Palmetto Jan Feb 2013 Connection

The PRTC

Connection January/February 2013

Broadband Takes Off! Network helps track flights

Palmetto Parcels Internet helps deliver the goods Music Museums Note-Worthy places to visit

Industry News

Partnering in a time of change Rural telecommunications providers are working together to save money and bring enhanced products and services to their subscribers

By Stephen V. Smith, Editor

T

here is an old fable about a dying man who challenges each of his sons to break a bundle of sticks.

Only when the bundle is untied and the sticks are separated can the young men break them. The father knew his sons were facing a future of uncertainty and change, and he wanted them to understand they could accomplish so much more if they would work together.

Like those sons, the telecommunications industry is looking at a future of unknowns. Changes in government regulations are retooling the very mechanisms that determine how telecommunications companies make their money. And just like the lesson of the bundle of sticks, telcos are finding ways to increase their strength by joining forces with their fellow utilities.

The age of partnerships

“Partnerships are an absolutely essential tool for reducing costs that can’t be reduced any other way, if certain services are to be maintained,” says Fred Johnson, general manager of Farmers Telecommu-

2 | January/February 2013

nications Cooperative (Rainsville, Ala.).

Johnson serves on the Industry Committee of the National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA).

This group of telco leaders from across the country reviews developments and recommends policy affecting technological developments, industry structure and member needs in federal and state regulatory matters. Levoy Knowles is also a member of this committee.

“Our industry is going through monumental change,” says Knowles, former CEO of Ben Lomand Connect (McMinnville, Tenn.). “In the past, when we were launching a new service we did it all ourselves. We must get out of that mindset and work through partnerships with other companies in order to be efficient enough to launch new products and services.”

Jason Dandridge, CEO of Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative (Walterboro, S.C.), serves with Johnson and Knowles on the Industry Committee. “For better or for worse, the Federal Communications Commission has made up their mind and they’ve set an agenda to where they want

to see industry consolidation,” says Dandridge. “There are definitely some synergies we can take advantage of for small companies to partner and share resources to be more cost efficient.”

Partnership examples

Rod Ballard is a principal with Jackson Thornton, a certified public accounting and consulting firm based in Alabama. He oversees the firm’s telecommunications division. “Telcos are looking harder than ever at the concept of cost-sharing through joint ventures,” Ballard says. “Customer billing is one area where telcos are working together.

“We’re even seeing joint ventures between telecommunications companies and electric cooperatives,” he adds.

“FTC already shares video headend facilities with a number of other companies,” says Johnson. “Other industries, such as airlines, railroads and automotive, have experienced the same type of changes we are facing. Companies learned they could share certain costs with others in their industry and thereby provide a

better product at a more efficient price. We are just following that model.”

Another example of partnerships in the telco industry is Telecom Management Services (TMS), a group of centrally managed companies that includes WK&T Telecommunications (Mayfield, Ky.), Ben Lomand Connect and Ardmore Telephone Company (Ardmore, Ala. & Tenn.).

Knowles transitioned from his role at Ben Lomand Connect two years ago to that of chairman of the board for TMS. “We are leveraging the knowledge and expertise of employees across our companies,” explains Knowles, “to allow us to operate more efficiently, benefit our members and bring new products and services to our service area without adding a lot more staff at our different locations.”

Not only do the TMS companies share employees skilled in areas such as marketing, human resources and technology, but they are also leveraging their collective buying power to create partnerships with vendors to save money for each company.

A partnership tradition

The idea of partnering with other telcos is not a new one. For more than 20 years, five East Kentucky telcos have enjoyed the benefits of partnering through the East Kentucky Network (EKN).

“It was a very positive move,” says Allen Gillum of the formation of EKN. Gillum is the general manager of Mountain Rural Telephone Cooperative (West Liberty, Ky.), a partner in EKN. “For 22 years we’ve had the same five partners, and we each own 20 percent interest.”

