayne & Holmes County member, current chairman of United Way of Wayne and Holmes County.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the HWEC Board of Trustees or serving another term? I firmly believe in the cooperative business model and in membership representation. I have very strong ties and commitment to the communities served by HWEC. I feel my 39 years of service on the board, my maturity, my training, and my experience give me insight and the ability to represent the members and help guide the cooperative through the current changing times and new technologies.

Any additional information you feel is essential

for members to be aware of:

In my role as a business owner, and later in my employment at area businesses, I have been exposed to a wide variety of business models along with their procedures and policies. This, along with continued training I have taken from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association and other outside institutions, has given me the tools, experience, and knowledge to serve on the HWEC Board of Trustees.

Family: Wife, Sandy (50 years); married daughters Merci and Charity; five grandchildren; six great-grandchildren.

Name: Michele M. Snow

Home address: 5971 County Road 333, Millersburg, OH 44654

Email address: michelemsnow@gmail.com

Number of years as HWEC Member: 12

Cooperative voting district: 5

Education and specific degree: West Holmes High School, 2000 OBL School of Consumer Lending, 2002 OBL School of Real Estate Lending, 2006 ABA School of Commercial Lending

Current employment or employment history: I have been employed by the Killbuck Savings Bank Company for 29 years. I have worked in various departments, starting out as a teller and now in my leadership position as vice president/retail lending manager. I lead the Consumer Lending Department, overseeing all consumer real estate lending, covering 11 branches in six counties. I am also a mortgage loan originator.

Leadership and community activities: 1999-present: Board member for the Killbuck Community Improvement Corporation, serving as the financial advisor; 2013 Holmes County Leadership graduate; 2016-present: Board member for the Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities, serving as secretary and on the ethics committee; 2019 CBAO Emerging Leader graduate.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the HWEC Board of Trustees or serving another term? As a lifetime resident of Holmes County, I am always seeking opportunities to serve within our community. I feel my values line up with Holmes-Wayne Electric’s mission and the cooperative principles. My financial background, along with my leadership skills, will allow me to collaborate with current board members to look out for the shareholders’ interests.

Any additional information you feel is essential for members to be aware of:

I am a dedicated leader with the ability to train, manage, and motivate team members while creating a positive environment. I have the ability to make personal connections and engage customers, and I am always courteous and professional in a team environment. I empower and develop team members (through delegation of duties, coaching/mentoring, and training) to improve the customer experience.

Family: Daughter, Zoee, who is a junior at West Holmes High School.

Ronnie Schlegel

Michele Snow

District 6 District 6

Name: Jonathan Berger (incumbent)

Home Address: 8200 Lattasburg Road, Wooster, OH 44691

Email Address: JDJDBERGER@gmail.com

Number of years as HWEC Member: 30+

Cooperative voting district: 6

Education and specific degree: Graduated Northwestern High School (1978), Ohio State University, B.S. in Agriculture (1982)

Current employment or employment history: Self-employed farmer

Leadership and community activities: Attends Southside Community Church; Wayne County Volunteer Guardianship Program; Operation Round Up Board at Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the HWEC Board of Trustees or serving another term? It has been a rewarding experience to serve three terms on the board of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative. Throughout the last couple of years — dealing with restrictions created by COVID and, more recently, our devastating storm in June that left so many without power — it has brought to mind again the quality of employees we are fortunate to have. From management to the hard- working linemen that put their safety on the line (pun intended) every day to bring us reliable electricity, I cannot overemphasize the gratitude it brings to attend a board meeting with reports of another month where everyone went home safe every evening and reports of appreciation shown with letters and notes from our members.

Family: Wife, Debbie; daughter, Jessica (Craig) Nolletti, with grandchildren Dominic, Macy, and Lilly; son David (Stefanie), with grandson Ronan; son David (Anna) with grandsons Finn and Calvin.

Name: James D. Yarwood

Home address: 6196 Lattasburg Road, Wooster, OH 44691

Email address: james.yarwood@outlook.com

Number of years as HWEC Member: 3

Cooperative voting district: 6

Education and specific degree: Baldwin Wallace University, Bachelor of Arts

Current employment or employment history: 2004-present: Ryder Systems, Inc., director of sales. Responsible for $155,000,000 in annual contractual revenue for the Great Lakes business unit; leader of thirty locations and team of fifteen employees for all facets of sales, including talent management, customer experience, and new business acquisition; successful in implementing marketing plans, including local, regional, and national programs; held positions of increased responsibility, including management trainee, market development manager, customer development manager, rental manager, senior rental manager, director of rental, and director of operations.

Leadership and community activities: Leadership activities as member of St. Peter Lutheran Church, New Pittsburg, Ohio, including properties committee and nominating committee, as well as volunteering to run audio/visual equipment; coach for Northwestern youth baseball; volunteer for Blessings in a Backpack for Northwestern Elementary.

Why are you interested in becoming a member of the HWEC Board of Trustees or serving another term? I would be honored to serve as a board member of the Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc. I have always been impressed with the efficiency of the cooperative and the benefit it brings to its members. I believe in the mission of the cooperative to safely provide reliable, competitively priced electric service to our member-owners to enhance the quality of life in the communities we serve while embracing cooperative principles and values.

Any additional information you feel is essential for members to be aware of: I have completed the United Way Blueprint for Boardroom Success Program. I also have prior board experience with WorkSource Cobb.

Family: Spouse, Angela (Elser) Yarwood; children, JD and Grace.

2022 Minutes from the annual meeting

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees canceled the 2022 public annual meeting. The election of candidates remained the same, and results of the election were published on HWEC’s website on June 30, 2022, and in the October edition of Ohio Cooperative Living. All key information that would have been presented at the 2022 meeting, including messages from the president/CEO and trustee chairman, was published in the October Ohio Cooperative Living magazine and posted on our website at www.hwecoop.com.

Jim Yarwood

Jonathan Berger

2022 Operation Round Up summary: Pennies add up to more than $900,000

In January 2006, Holmes-Wayne Electric introduced our Operation Round Up program, a simple concept with difference-making impact in our community. Seventeen years later, the Operation Round Up Foundation has distributed more than $900,000 back to our community.

“This program has been critical to helping individuals within our community who have fallen through the cracks,” explained Jonathan Berger, HWEC board member and ORU board member. “Our community is known for its kinship spirit and this program allows for that to continue by not burdening any one person while making lifechanging impact on our neighbors.

“We saw this need spike last summer when many of our members experienced severe damage to their homes and property due to a derecho storm slamming some areas with 94 mph winds,” Berger said. “Partnering with the United Way of Wayne and Holmes Counties, we donated $25,000

to assist members who physically or financially could not make the home repairs or property damage clean-up.”

If you are currently not participating in Operation Round Up, it is easy to sign up for the program. You can contact the cooperative toll-free at 866-674-1055 or email us at memberservices@hwecoop.com.

The program is simple. Every month, your bill is rounded up to the nearest dollar. That spare change is placed into the foundation. The foundation board of five people reviews all applications and specific criteria must be met. These funds are never used to pay HWEC bills. Funds are only distributed within our community, so the money remains within our community’s economy and helps our neighbors.

Following is last year’s distribution summary so you can see how ORU is helping out during difficult and unexpected medical emergencies, house fires, and situations that have fallen through the cracks of other agencies.

The Operation Round Up Board, pictured from left to right: (front) Michelle Wood, Glenn Miller, (back) Jonathan Berger, Matt Johnson, and Dan Mathie.

2022 Operation Round Up grants

2022 Operation Round Up grants (continued)

Operation Round Up

2022

2021

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

$52,659.98

2006 – $31,986.93

2022 AUDITOR’S REPORT

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT Report on the Financial Statements Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc. (the Cooperative), which comprise the balance sheets as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, the related statements of revenue and expense, patronage capital and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes to the financial statements.

In our opinion, the accompanying financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Cooperative as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the years then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America (GAAS) and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards, issued by the Comptroller General of the United States. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statements section of our report. We are required to be independent of the Cooperative and to meet our other ethical responsibilities, in accordance with the relevant ethical requirements relating to our audits. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Other matter

During the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Cooperative received $0 in long-term loan fund advances from CFC on loans controlled by the CFC Loan Agreement and/or Mortgage or Security Agreement.

Responsibilities of management for the financial statements

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and for the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, management is required to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Cooperative’s ability to continue as a going concern for the period of one year from the date of this report, or within one year after the date that the financial statements are available to be issued, when applicable.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not absolute assurance,

February 22, 2023 • Board of Trustees

Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc. Millersburg, Ohio 44654

and therefore, is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with GAAS and Government Auditing Standards will always detect a material misstatements when it exists.

The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. Misstatements are considered material if there is a substantial likelihood that, individually or in the aggregate, they would influence the judgment made by a reasonable user based on the financial statements.

In performing an audit in accordance with GAAS and Government Auditing Standards, we:

• Exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the audit.

• Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, and design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks. Such procedures include examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.

• Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Cooperative’s internal control. Accordingly, no such opinion is expressed.

• Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluate the overall presentation of the financial statements.

• Conclude whether, in our judgment, there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about the Cooperative’s ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time.

We are required to communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit, significant audit findings, and certain internal control related matters that we identified during the audit.

Other reporting required by Government Auditing Standards

In accordance with Government Auditing Standards, we have also issued our report dated February 22, 2023, on our consideration of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting and on our tests of its compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements and other matters. The purpose of that report is to solely describe the scope of our testing of internal control over financial reporting and compliance and the results of that testing, and not to provide an opinion on the effectiveness of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting or on compliance. That report is an integral part of an audit performed in accordance with Government Auditing Standards in considering Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting and compliance.

2022

Balance sheets

As of December 31, 2022 and 2021

(The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement.)

2022 Statements of Revenue and Expense

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021

2022 Statements of Cash Flows

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021

(The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement.)

2022

Notes to the financial statements

NOTE A: ORGANIZATION

Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc., (the Cooperative) is a non-profit corporation operating on a cooperative basis. ts primary purpose is to provide electric power and energy to its membership, which includes individuals as well as commercial and industrial businesses.

NOTE B: SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

General

The Cooperative’s accounting policies conform to generally accepted accounting principles of the United States of America following the accounting procedures common to rural electrical cooperatives and as recommended by the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).

Uninsured Risk

The Cooperative maintains its cash and cash equivalents balances in multiple financial institutions located in central Ohio. Deposits in interest-bearing and non-interest-bearing accounts are collectively insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) up to a coverage limit of $250,000 at each FDIC-insured depository institution. As a result, the Cooperative may have balances that exceed the insured limit.

Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles general accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Electric Plant, Equipment and Depreciation

The Cooperative records improvements and additions to the distribution plant at cost using continuing property records. Retirements are removed from the asset and accumulated depreciation accounts at a standard cost, which approximates original cost, which is updated periodically.

The general plant and equipment is recorded at cost based on the unit method. Any retirements or disposals of general plant and equipment are removed at cost from the asset and accumulated depreciation.

Depreciation is provided for by the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the property. The provisions are determined by the use of functional composite rates as follows:

Investments

Investments in associated organizations are recorded at cost, which is the same as par value. The investments have no ready market and are included in the financial statements as long-term assets. These investments, for the most part, represent equity contributions in other cooperatives and patronage capital received from other cooperatives.

Materials and Supplies

Inventory of materials and supplies not allocated to construction in progress is valued at average cost.

Patronage Capital

Net margins arising from operations are allocated to the members in the form of capital credits based on each member’s billings during the year. No portion of the current allocation is paid in cash.

Leases

The Company applies Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 842 in the accounting for leases. The Company determines if a contract contains a lease when the contract conveys the right to control the use of identified assets for a period in exchange for consideration. Upon identification and commencement of a lease, the Company establishes a right-of-use (ROU) asset and a lease liability. The total lease term is determined by considering the initial term per the lease agreement, which is adjusted to include any renewal or termination options that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. The Company does not recognize ROU assets and lease liabilities for leases with a term of 12 months or less. As a result of evaluating any contracts that may contain a lease, management of the Company determined that ASC 842 does not have material impact on the Company and therefore no ROU assets or lease liabilities are included in the financial statements.

Adoption of New Accounting Standard

In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standard Update (ASU) No. 201602, “Leases (Topic 842),” which specifies the accounting for leases. The objective is to establish the principles that lessees and lessors shall apply to report useful information to users of financial statements about the amount, timing and uncertainty of cash flows arising from a lease. This ASU introduces the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities by lessees for those leases classified as operating leases under previous guidance. The guidance was effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The adoption of the guidance did not have a material impact on the Company.

Income Taxes

The Cooperative is a Rural Electric Cooperative exempt from federal income taxes under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c) (12). Accordingly, no provision for federal income taxes has been made. An informational tax return, Form 990, is prepared and filed each year with the Internal Revenue Service. The Cooperative presently discloses or recognizes income tax positions based on management’s estimate of whether it is reasonably possible or probable, respectively, that a liability has been incurred for unrecognized income tax benefits. Interest and penalties would be recorded as operating expenses when they are incurred.

Statements of Cash Flows

For purposes of the statements of cash flows, the Cooperative considers all highly liquid debt instruments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Net cash flows from operating activities include cash payments for interest of $1,819,902 and $1,768,079 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. There were no payments for federal income taxes for 2022 or 2021.

NOTE C: REVENUE

Revenue from the sale of electricity is recorded monthly based on consumer electricity consumption. The Cooperative bills monthly for all consumers. Commercial consumers with capacity in excess of 15 KW have “Demand” meters and are billed based upon automated meter readings taken at the end of each calendar month. All other consumers are billed based upon self-read meter readings. Substantially all of the cooperative’s consumers are located in Holmes and Wayne counties. The allowance for doubtful accounts at December 31, 2022 and 2021, was $30,000. Bad debt expense for 2022 and 2021 was $22,932 and $20,347, respectively.

The Cooperative derives its revenues primarily from sales of electricity. For such revenues, the Cooperative recognizes revenues in an amount derived from the electricity delivered to customers.

The Cooperative calculates revenue earned but not yet billed based on the number of days not billed in the month, the estimated amount of energy delivered during those days and the estimated average price per customer class for that month. Differences between actual and estimated unbilled revenue are immaterial.

The performance obligation in all arrangements is satisfied over time because the customer simultaneously receives and consumes the benefits as the Cooperative delivers or sells the electricity. The Cooperative records revenue for all of those sales based upon the volume delivered, which corresponds to the amount that the Cooperative has a right to invoice. There are no material initial incremental costs of obtaining a contract in any of the arrangements. The Cooperative does not adjust the promised consideration for the effects of a significant financing component if it expects, at contract inception, that the time between the delivery of promised goods or service and customer payment will be one year or less. The Cooperative does not have any material significant payment terms because it receives payment at or shortly after the point of sale.

The Cooperative also has various other sources of revenue including billing, collection, other administrative charges, rent of utility property, and miscellaneous revenue. It classifies such revenues as other ASC 606 revenues to the extent they are not related to revenue generating activities from leasing.

NOTE D: UTILITY PLANT

Listed below are the major classes of the electric plant as of December 31:

NOTE E: INVESTMENTS IN ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS

Investments in associated organizations consisted of the following on December 31:

NOTE F: PATRONAGE CAPITAL FROM ASSOCIATED ORGANIZATIONS

Patronage Capital from associated organizations consisted of the following on December 31:

NOTE G: LEASES

Operating Leases: The Cooperative leases land and a postage machine that expire in various years through 2027. Termination of the leases is generally prohibited unless there is a violation under the lease agreement. Rent expense for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, was $6,968.

NOTE H: PATRONAGE CAPITAL

At December 31, 2022 and 2021, patronage capital consisted of:

The Cooperative’s patronage capital balances represent 39 and 40 percent, of the total assets at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Capital credit retirements in the amount

NOTE H: PATRONAGE CAPITAL (continued)

of $1,349,218 and $1,356,193 were paid in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Cooperative received donated capital from members totaling $57,811 and $46,715 during 2022 and 2021, respectively, which is included in the patronage capital retired for the year.

Patronage capital at December 31, 2022 and 2021, includes $23,201,311 and $23,076,730, respectively, reinvested in Buckeye Power, Inc., which has been restricted by action of the Board of Trustees and members of the Cooperative. This patronage capital reinvested in Buckeye Power, Inc., has been separately identified on the books of the Cooperative and will not be available for retirement by the Cooperative until retired in cash by Buckeye Power, Inc.

NOTE I: OTHER EQUITIES

At December 31, 2022 and 2021, other equities consisted of:

NOTE J: BENEFIT PLANS

All employees of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc. participate in the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) Retirement & Security Program, a multiemployer defined benefit pension plan qualified under Section 410 and tax exempt under Section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

NOTE L: LONG-TERM DEBT

The Cooperative makes annual contributions to the Program equal to the amounts accrued for pension expense except for the period when a moratorium on contributions is in effect. In this Plan, which is available to all member cooperatives of NRECA, the accumulated benefits and plan assets are not determined or allocated separately by individual employer. The pension expense for 2022 and 2021 was $853,237 and $788,159, respectively.