Through EKN, the partners have built a fiber ring that connects all their service areas to provide greater reliability for their customers. The partnership also operates Appalachian Wireless, a regional wireless phone service provider.

Owning a wireless company is critical for these rural telcos, as consumer phone habits continue to shift. “It’s very important to the future of our company that we have a piece of that wireless pie,” says Keith Gabbard, general manager of partner company Peoples Rural Telephone Cooperative (McKee, Ky.). “Wireless

accounts for an increasingly substantial portion of our revenues.”

In South Carolina, Spirit Telecommunications is a long-time partnership between the state’s independent telcos. “It was originally set up to help us get better long distance rates,” says Dandridge, “but has morphed over time into a robust statewide fiber network that allows us to compete on a statewide level for state contracts, with schools or other state entities.”

Publishing partnership

The magazine you hold in your hand is the latest example of partnering in the industry. For the first time, telcos across the Southeast have come together to jointly publish a magazine that brings company and industry news to their subscribers.

“Like many other telcos, we have long seen the value of staying connected with our members through a print publication,” says FTC’s Johnson. “Through this regional partnership, we will end up with a better product at less cost for each participating company.”

Knowles of TMS agrees. “We can now communicate with our subscribers through a top-quality, professional publication that none of us had the time or resources to do alone,” he says. “This publication is a shining example of what we can accomplish by coming together as partners.”

Looking to the future

In a future where traditional revenue streams are being disrupted, partnerships will be “critical for the success — and maybe even the survival — of these companies,” says Leo Staurulakis, executive vice president of JSI. His telecommunications consulting company celebrated 50 years of service to the industry last year.

Staurulakis sees a future where an increasing number of rural telecommunications providers form partnerships to develop and market new products and services, as well as to operate more efficiently. “By combining operations and leveraging each other’s networks, back office systems and human resources,” he says, “we can reduce the cost of operations for everybody.” 

Lifeline Service When you need help paying for telephone service Is your annual household income at or below 135 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines for a household of its size? Do you or someone in your household participate in any of the following low-income government assistance programs? If so, you may qualify for Lifeline Service.

• Medicaid • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) • Section 8 Federal Public Housing Assistance (FPHA) • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) • National School Lunch Program’s Free Lunch Program To find out whether you qualify for Lifeline assistance, customers must fill out standard forms, available at your local telephone company’s office, as mandated by the Federal and/or State government. Your telephone company is not responsible for determining who qualifies for these programs or who receives assistance.

Customers must meet specific criteria in order to obtain assistance with their local telephone service, and qualifying is dependent upon government-established guidelines. To qualify for Lifeline credit, each customer must apply and provide proof that he/she, or a household member for whom he/she is financially responsible, participates in at least one of the programs listed above or that the customer meets the income-based requirements. Additional eligibility requirements may also apply. Customers must choose to apply the Lifeline discount to a landline or a wireless number, not both.

For more details about Lifeline Service and to apply for assistance, please contact your local telephone company.

January/February 2013 | 3

From the CEO

A new year of hope & progress As the calendar turns over and we recover from all the holiday gatherings (and all the food), the New Year calls us to a time of reflection. What did we accomplish in 2012? What were the milestones? Where are we headed in the new year?

At PRTC, I’m pleased to report that we made significant progress in several areas. One of our more exciting projects is the magazine you are reading now. With so many changes taking place in our industry, and so many things happening at PRTC, we knew we needed to ramp up our efforts to keep you informed. Through a regional partnership with other rural providers, we are enhancing the content of your magazine.

In each issue you will continue to see company updates and information about our services. We will continue to shine a spotlight on local people and events. But you will also find helpful tips, industry news and interesting feature stories from across the Southeast in this publication. And in the true spirit of cooperatives, we are accomplishing this by working together with our sister companies across several states. Be sure to read Pages 2 and 3 to learn more about the increasing importance of such partnerships.