All employees of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc. are eligible to participate in the selected pension plan and trust defined contribution benefit plan administered by NRECA. The Cooperative contributes 1 percent of all eligible participants’ base salary and wages and matches up to an additional 4 percent of a participant’s voluntary contributions. The Cooperative expensed $167,946 and $159,477 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

NOTE K: SHORT-TERM DEBT

The short-term line of credit of $10,000,000 maximum is available to the Cooperative on loan commitments from NRUCFC at December 31, 2022 and 2021. The interest rate on the line of credit at December 31, 2022 and 2021, was 5.75 and 2.45 percent, respectively, with outstanding balances on the line of $4,500,000 and $500,000, for 2022 and 2021, respectively. Substantially all of the assets of the Cooperative are pledged for the mortgage notes payable and the line of credit. Principal and interest installments on the above notes are due either quarterly or monthly.

The Cooperative also has a corporate charge card agreement in place with US Bank and NRUCFC. The terms of the agreement state that CFC will extend the Cooperative credit, if needed, at CFC’s current line of credit rate, payable upon demand by CFC.

Long-term debt is comprised substantially of mortgage notes payable to the United States of America (RUS & FFB) and supplemental mortgages to NRUCFC. Following is a summary of outstanding long-term debt as of December 31, 2022 and 2021:

NOTE L: LONG -TERM DEBT (continued)

The annual maturities of long-term debt for the next five years are as follows:

NOTE M: DEFERRED CREDITS

Deferred credits are summarized as follows:

NOTE N: COMMITMENTS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

The Cooperative purchases all of its power from Buckeye Power, Inc., a non-profit corporation operating on a cooperative basis whose membership includes HolmesWayne Electric Cooperative, Inc. Rates for service members of Buckeye Power, Inc., are in accordance with the provisions of the Wholesale Power Agreement. The Cooperative had accounts payable due to Buckeye Power, Inc., of $2,653,739 and $2,494,602 at December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Cooperative purchases material from United Utility Supply Cooperative Corporation, formerly Rural Electric Supply Cooperative, Inc., of which it is an owner and member. Total purchases were $2,482,595 and $2,123,973 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Cooperative has an agreement with National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC), St. Louis, Missouri, to participate

in data processing services offered by NISC. This contract will continue until terminated by written notice given by either party. The total expense under this agreement was $202,430 and $197,866 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Cooperative borrows funds from National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation of which it is a member and owner (see also Note J and K).

The Cooperative has an investment in Heartland Emergency Equipment, Ltd., a limited liability company (LLC). The LLC’s members consist of 13 rural electric cooperatives. The purpose of the LLC is for the cooperatives to pool resources for the provision and use of emergency substation equipment. The investment balance is disclosed in Note E.

The Cooperative has an investment in Cooperative Response Center (CRC). CRC provides after-hours emergency telephone services for the Cooperative. Total fees for services were $59,187 and $42,447 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

The Cooperative maintains insurance coverage through Federated Rural Electric Insurance Exchange. of which it is a member and owner. Total premiums paid were $122,854 and $121,328 for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

NOTE O: ACCUMULATED OTHER COMPREHENSIVE LOSS

The following table sets forth the accumulated other comprehensive loss at December 31:

The annual health care cost trend rates, which have a significant effect on the amounts reported, are assumed as follows:

NOTE P: EMPLOYEE POSTRETIREMENT BENEFITS

The Cooperative sponsors an unfunded defined benefit postretirement medical insurance plan, which covers substantially all employees retiring from the Cooperative. Such a plan requires the recording of the net periodic postretirement benefit cost as employees render services necessary to earn such benefits, and requires the accrual of the postretirement benefit obligation (including any unfunded portion of the plan).

RUS is not requiring the Cooperative to fund the plan. The Cooperative is paying benefits to retirees on a “pay-as-you-go” basis. Therefore, there are no assets available for benefits.

The following table sets forth the plan’s accrued postretirement benefit obligation (“APBO”) at December 31:

The weighted-average discount rate used in determining the accumulated postretirement benefit obligation was 4.50 percent.

NOTE Q: RETIREMENT SECURITY PLAN PREPAYMENT

At the December 2012 meeting of the I&FS Committee of the NRECA Board of Directors, the Committee approved an option to allow participating cooperatives in the Retirement Security (RS) Plan (a defined benefit multiemployer pension plan) to make a prepayment and reduce future required contributions. The prepayment amount is a cooperative’s share, as of January 1, 2013, of future contributions required to fund the RS Plan’s unfunded value of benefits earned to date using Plan actuarial valuation assumptions. The prepayment amount will typically equal approximately 2.5 times a cooperative’s annual RS Plan required contribution as of January 1, 2013. After making the prepayment, for most cooperatives the billing rate is reduced by approximately 25%, retroactive to January 1, 2013. The 25% differential in billing rates is expected to continue for approximately 15 years. However changes in interest rates, asset returns and other plan experience different from that expected, plan assumption changes, and other factors may have an impact on the differential in billing rates and the 15-year period.

On February 28, 2013, the Cooperative made a prepayment of $1,549,855 to the NRECA RS Plan. The cooperative is amortizing this amount over 10 years. The Cooperative obtained a loan through NRUCFC to finance the RS Plan prepayment. Interest expense associated with the prepayment loan was accounted for in accordance with the RUS USOA.

NOTE R: OTHER RECEIVABLE

The Cooperative applied for funding from the Ohio State Disaster Relief Program related to restoration costs incurred from a wind storm that occurred in June 2022. The funding is expected to be received in 2023 and is recorded as other receivable on the balance sheet as of December 31, 2022.

NOTE S: SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

Management has evaluated subsequent events through February 22, 2023, the date on which the financial statements were issued.

INDEPENDENT

AUDITOR’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING AND ON COMPLIANCE AND OTHER MATTERS BASED ON AN AUDIT OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS PERFORMED IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT AUDITING STANDARDS

We have audited, in accordance with the auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, the financial statements of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc., as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the related notes to the financial statements, which collectively comprise Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s (the Cooperative) basic financial statements, and have issued our report thereon dated February 22, 2023.

Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements, we considered the Cooperative’s internal control over financial reporting (internal control) as a basis for designing the audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s, internal control. Accordingly, we do not express an opinion on the effectiveness of the Cooperative’s internal control.

A deficiency in internal control exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent, or detect and correct, misstatements on a timely basis. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the entity’s financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis. A significant deficiency is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control that is less severe than a material weakness, yet important enough to merit attention by those charged with governance.

Our consideration of internal control was for the limited purpose described in the first paragraph of this section and was not designed to identify all deficiencies in internal control that might be material weaknesses or significant deficiencies. Given these limitations, during our audit we did not identify any deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses. However, material weaknesses or significant deficiencies may exist that have not been identified.

Report on Compliance and Other Matters

As part of obtaining reasonable assurance about whether the Cooperative’s financial statements are free from material misstatement, we performed tests of its compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts, and grant agreements, noncompliance with which could have a direct and material effect on the financial statements. However, providing an opinion on compliance with those provisions was not an objective of our audit, and accordingly, we do not express such an opinion. The results of our tests disclosed no instances of noncompliance or other matters that are required to be reported under Government Auditing Standards.

Purpose of this Report

The purpose of this report is solely to describe the scope of our testing of internal control and compliance and the results of that testing, and not to provide an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control or on compliance. This report is an integral part of an audit performed in accordance with Government Auditing Standards in considering the entity’s internal control and compliance. Accordingly, this communication is not suitable for any other purpose.

February 22, 2023 • Board of Trustees

Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc.

Millersburg, Ohio 44654

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT ON COMPLIANCE WITH ASPECTS OF CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENTS AND REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR ELECTRIC BORROWERS

We have audited, in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America and the standards applicable to financial audits contained in Government Auditing Standards issued by the Comptroller General of the United States, the financial statements of Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, Inc. (the Cooperative), which comprise the balance sheet as of December 31, 2022, and the related statements of revenue, patronage capital, and cash flows for the year then ended, and the related notes to the financial statements, and have issued our report thereon dated February 22, 2023. In accordance with Government Auditing Standards, we have also issued our report dated February 22, 2023, on our consideration of the Cooperative’s internal control over financial reporting and on our tests of its compliance with certain provisions of laws, regulations, contracts and grant agreements and other matters. No reports other than the reports referred to above have been furnished to management.

In connection with our audit, nothing came to our attention that caused us to believe that the Cooperative failed to comply with the terms, covenants, provisions, or conditions of their loan, grant, and security instruments as set forth in 7 CFR Part 1773, Policy on Audits of Rural Utilities Service Borrowers, §1773.33 and clarified in the RUS policy memorandum dated February 7, 2014, insofar as they relate to accounting matters as enumerated below. However, our audit was not directed primarily toward obtaining knowledge of noncompliance. Accordingly, had we performed additional procedures, other matters may have come to our attention regarding the Cooperative’s noncompliance with the above-referenced terms, covenants, provisions, or conditions of the contractual agreements and regulatory requirements, insofar as they relate to accounting matters. In connection with our audit, we noted no matters regarding the Cooperative’s accounting and records to indicate that the Cooperative did not:

• Maintain adequate and effective accounting procedures;

• Utilize adequate and fair methods for accumulating and recording labor, material, and overhead costs, and the distribution of these costs to construction, retirement, and maintenance or other expense accounts;

• Reconcile continuing property records to the controlling general ledger plant accounts;

• Clear construction accounts and accrue depreciation on completed construction;

• Record and properly price the retirement of plant;

• Seek approval of the sale, lease or transfer of capital assets and disposition of proceeds for the sale or lease of plant, material, or scrap;

• Maintain adequate control over materials and supplies;

• Prepare accurate and timely Financial and Operating Reports;

• Obtain written RUS approval to enter into any contract for the management, operation, or maintenance of the borrower’s system if the contract covers all or substantially all of the electric system;

• Disclose material related party transactions in the financial statements, in accordance with requirements for related parties in generally accepted accounting principles;

• Record depreciation in accordance with RUS requirements (See RUS Bulletin 183-1, Depreciation Rates and Procedures);

• Comply with the requirements for the detailed schedule of deferred debits and deferred credits; and

• Comply with the requirements for the detailed schedule of investments.

This report is intended solely for the information and use of the board of trustees, management, and the RUS and supplemental lenders and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties. However, this report is a matter of public record and its distribution is not limited.

2023 Annual Meeting

The Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative Annual Meeting of Members will take place at: 10:00 a.m., June 29, 2023

Baker Building at Harvest Ridge 8880 OH-39

Millersburg, OH 44654

Agenda

1. Meeting called to order

2. Invocation

3. Chairman’s report

4. Financial report

5. ORU report

6. President’s report

7. Results of trustee election and swearing in of trustees

8. Unfinished business

9. New business

10. Adjournment

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BY MARGO BARTLETT

This summer, you can take a voyage on a 19th-century British ship, visit ancient Rome, witness 50 years in a couple’s bedroom, travel to the underworld, and even go to the prom, all within the confines of the Buckeye State. Those are only some of the journeys offered by Ohio college theater programs that celebrate summer as a time to heat up the stage with musicals.

Of course, college summer theater programs showcase the talents of their own theater students. But it’s also a time they may feature alumni, students from other schools, and professional actors and designers from around the country, says Terri Kent, producing artistic director for Kent State University’s Porthouse Theatre. The combination adds up to robust performances that delight audiences, she says.

“The enthusiasm and commitment of the younger actors inspires everyone,” she says. “More seasoned actors are teaching by example. There are no classes, no exams. The students are learning through experience, and everyone is having a wonderful time.”

Ohio Cooperative Living caught up with three renowned college programs to get a sense of what’s happening on campus during the summer months. (Several others stage their own productions, so make sure to check out your local institution’s website to see what might be in store).

Ohio Light Opera at the College of Wooster

Freedlander Theatre, 329 E. University St., Wooster, OH 44691. 330-263-2345; www.ohiolightopera.org

At its peak, Ohio Light Opera’s program allows ambitious theater lovers to see as many as six shows in one week. While there are some devoted ticket holders who do just that, many others come to see one or two favorites.

Ohio Light Opera, the resident professional company of the College of Wooster, has been entertaining audiences since 1979, says Laura Neill, OLO’s executive director.

“The program offers a classical rotating repertory,” Neill says. “We open one show, then the next, then the next, and so on, and by the last three weeks of the season, we are playing and rotating all six shows.”

Performers, musicians, and production workers come from all over the country to participate in OLO shows. Auditions are held in Wooster and New York City, as well as virtually.

Cast members tend to perform in more than one show, Neill says. Actors might have lead and supporting roles in a couple of shows and perform in the chorus of a third, she says. Stage crews work on all the shows.

Summer Schedule

Camelot (Lerner and Loewe) — June 10, 14, 23, and 27; July 1, 7, 15, 18, 20, 23, 28, and 30.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (Loesser) — June 15, 21, 24, and 30; July 2, 8, 12, 15, 21, 26, and 29.

No, No Nanette (Youmans, Harbach, and Caesar) — June 22, 24, and 28; July 1, 8, 14, 21, and 29.

H.M.S. Pinafore (Gilbert and Sullivan) — June 29; July 5, 7, 11, 13, 22, 25, and 28.

Arizona Lady (Kàlmàn) — July 6, 9, 14, 20, and 27.

Orpheus in the Underworld (Offenbach, Crémieux, and Halévy) — July 13, 16, 19, 22, and 27.

Porthouse Theatre, Kent State University

3143 O’Neil Road, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223. 330-672-3884; www.porthousetheatre.com

This year’s theme for Kent State’s Porthouse Theatre is “LOL all summer long,” Kent says. “To young people, that means ‘laugh out loud,’ but to some more ‘mature’ people, it can mean ‘lots of love.’ Our shows will provide plenty of both.”

Porthouse Theatre’s summer season features three shows: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, a classic Stephen Sondheim musical; The Marvelous

Ohio Light Opera has been a College of Wooster summer tradition since 1979.

Wonderettes, a jukebox musical that follows four high school friends from prom to a reunion and features songs from the ’50s and ’60s; and The Prom, a Broadway show that tells a compelling story of love and acceptance.

The performances take place in the 500-seat Porthouse Theatre, a venue that is outdoors but covered from the elements, at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls. That setting, with lots of land adjacent to the beautiful Cuyahoga Valley National Park, enables the group to offer an experience that goes beyond viewing the performances, Kent says. “People come to picnic before the shows,” she says. “Longtime subscribers come to meet and become friends. Some people stay to tailgate after the shows, meet the actors, and toast with champagne.”

Summer Schedule

(Shows run Tuesday through Sunday each week; check website for showtimes)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (Shevelove and Gelbart; music/lyrics by Sondheim) —June 9–24

The Marvelous Wonderettes (Bean, Baker, and Borth) —

June 30–July 15

The Prom (Martin, Beguelin, and Sklar) — July 21–Aug. 6

Otterbein University’s Fritsche Theatre

30 S. Grove St., Westerville, OH 43081. 614-823-1109; www.otterbein.edu/summertheatre

When students and faculty in Otterbein University’s nationally recognized theater program returned to campus

college

from winter break in January 2023, they discovered pipes had burst under the main stage in Cowan Hall.

The damage required a subfloor to be replaced, a major repair that forced all theater performances and other programs to be relocated. To everyone’s relief, the new stage will be ready when I Do, I Do! opens June 1.

Otterbein Summer Theatre was launched in 1967 by a former theater department chair, Charles Dodrill, who, with technical director Fred “Pop” Thayer, built a theater in the basement of the student center, then the campus’s only air-conditioned building. In 2013, the summer theater moved to Cowan Hall’s Fritsche Theatre.

Most of the summer season’s performers are Otterbein students, according to Lenny Leibowitz, the artistic director, but professional Equity guest artists, Otterbein graduates, faculty members, and performers from other theater programs occasionally are hired. Most performers live on campus during the shows.

Saltzgiver says when Leibowitz was named artistic director in 2016, he brought a vision to the program to be “a company of epic imagination and intimate encounters. He challenged us to think bigger, to re-imagine the big, lush musicals in smaller, more intimate settings.”

Summer Schedule

I Do, I Do! (Jones and Schmidt) — June 1–4 and June 8–10 Baby (Shire, Pearson, Maltby Jr.) — June 15–18 and June 22–24

A break in the academic calendar gives

theater programs a chance to stretch and flex.

Kent State’s Porthouse Theatre operates on the grounds of the Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls.

Otterbein’s summer schedule was jeopardized by a burst water pipe, but repairs were finished in time for the opening curtain.

BY JILL MOORHEAD

Along the road connecting Fredericktown and Amity in Knox County is a red wooden sign with a lobster on it, marking a driveway leading to 22 acres of wooded property featuring a creek, walking trails, two cabins and a 1961 Shasta Airflyte camper trailer for rent, a house, a small private writing hut, and, if the season is right, 700 pounds of live lobsters.

Brett Fletcher built the Lobstah Shack in 2008 using free lumber provided by a neighbor and has been selling Maine lobsters out of the 96-square-foot shack in Amity, Ohio (population 50), ever since. A 460-gallon lobster tank fills up the structure, though there’s enough room inside for Maine memorabilia and a small always-on radio that plays music to deter the squirrels. That tank, along with an additional 1,200-gallon tank in his garage, can hold up to 700 pounds of lobster, which he sells from May through December.