As 2012 came to a close, we held our first “focus group” meeting. We brought in about 15 members to hear what they had to say about our services. They came from all walks of life and from all over Colleton County — and they all brought their opinions and ideas with them. We asked them a wide range of questions about PRTC, and their answers let us know what we were doing well and what needs improvement.

We found a consistent theme that makes me very proud: they appreciate the great service from our employees. From the linemen and installers to the customer service reps and tech crew at the new Retail Center, the group heaped praise on the dedication and efforts of our team. I was happy to hear the work of our great employees being recognized.

The group members said they love the new Retail Center, they enjoy this newsletter and they like the savings and convenience of bundling our services. They like working with a company that is strongly rooted in the local community. And they appreciate our broadband speeds and the reliability of our wireless and landline phone service.

We also heard constructive criticism. There is a need for more awareness of our video and TV services. You can expect to see more about those services in the pages of this magazine. Group members also asked that we add more smartphones to our wireless selection, increase the inventory at our retail center and add 4G wireless service.

But the single biggest complaint was that we need to reach more areas with our highspeed network. Fortunately, we are already working on the solution. On Page 5, you will see our fiber construction outlook for 2013. We plan to make great progress toward connecting every home and business in our service area to the network within five years.

I appreciate the honest and insightful input from the members of the focus group. They represent the most important part of our business: You! We will continue listening to your needs and working to answer those needs with great service and new technology.  Jason Dandridge is Chief Executive Officer for PRTC 4 | January/February 2013

is a member-owned cooperative providing a complete telecommunications solution (voice, Internet, digital TV and wireless phone) to the homes and businesses of Colleton County, South Carolina.

Board of Directors District 1 - Brian Ackerman District 2 - Cynthia “Cindy” Colson District 3 - Donald Wood District 4 - Joanne Herndon District 5 - Michael Crosby District 6 - Furman Hodges District 7 - Heath Griffith District 8 - Gloria Warren District 9 - Travis Avant District 10 - Lynn Tanner

The PRTC

Vol. 3, NO. 1 January/February 2013

Connection is a bimonthly newsletter published by Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative, © 2013. It is distributed without charge to all member/owners of the cooperative.

Send address corrections to: Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative P.O. Drawer 1577 Walterboro, SC 29488 Telephone: 843-538-2020 www.prtc.coop Produced for PRTC by: www.WordSouth.com On the Cover: Lowcountry Regional Airport Operations Manager Roger Medlin in front of his Piper PA34 Seneca in a hangar.

2013 Fiber Outlook Even with as much progress as crews made in 2012, this year promises to be an even bigger year for our fiber optic network project. Currently, we have a small number of members on the new network. In 12 months, we hope to have 1,000 homes and businesses logged on with lightning-fast fiber connections.

Anthony Moore “We’re really starting to ramp (left) spots for up,” says Tony Stout, PRTC’s chief Ricky Hammond. technology officer.

This year, crews are scheduled to work on the network in north Walterboro through August and then the 538 exchange area of Sniders Highway through October.

At the same time, installers are connecting members in Lodge to the network. Once those members are brought online, the installers’ focus will shift to east Walterboro, Jacksonboro and then north Walterboro.

By the end of 2013, we anticipate crews will be starting construction work on a huge section of south Walterboro, and that will mean running 120 miles of fiber.

“There is a massive amount of work to be done,” says PRTC CEO Jason Dandridge.

“But now, as some members are being connected to the fiber, I believe they would tell you it’s worth the wait.”

Program offers special phone equipment for those with hearing impairments The South Carolina Equipment Distribution Program offers free telephone equipment to residents who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind with hearing loss, or speech-impaired.

Video on Demand New Release Schedule For a small rental fee, PRTC’s VideoOn-Demand service gives you access to new movies right in your living room. Some titles (designated with a *) are available as many as eight weeks before they come to Netflix or Redbox. Dates and titles are subject to change.