Knox County business brings a luscious bit of the East Coast to Ohio’s heartland.

Brett Fletcher has been selling Maine lobsters out of a 96-square-foot shack in Knox County for 14 years.

The road to Amity

After graduating from Ohio State University, Fletcher talked his dad into co-signing a loan for a lobster boat and moved to an off-the-grid family cabin in Georgetown, Maine. He spent the next 20 years as a professional lobsterer, hauling water to his makeshift shower and 200 traps’ worth of lobsters per day from the waters surrounding the island town.

The 2008 financial crisis hit hard for the lobster industry, especially in Maine. “Lobsters are a party food. They’re historically expensive,” Fletcher says. The market rate for lobsters plummeted along the coast, and he needed an alternate way to make income.

His plan? To open a lobster shack on his mother’s property in Amity. He would make regular trips to Maine to catch lobsters, bring them back to Ohio, sell them, and do it again.

“Everyone told me that I was crazy,” says Fletcher, “and because it’s so crazy, a lot of people come here.”

Aside from luring those intrigued by the absurdity of purchasing fresh lobsters from a shack in the middle of the woods outside of Mount Vernon, part of his strategy to attract customers is to keep prices the lowest in the area, by at least $4 a pound. “Last summer, places in Columbus would sell for $24.99 per pound. I was half of that,” he says.

Sea change

While the shack has remained the same, many parts of Fletcher’s operation have changed through the years.

First, he realized the difficulty of maintaining his lobster boat from 850 miles away. “My boat was unattended and broke loose in a storm,” he says, “and I knew I couldn’t be in two places at once. You really have to be there to take care of a boat.” So he now relies on his network of friends back in Maine to supply his lobsters.

For the first four years of the venture, Fletcher drove to Maine three times a month to purchase lobsters. But that turned out to be unsustainable as well. “I lost two transmissions, and I had one trip that was 36 hours,” he says. Fletcher now contracts with a trucking company that comes to Akron every Thursday with fresh lobsters. Fletcher fills his 2006 Chrysler Town and Country minivan with 18 boxes of lobsters and completes their trek to Knox County.

Live like a lobsterer, eat like a lobsterer

In 2018, Fletcher widened the experience at the Lobstah Shack by adding off-the-grid, pretend-you’re-in-Mainestyle accommodations on his property through Airbnb. Fletcher rents each of the three structures (two cabins and a trailer) for less than $80 a night.

He started with rehabbing a 1930s moonshiner’s cabin, complete with a trap door in the floor that leads to a pit for hiding moonshine during Prohibition. The cabin emulates Fletcher’s living experience as a trapper in Maine — with a wood stove inside, an outdoor solar shower, an RV toilet, charcoal grill, outdoor fireplace, and candles and lamps for lighting. Instead of views of the Atlantic coast, the cabin showcases the windy and determined Little Schenck Creek.

He also facilitates lobster dinners for guests who purchase lobsters. In some cases, he’ll deliver the cooked lobster. If guests prefer to boil dinner themselves, he provides large pots.

But either way, dinner is sure to be delicious.

The Lobstah Shack, 18784 Lower Fredericktown Amity Road, Mount Vernon, OH 43050. 207-751-9151 or www.thelobstahshack.com.

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The UPWalker is a revolutionary new mobility device that can change your life by changing the way you walk. It enables you to stand upright when you walk–with your spine straight and your eyes looking straight ahead. Your weight is supported by your upper arms and shoulders, some of the strongest parts of your body. Traditional walkers and rollators force you to put the pressure of your body weight on your hands and wrists. You push them in front of you, looking at the ground instead of where you are going. The UPWalker moves with you, with your body perfectly aligned and your feet free to walk in a normal fashion. Its easy-adjust height system allows it to be the perfect fit/height for anyone from 4’10” to 6’1” and supports up to 300 pounds. The new stand-assist handles enable you to distribute your weight across your arms and

shoulders, not your hands and wrists to help reduce back, neck, wrist pain and discomfort. It features comfortable arm pads, hand brakes, a fold-down seat, a backrest and two storage bags. It’s built with aircraft-grade aluminum to be sturdy yet lightweight, and its sleek design and oversized wheels make it perfect for tight spots in the house or walking in the yard. Why spend another day bent over and shuffling around– or worse yet, plopped in front of the TV all day. Pick up the phone and take back your life. Call now.

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Switch WATERFURNACE UNITS QUALIFY FOR A 30% FEDERAL TAX CREDIT* JUNE 2023 • OHIO COOPERATIVE LIVING  31

If the only thing bigger than your utility bill is the noise from your air conditioner...

Math problems are unforgiving; they are either right or they are not. Sure, you can show your work for credit, but if the answer is wrong, it’s wrong. And it gets complicated when equations involve measuring rainfall and land surface area and the projection of improbable events that one cannot possibly accurately foretell.

The state park that wasn’t

BY CRAIG SPRINGER

This is the story of a failed state park and its lake. To tell it faithfully, though, I need to tell you how I came across it. To do that, I need to first beg forgiveness, because I fibbed 44 summers ago.

When I was a boy, I worked in a supermarket fetching carts and sacking groceries. It was a fun job, a social outlet, and I met a great many wonderful folks. But it was work, after all, and I enjoyed catching smallmouth bass a whole lot more.

Indian Creek was my home waters, and I explored its every reach, from the Indiana line downstream to Millville. On one occasion I faked the flu, skipped work, and headed to the creek. I recall the day for two distinct reasons:

First, I encountered the ruins of curious concrete edifices in the creek bed that were clearly relics from another time. Old sycamores and silver maples grew thickly through cracked concrete. A tall tower stood there, orphaned, in what seemed the most out-of-the-

most

way place. Not 40 yards away, Indian Creek bent into a deep pool beneath sheltering box elders. That leads to the second reason for the memory: It was there that I hooked a smallmouth bass as long as my forearm and thick as a pillow from the smallest of waters. I deserved the private anguish that followed, given I couldn’t tell anyone — especially my parents — about the bass, because I should have been sacking groceries.

So now, about that lake, and that park that wasn’t.

I have come to understand that the concrete relics embody the desire and tenacity of local folks wanting to improve their quality of life during the Great Depression. The Hamilton Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, a national conservation organization, lobbied the FDR administration circa 1935 to have the Works Project Administration build a dam and plant the seeds of a state park with a lake between Hamilton and Reily, a quaint town nestled between gentle hills, bisected by the meandering Indian Creek in Butler County, near the Indiana state line.

The WPA built other small dams in Ohio, but never got to Reily. The Depression waned and the WPA became a postscript to hard times, but the Waltonians never gave up. Finally, in 1947, the Ohio Division of Conservation relented and contracted the construction of an earthen and concrete structure across Indian Creek, projected to create a 185-acre lake within what was to be a 300acre state park, both named Pater Lake. The dam was completed in December 1949. Then it rained. And rained some more.

According to records provided by the Reily Historical Society, a National Weather Service rain gauge at Oxford measured nearly 15 inches of rain in the first six weeks of 1950. Pater Lake rapidly filled, and promptly overflowed.

A math error revealed itself. The designing engineers failed to take into account the land surface area in the headwaters of Indian Creek inside Indiana. The road running to Reily flooded, as did farmland. In an emergency measure, the dam was breached to save

property and prevent loss of life. Photos taken in February 1950 show a torrent coming over the spillway. Crestfallen, no doubt, the Waltonians did not give up. They continued to press for a dam repair for several years, but it was not to be. The cost to fix the mistake was prohibitive, and the site was determined not to be as suitable as once thought. State officials turned their energies north of Oxford to Hueston Woods.

Had someone checked the engineers’ math, it would have saved a great deal of money and heartache. Ten years after the expected christening of a new state park, in 1960 , Pater Lake Park was accessioned by Butler County’s MetroParks, sans a 50 -foot-deep lake. Indian Creek still tumbles on toward the Great Miami, unimpeded.

I confess my irresponsibility that summer day in 1979, but, by gosh, that smallmouth bass was enormous.

A story of persistence, miscalculation, and a secret long kept.

Above: Before it all went wrong — the sign photographed by Gilson P. Wright (courtesy Smith Library of Regional History) marking the longanticipated state park that was to have been developed near Reily. At left: After the rains, a flooded road that led around the lake toward Reily (courtesy Reily Historical Society).

Explore Parkersburg:

Don’t just read about history – experience it in Parkersburg.

Ride the Island Belle sternwheeler down the Ohio River to explore the dramatic past and scandalous backstory of Blennerhassett Island. Take a guided tour of the reconstructed mansion or a narrated horse-drawn wagon ride.

Enjoy a leisurely self-guided walking tour of ornately detailed Victorian-era homes within the Julia-Ann Square Historic District, the state’s largest and oldest residential historic district.

Visit one of America’s finest and most complete historic mansions, filled with heirlooms collected by the five generations who called Henderson Hall their home.

Learn how oil and gas fueled the industrial revolution at the nationally recognized Oil & Gas Museum

With all this plus fantastic local shopping, dining and lodging options, make sure a historical getaway in Parkersburg, West Virginia is in your future. Plan your trip today!

2023 CALENDAR

NORTHWEST

JUN. 22–24 – Spencerville Summerfest, 116 S. Broadway St., Spencerville, Thur./Fri. 5 p.m., Sat. noon. Free. Rides, games, food, and entertainment tent. Craft and vendor show Sat. 10 a.m. at the American Legion; Route 66 Car Show Sat. 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; parade Sat. 4:30 p.m., fireworks 10 p.m. www. facebook.com/spencervillesummerfest.

Music by the Lima Area Concert Band at 9 p.m., followed by the area’s largest fireworks display at 10 p.m. See website for registration information. https://lima4th.com.

THROUGH JUL. 21 – “All Together Now”: Summer Library Program, Shelby County Libraries, in Anna, Botkins, Ft. Loramie, Jackson Center, Russia, and Sidney. Join us for a variety of themed programs, special guests, crafts, snacks, and more, plus prizes. Sign up at any of our six locations. www. shelbycountylibraries.org.

THROUGH AUG. 4 – Limaland Motorsports Park Races, 1500 Dutch Hollow Rd., Lima, 7:30–10:30 p.m. Sprints, UMP Modifieds, Thunderstocks, and more! Pit gates open at 4:30 p.m., grandstand gates at 5 p.m., warmup laps begin at 6:30 p.m. See website for updated information. www.limaland.com.

THROUGH SEP. 10 – NWORRP Museum Summer Hours, Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc., 12505 Co. Rd. 99, Findlay, Sat./Sun. 1–4 p.m. $3; 12 and under, $2. Museum tours, quarter-scale train rides, model train displays, games, play area, and more. 419-423-2995, www.nworrp.org, or www.facebook.com/nworrp.

THROUGH OCT. 14 – The Great Sidney Farmers Market , Shelby County Court Square, 100 E. Court St., Sidney, Sat. 8 a.m.–noon. Fresh produce, baked goods, jams and jellies, crafts, plants, and flowers. 937 - 658 - 6945 or www.sidneyalive.org.

JUN. 17 – Family Fun Day: “Summer Kick-Off,” Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Inc. , 12505 Co. Rd. 99, Findlay, 1 – 4 p.m. $ 5 . Enjoy games, quarter-scale train rides, bounce house, and other fun activities. 419 - 423 - 2995 , www. nworrp.org, or www.facebook.com/nworrp.

WEST VIRGINIA

JUN. 23–25 – Maria Stein Country Fest, 2291 St. Johns Rd., Maria Stein. Free. Handicapped accessible. Tractor Square Dancers, tractor pulls, cruise-in car show, live music, games, horse and wagon rides, food, and more. www.facebook.com/ mscountryfest.

JUN. 24 – Lake Seneca Annual Miles of Yard Sales and Chicken Dinner, off St. Rte. 576, 1-1/4 miles north of U.S. 20, Montpelier. Chicken dinners start around 11:00 a.m. at the Arrowhead Lodge, with plenty of extras to eat and homemade bake sale items. For any questions, call 419-485-0393 or 419-485-0810

JUN. 24 – Lima Half-Mile Motorcycle Races, Allen Co. Fgds., 2750 Harding Hwy., Lima, doors open 1 p.m., racing begins 6:30 p.m. $30–$45. Fans can meet the stars of the sport, get autographs, and take photos during open pits before the racing begins. Food and beverage vendors on-site. www. limahalfmile.com.

JUL. 1–2 – The Fantastic Tiffin Flea Market, Seneca Co. Fgds., 100 Hopewell Ave., Tiffin, Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.–3 p.m., rain or shine. Free; handicapped accessible. 250 to 400 dealers per show. Food available for purchase. 419-447-9613 or www.tiffinfleamarket.com.

JUL. 4 – Independence Day Concert, Hayes Presidential Library and Museum, Spiegel Grove, Fremont, 2–3:30 p.m. Free. Bring a chair or blanket for this patriotic concert performed on the verandah of the historic Hayes Home. Civil War reenactors will fire cannons in sync with the “1812 Overture.” Food trucks on-site. 419-332-2081 or www.rbhayes.org.

JUL. 4 – Star Spangled Spectacular Fireworks and Freedom 5K, Faurot Park, South Cole Street and Lakewood Avenue, Lima. Race begins at 9 a.m.

JUL. 5 – Down on the Farm Story Time, Proving Ground Farm, 5670 E. Twp. Rd. 138, Tiffin, 10 a.m. Stories and activities are geared for preschoolage children and focus on farming and nature in a picturesque outdoor setting. Families welcome! 419-447-7073, www.conservesenecacounty.com, or follow Seneca Conservation District on Facebook.

JUL. 7–8 – Cridersville Fireman’s Jamboree, 100 E. Main St., Cridersville, Fri. 4–10 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.–midnight. Family fun events all day long; concerts 8–11 p.m. both nights. www.facebook.com/ Cridersvillefiremansjamboree.

JUL. 7–9 – Huron River Fest, Huron Boat Basin, 330 N. Main St., Huron. Free. Live entertainment, games, rides, 5K and Fun Run, Road Show, food, and other activities. Fireworks over the river Fri. 10:15 p.m., parade Sat. 11 a.m. www.huronriverfest.com.

JUL. 8–9 – World War II Reenactment, AuGlaize Village, 12296 Krouse Rd., Defiance. There will be a camp area, open to the public, and then stations where reenactors will discuss aspects of being an Allied or Axis soldier during different points of the war. Public “battles” both days. 419-990-0107, www. auglaizevillage.com, or contact Robert Mergel at rjmergel@gmail.com.

JUL. 9 – Motorama, AuGlaize Village, 12296 Krouse Rd., Defiance, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. $5 donation suggested. Open to self-propelled, motorized, or powered “anything,” including antique cars, custom rods, fire trucks, and cycles. No registration or fee. Breakfast at 9 a.m. Concession stand open till 2 p.m. 419-9900107 or www.auglaizevillage.com.

JUL. 15 – Malinta Festival, 8931 Co. Rd. K-2, Malinta, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., rain or shine. Flea market, car show, axe throwing, chicken BBQ, live auction, kids’ area, wagon rides, and other entertainment. 419-966-9909 or www.facebook.com/Malintafest.

JUN. 17 – Wild and Wonderful Celtic Festival and Highland Games, Camp Pioneer, 38 Pioneer Circle, Kings Run Rd., Beverly, 8 a.m.–8 p.m. First annual festival! Featuring Clan Village, Highland dancers, pipe and drum bands, Highland games, live entertainment, food, beer garden, and more. 304641-8770 or www.wvcelticfestandgames.com.

2023 CALENDAR JUNE/JULY

operas and musicals, as well as lesser-known works. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and picnics. Rain location: United Church of Christ, 217 E. Liberty St., Medina. 419-853-6016 or www.ormaco.org.

JUN. 18 – Father’s Day Car, Truck, and Bike Show, Grace Church, 4599 Burbank Rd, Wooster, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Registration 8–10 a.m.; no entry fee. All makes, all models. Trophies at 1:30 p.m. Free food and music. Rain date Jun. 25 330-465-8009 or www. graceforohio.org.

vendors, guest comic creators, hourly prizes. 330-462-3985 or www.harpercomics.com.

JUN. 30 – Loudonville Antique Festival, Central Park, Loudonville, 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Buy, sell, and trade antiques and collectibles. 419-994-4789 or www. discovermohican.com.

JUL. 1 – Annual Car Show, downtown Loudonville, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Free. Over 500 cars on display! Enjoy music, food, a raffle, and downtown shopping. http:// loudonvillechamber.com/events.

THROUGH JUL. 29 – “Susan Cook’s Award-Winning Quilts,” McCook House Museum, Carrollton, Fri./Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. $3. Susan has completed more than 200 quilts and has given away machine-made quilts to veterans, cancer patients, and many others. This exhibit features hand-sewn projects only. 330-4379715 or kathorn4120@gmail.com.