Dec. 31 • Looper Jan. 8 • Hit and Run* • Dredd • House at the End of the Street* Jan. 15 • To Rome with Love • Frankenweenie • The Possession Jan. 22 • End of Watch* Jan. 29 • Hotel Transylvania Feb. 5

If you have a problem using a standard telephone, please contact: South Carolina Equipment Distribution Program (SCEDP) at:

• Here Comes the Boom

Voice/Toll Free: 1-877-225-8337 TTY/Toll Free: 1-877-889-8337 Email: Amplifylife@scedp.org Website: www.scedp.org Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative

January/February 2013 | 5

Broadband Focus How to outsmart scammers The AARP Fraud Fighters have helped more than 600,000 seniors who have been victims of fraud, says Program Director Jean Mathisen.

These volunteers share fraud prevention techniques, such as: • Never share personal or financial information with anyone unless you initiate the contact. If someone calls claiming to be from your bank and asking for information such as account numbers, tell them you do not share such information over the phone. Then call your bank using the number on the back of your statement, not the number on Caller ID. • Don’t make a decision on the spot. “If told you have to decide now, say no thanks,” Mathisen says.

• Use a locking mailbox or take your outgoing mail to the post office. “Often, crooks pop open curbside mailboxes and remove outgoing mail that contains checks or applications with tons of personal information,” Mathisen says. “You wouldn’t want that to get into the wrong hands.”

• Do not carry your original Medicare card in your wallet.

Mathisen advises making a copy of your Medicare card and crossing the number off of the copy but leaving the letter at the end of the number. Carry the copy with you and leave the original in a safe place at home. If you are going to the doctor and you need to take your Medicare card, then retrieve the original just for that day.

6 | January/February 2013

Avoid being a victim of phone and Internet scams

By Nancy Mann Jackson

D

uring the past few months, FBI offices have received numerous calls from citizens who have been affected by the Reveton ransomware scam, says Supervisory Special Agent Marshall Stone. The scam is activated when a computer user visits a compromised website. Once the virus is installed, the user’s computer locks up and displays a warning that the FBI or Department of Justice has identified the computer as being involved in criminal activity. Users are instructed to pay a “fine” using a prepaid money card service in order to unlock the computer, and are threatened with criminal prosecution if they fail to make the payment.

“This is a scam to extort money,” Stone says. “This is not the way the FBI works.

Fines resulting from criminal activity are assessed and processed by the court system. The FBI will never demand payment to unlock a computer.”

However, a number of citizens across

“Seniors are targeted because that is where the money is, not because we are less smart or competent,” says Jean Mathisen, program director for the AARP Fraud Fighter Call Center.

the country have fallen for this scam and lost money in the process. In many cases, those victims are senior citizens.

Targeting seniors

While telephone scammers have long targeted older Americans, Internet fraud has also become a danger. “As Internet use among senior citizens increases, so does their chance of falling victim to online fraud,” Stone says. According to the FBI website, Internet fraud includes non-delivery of items ordered online and credit and debit card scams.

“Seniors are targeted because that is where the money is, not because we are less smart or competent,” says Jean Mathisen, program director for the AARP Fraud Fighter Call Center, which provides one-on-one consumer education, victim advocacy and assistance for the financial exploitation of older people. “In addition to having maybe a retirement nest egg, seniors are also more likely to be home, to answer the phone and to be polite. Many

times I hear, ‘I finally gave him the information he or she wanted because I couldn’t get them off the phone.’”

In addition to Internet scams such as the Reveton ransomware, Mathisen and her team see a number of other types of fraud such as investment fraud; in-home service fraud; lotteries and sweepstakes; workat-home; “official” business such as IRS, bank or Medicare needing money or information about the victim’s accounts; and “grandparent scams,” whereby the victim is notified that a grandson or other relative has been involved in an accident or arrest, had luggage stolen or something similar, and the victim is being asked to wire cash to save the relative in distress.

Resisting fraud

The FBI says there are several warning signs of telemarketing or Internet fraud.

To avoid becoming a victim, be wary of phrases such as: • “You must act now, or the offer won’t be good.”