THROUGH AUG. 3 – Fort Steuben Summer Concert Series, Fort Steuben Park, 120 S. 3rd St., Steubenville, Thur. 7–9 p.m. Free. Bring a blanket and picnic basket and enjoy a variety of live musical performances. 740283-1787 or www.oldfortsteuben.com.

THROUGH OCTOBER – Quilt Exhibit: “History in Pieces,” Bimeler Museum, Historic Zoar Village. Featuring fine quilts from the National Quilt Museum in Kentucky (including one from an Ohio quilter) and Zoar-made quilts from the 19th century. See website for museum schedule. 800-262-6195 or www. historiczoarvillage.com.

JUN. 16–17 – Simply Slavic Festival, Federal Plaza East, downtown Youngstown, preview Fri. 5–11 p.m., Sat. noon–midnight. $5, 12 and under free. Live music, folk dance, homemade food, kids’ learning areas, educational exhibits, and ethnic vendors. www. simplyslavic.org.

JUN. 17 – Dean Martin Festival and Parade, South 4th Street and various sites, Steubenville. Dino Dash, Rat Pack Parade, music, food, entertainment, and displays on the life of native son Dean Martin. 740283-4935 or www.visitsteubenville.com.

JUN. 17 – Opera Under the Stars, Uptown Park, Medina, 7–9 p.m. Free. Enjoy tunes from your favorite

SOUTHEAST

JUN. 21–23 – Greek Food Festival, Holy Trinity Greek Church, 300 S. 4th St., Steubenville. 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Free. Outdoor dining and take-out, music, dance, entertainment, plus tours of the church. 740-282-7770 or www.holytrinitygreekfest.com.

JUN. 23 – Russian Duo: “An Evening of Piano and Balalaika,” John Streeter Garden Amphitheater, 2122 Williams Rd., Wooster, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Free, but registration recommended. Siberian balalaika virtuoso Oleg Kruglyakov and American concert pianist Terry Boyarsky. Rain location: Fisher Auditorium, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster. 419-853-6016 or www.ormaco. org.

JUN. 23–24 – Ohio Scottish Games and Celtic Festival, Cuyahoga Co. Fgds., 19201 E. Bagley Rd., Berea. $10–$20. Scottish heavy athletics, competitive jousting, axe throwing, keg toss, haggis throw, genealogy, clans, competitions in bagpipe, Highland dance, harp, fiddle, and more. www. ohioscottishgames.com.

JUN. 23–25 – Cy Young Days Festival, Newcomerstown. Live music, food, competitions, midway, car show, parade, old-fashioned baseball games, and other entertainment. This year’s parade marshal is Eric Gagne. www.cyyoungdaysfestival.com.

JUN. 24–25 – Our Little World Alpacas Spring Open House, 16800 Cowley Rd., Grafton, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free. Come see our newest crias (babies). Learn about alpaca care and feeding and about processing the fiber. Locally hand-knitted products for sale. 440-7247070 or www.ourlittleworldalpacas.com.

JUN. 25 – Akron-Summit Comic Con, Summit Co. Fgds., 229 E. Howe Rd., Tallmadge, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $5 (cash at entrance); 6 and under free. Comic and toy

information, email director@visitnoblecountyohio.com.

JUN. 16–SEP. 3 – Tecumseh! Outdoor Drama, Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, 5968 Marietta Rd., Chillicothe, Mon.–Sat. 8 p.m. $30–$50. Witness the epic life story of the legendary Shawnee leader as he struggles to defend his sacred homelands in the Ohio country. www.tecumsehdrama.com.

JUN. 17 – Kenworth Truck Parade, downtown Chillicothe, 8 p.m. Free. The second annual parade will have over 50 new, classic, and customized Kenworth semi-trucks. Come help celebrate Chillicothe’s 100th anniversary! 740-702-7677 or www.visitchillicothe.com.

JUL. 1 – “History and Culture of Native Americans in the Ohio Country in the 18th Century,” 11067 Fort Laurens Rd. NW, Bolivar, 11 a.m. Free. Presented by Alan Fitzpatrick. Held in the Fort Laurens Theater. 330874-2059 or www.fortlaurens.org.

JUL. 7 – First Fridays on Fourth, 155 N. 4th St., Steubenville, 6–10 p.m. Free. Art, crafts, games, food trucks, live entertainment, and activities to stimulate the imagination. www.theharmoniumproject.org/ first-Fridays.

JUL. 7–8 – Shelby Bicycle Days, downtown Shelby. Bikes, parade, food, fireworks, and more. www. shelbycic.com/bikedays.

JUL. 8–9 – Ashland County Yesteryear Machinery Club Show, Ashland Co. Fgds., 2042 Claremont Ave., Ashland. Free; donations accepted. Featuring John Deere tractors and equipment, garden tractors, and engines. Farm toy show, model train show, flea market, food vendors, kiddie rides both days; car show, antique tractor pull, kiddies’ pedal pull on Sunday. 330-465-3387 (Kevin Williard) or www. yesteryearmachinery.org.

JUL. 11–15 – Ashland Chautauqua: “History’s Real Action Figures,” Ashland. Living history performances and daytime workshops on Meriwether Lewis, Jackie Cochran, Pauli Murray, Samuel Bellamy, and Harry Houdini. Evening performances at Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell, 209 Parkside Dr. For more information, email info@ashlandchautauqua.org or visit www.ashlandchautauqua.org.

JUL. 11–16 – Trumbull County Fair, 899 Everett Hull Rd., Cortland. An array of grandstand entertainment, daily shows, local bands, exhibits, and rides. 330-6376010 or www.trumbullcountyfair.com.

JUN. 23–24 – National Cambridge Glass Collectors Show and Sale, Pritchard Laughlin Civic Ctr., 7033 Glenn Hwy., Cambridge, Fri. 1–5 p.m., Sat. 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m. $5, good for both days. 740-432-4245 or www. cambridgeglass.org.

JUN. 24 – Glass Dash, St. Benedict’s Gymnasium, 701 Steubenville Ave., Cambridge, 7–8:30 a.m. early bird admission, $10; 8:30–11 a.m., $5. Off-site glass sale, usually almost all Cambridge. www.cambridgeglass.org.

JUL. 5–8 – Ohio Hills Folk Festival, Fair and South Streets, Quaker City. Parades, car show, country store, entertainment, rides, 5K, and activities for kids. 740-685-6590 or www.facebook.com/profile.

THROUGH DECEMBER – Athens Farmers Market, Athens Community Center, 701 E. State St., Athens, Sat. 9 a.m.–noon; Apr. 20–Nov. 23, Wed./Sat. 9 a.m.–noon. Voted Ohio’s #1 favorite farmers market! 740-593-6763 or www.athensfarmersmarket.org.

JUN. 9–10 – Art on the Square, downtown Caldwell, Fri. 5–9 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Free. Outdoors arts and crafts show, vendors, food, live entertainment. For more

JUN. 17 – National Road Bike Show and Ribfest, Historic Downtown Cambridge, 11.am.–7 p.m. Hot rods and bikes, live entertainment, vendors, food trucks, and more. 740-439-2238 or www.downtowncambridge.com.

JUN. 23–24 – Kicking Bear One-on-One, Deerassic Park Education Ctr., 14250 Cadiz Rd., Cambridge. For ages 5–13. Archery, fishing, canoeing, riflery, camping, and other outdoor activities. Free, but registration required. 740-435-3335 or www.deerassic.com.

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JUL. 7–9 – Ohio Jeep Fest, Ross Co. Fgds., 344 Fairgrounds Rd., Chillicothe. $15–$60. Trail rides, modified and stock obstacle courses, kids’ zone, vendors, mud pits, camping, live entertainment. www.ohiojeepfest.com.

JUL. 8 – Red, White, and Blue Ice Cream Social, Adena Mansion and Gardens, 847 Adena Rd., Chillicothe, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. $5–$12. Bring your lawn chairs. www.adenamansion.com.

CENTRAL

JUN. 8, JUL. 13 – Inventors Network Meeting, The Point at Otterbein University, 60 Collegeview Rd., Westerville 43081, 7 p.m. Educational presentations and discussion about the invention process. Zoom meetings Jun. 15 and Jul. 20 at 7 p.m. 614-470-0144 or www.inventorscolumbus.com.

JUN. 15–17 – Washboard Arts and Music Festival, downtown Logan. Free. Live music, arts and crafts, craft demos, food vendors, Columbus Washboard Company factory tours, classic car cruise-in, and more! washboardfestival@gmail.com or www. washboardmusicfestival.com.

JUN. 30–JUL. 4 – Ashville 4th of July Celebration, various spots around Ashville. Our five-day celebration features our famous fish fry, free entertainment, ride specials, midway food, parade, and, of course, fireworks! www.ashville4thofjuly.com.

JUL. 3 – Red, White & BOOM!, downtown riverfront and the Arena District, Columbus, noon–midnight. Free event featuring a parade, street festival, and two stages of live music entertainment, ending with Ohio’s largest fireworks display. www.redwhiteandboom.org.

THROUGH SEP. 30 – Sunbury Farmers Market, Sunbury Town Square, 9 E. Granville St., Sunbury, Sat. 9 a.m.–noon. Offering local handmade, homemade, and homegrown products. 740-513-9192 or sunburyohiofarmersmarket@gmail.com.

THROUGH OCT. 28 – Coshocton County Farmers Market, 22375 Co. Rd. 1A, Coshocton, Sat. 8:30 a.m.–noon. Local fresh produce, baked goods, and artisan crafts at our new location by the Walhonding River. market.manager@coshfarmmarket.org or www. facebook.com/coshoctonfarmersmarket.

THROUGH OCT. 28 – Spring Farmers Market, Adornetto’s, 2224 Maple Ave., Zanesville, Sat. 9 a.m.–noon. Locally grown produce, homemade food, locally raised/processed meat, farm eggs, Ohio cheese, and more. www.zanesvillefarmersmarket.org.

THROUGH OCT. 29 – Rock Mill Days, Stebelton Park at Rock Mill, 1429 Rockmill Place NW, Lancaster, Wed./Sat. 11 a.m.–2 p.m., Sun. 1–4 p.m. Free. Tour the restored 1824 gristmill, walk on the covered bridge, and enjoy the view of Hocking River Falls. 740-2434436 or www.fairfieldcountyparks.org.

SOUTHWEST

JUN. 16–18 – Zane’s Trace Commemoration, 375 Muskingum Ave., Zanesville. Free. Live bands, parade, 5K/10K races, arts and crafts, History Canal Walk, History Village with demonstrators, kayak races, kids’ fishing tournament, food, and much more. 740-4876776 or https://zanestracecommemoration.com.

JUN. 17 – Marysville Uptown Food Crawl, 131 N. Main St., Marysville, 12–3 p.m. $20 advance ticket required; purchase at Richwood Bank Marysville Branch. Enjoy samples from local restaurants while you stroll around uptown. Live music, face painting, balloon animals. Proceeds benefit Union County Guardianship Services. 937-209-2275 ext. 0 or www. ucvgp.org.

JUN. 20 – Farmers Market, Roseville Branch Library, 41 N. Main St., Roseville, 4–6:30 p.m. Sponsored by the Roseville Branch Library Friends Group. 740-6970237 or juanita@muskingumlibrary.org.

JUN. 24 – Family Fun on the Farm Festival, Malabar Farm State Park, 4050 Bromfield Rd., Lucas, 2–6 p.m. Free annual festival featuring hands-on kids’ activities focused on natural resources and where food comes from. Food available for purchase. http://bit.ly/3XBX7aN.

JUL. 3–8 – Marion County Fair, 220 E. Fairground St., Marion. Livestock shows, horse shows, tractor pulls, rodeo, live music, and much more. 740-3822558 or www.marioncountyfairgrounds.com.

JUL. 9 – Tour of Gardens: “Fantastic Plots on Urban Lots,” Marysville, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. $10. Presented by Union County Master Gardener Association. See landscaping examples of perennial, shade, wildflower and vegetable gardens at residences and the demonstration gardens at the Agricultural Center. 937644-8117 or https://union.osu.edu.

JUL. 12–15 – Pottery Lovers Show and Sale, Holiday Inn Express, 1101 Spring St., Zanesville. Join fellow pottery lovers from across the nation at the largest and oldest gathering of pottery collectors and dealers. www.potterylovers.org.

JUL. 13–15 – Picktown Palooza, Pickerington Central High School, 300 Opportunity Way, Pickerington. Fun and family-oriented event with live entertainment, carnival rides, food vendors, kids’ corner, and more! Car, truck, and bike show Sat. 11 a.m.–4 p.m. 614-3792099 or www.picktownpalooza.org.

THROUGH JUL. 26 – 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.

JUN. 9–11 – Versailles Poultry Days, 459 S. Center St., Versailles. Free. Enjoy our world-famous barbecue chicken dinners, contests, Ultimate Frisbee tournament, cornhole, grand parade, antique car show, and other entertainment. www. versaillespoultrydays.com or www.facebook.com/ versailles.poultrydays.

JUN. 16 – Bluegrass Night, Fibonacci Brewing Company, 1445 Compton Rd., Cincinnati, 7–9 p.m. Free. Enjoy lively bluegrass music by Vernon McIntyre’s Appalachian Grass, a wide variety of craft beers, and food truck eats. 513-832-1422 or http:// fibbrew.com.

JUN. 17 – Family Program: “Wonder Walk,” Wagers Memorial Park (Devils Backbone), 1301 OH-725 W., Camden, 1–3 p.m. Free. Bev Holland, naturalist and teacher, leads the walk/hike. 937-962-5561, pcpdevents@gmail.com or www. preblecountyparks.org.

JUN. 24 – Family Program: The Dulcimer Guy, Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 7 p.m. Enjoy a free concert by Matthew Dickerson, National Hammer Dulcimer Champion. 937-962-5561, pcpdevents@gmail.com, or www. preblecountyparks.org.

JUN. 24 – Kids’ Program: “International Mud Day,” Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 1–3 p.m. Free. Mud provided! Bring play clothes and old shoes. 937-962-5561, pcpdevents@ gmail.com, or www.preblecountyparks.org.

JUN. 24–25 – Carillon Park Rail Festival, 1000 Carillon Rd., Dayton, Sat. 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–4 p.m. $10–$14, 2 and under free. Miniature train rides, live steam engines, model train displays, historical displays, train merchandise, and much more. www.daytonhistory.org/events/special-events.

JUL. 3–4 – Centerville–Washington Township Americana Festival, downtown Centerville. Free. Community concert, flag ceremony, and fireworks on the 3rd; parade, 5K run, street fair, and auto show on the 4th. 937-433-5898 or www.americanafestival.org.

JUL. 4 – Red, White, and Blue Ash, Summit Park, Blue Ash, 4–10:30 p.m. Music, rides, games, food, drink, and family fun. Concerts followed at 10 p.m. with the biggest and best fireworks in the area. http://blueashevents.com.

JUL. 6–9 – Greenville Farm Power of the Past, Darke Co. Fgds., 800 Sweitzer St., Greenville. $5–$10, 12 and under free. Featuring John Deere tractors and equipment, gas engines, truck and tractor pulls, car show, horse events, kids’ events. 937-547-1845 or www.greenvillefarmpower.org.

JUL. 8 – Family Program: “Guitars in the Night,” Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N, Lewisburg, Sat. 7 p.m. Free concert by Eric Loy, featuring acoustical and harp guitars. 937-962-5561, pcpdevents@gmail. com, or www.preblecountyparks.org.

JUL. 8 – Family Program: “Recycle for Art,” Garber Nature Center, 9691 OH-503 N., Lewisburg, 1–3 p.m. Free. Led by water, soil, and recycling expert Beth Wright. 937-962-5561, pcpdevents@gmail.com, or www.preblecountyparks.org.

MEMBER INTERACTIVE Hook, line, and sinker

A great day at the pond for my son (who took the picture) and his friend, Kaleb Pond.

For September, send “Strike up the band” by June 15.

Henry catching a little minnow. Adam Schnipke, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative member

Corey Sullivan, Mid-Ohio Energy Cooperative member

Patty Diehl, 74, with her big one that didn’t get away, at Lower Loramie Creek in Shelby County. Lew Diehl, Pioneer Electric Cooperative member

5-year-old Kayden Herman with a largemouth bass he caught. Ashley Herman, South Central Power Company member

This is a photo of our grandson, Fisher Jones, catching his first fish in our pond. Ron and Becky Knippen, Paulding Putnam Electric Cooperative members

Our son Luke with a big catch! Joe and Curri Seifert, Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative members

My daughter, Aubrey Schumm, showing up her brother with her catches. Jeremy Schumm, North Central Electric Cooperative member

My daughter Alisha with a 34-pound catfish she caught. Rachel Seaman, Adams Rural Electric Cooperative member

SAVE A LIFE

Downed Power Lines & Distracted Drivers

Drivers distracted in their cars crash into utility poles too often. It can lead to outages but, even worse, it can be deadly if you don’t know what to do. Downed lines energize the ground up to 35 feet away.

1. Stay in car if no fire

2. Call 911 and wait for emergency crews

3. If fire, open door, jump out, keep both feet together on the ground

4. Shu e feet away from car 35 feet; keep both feet on the ground at all times