• “You’ve won a free gift, vacation or prize.” But you have to pay for “postage and handling” or other charges.

• “You must send money, give a credit card number or send a check by courier.” You may hear this before you’ve had time to carefully consider the offer.

• “You don’t need to check out the company with anyone.” The callers say you do not need to speak to anyone, including your family, lawyer, accountant, local Better Business Bureau or consumer protection agency.

• “You don’t need any written information about the company or its references.”

• “You can’t afford to miss this highprofit, no-risk offer.”

If you or a loved one becomes the victim of a scam, it is important to report the crime. “Often, older people are reluctant to let anyone know,” Mathisen says. “We fear loss of independence, embarrassment, loss of trust and that the family will turn against us. These fears sometimes happen. But it is important to find someone you trust so that you can recover emotionally, if not financially.”

For help, call the Senior Information & Assistance program in your area. Seniors and their family members can also call the Fraud Fighter Call Center at 1-800-6462283 for consumer education and victim advocacy.

Click to learn more... www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/seniors

Broadband: Changing the way our world works

Rural telecommunications companies across the Southeast are upgrading their networks to provide faster, more reliable connections to their subscribers. This is creating amazing opportunities for rural communities, changing the way people work and live. Consider these real-life examples: • A single mother in East Tennessee with limited travel capabilities is taking distance learning classes over broadband at a local campus extension.

• A fire department in West Kentucky saves travel time and money by connecting with training videos over broadband.

• Students in North Alabama have access to remote psychiatric services thanks to a broadband connection to a major university.

• An East Tennessee woman has regular video conversations, over her broadband connection, with a daughter who is stationed in Japan.

• The owner of a small tire store in South Carolina remains competitive by connecting to his suppliers over broadband.

• A healthcare clinic in a small East Kentucky community uses electronic medical records accessed over broadband to deliver better patient care.

• Owners of small shops, restaurants and tourist attractions use their broadband connections to attract customers.

• Public safety agencies, including law enforcement and 911 centers, use broadband to achieve faster response times.

• Economic developers across the region use the availability of broadband to help attract new jobs to rural communities.

January/February 2013 | 7

Operations Manager Roger Medlin reviews the technical manual for his Piper PA-34 Seneca airplane.

High expectations

The sky is the limit for growing airport

S

ometimes, guessing is fun.

When you’re at trivia night at a local restaurant or playing Clue, guessing is part of the game. But guessing is not fun when you run an airport.

“Without the Internet, it’s a guessing game,” says Roger Medlin, operations manager at the Lowcountry Regional Airport in Walterboro. “I don’t know how they did it before broadband.”

Now, thanks to flight-tracking software and a high-speed Internet connection from PRTC, Medlin can see all of the airborne planes in the area and check to see when and where the pilots plan to land.

And surprisingly often, their destination is the taxiway right outside his office.

“For a small town like Walterboro, this airport is huge,” Medlin says. “In fuel, we outsell everybody in the Lowcountry except Charleston, Savannah and Columbia.”

8 | January/February 2013

During a busy November weekend when hunters have flown in to visit the area’s plantations, Medlin estimates there could be $250 million worth of aircraft on the runway and in the hangars. The airport has earned the reputation of being a big, nice stopping point for travelers between New York and Florida. “This is a major stop,” Medlin says. “We’re the halfway point and people love to stop.”

From fighters to corporate jets

The first airport in Walterboro was built in the 1930s as a simple grass landing strip surrounded by about 66 acres of land.

But air travel really took off in the area in the 1940s with the creation of the Walterboro Army Airfield. During World War II, the airfield served as a training station for military planes, according to Tommy

Rowe, airport manager since 1998 and a former Navy pilot. At one point, the base was the largest camouflage school in the United States and also served as a prisoner-of-war camp.

The airfield, however, gained most of its notoriety late in the war when it served as a training ground for the famous Tuskegee Airmen. That training time at the airfield is the reason why Walterboro has a monument to the groundbreaking group of African American pilots, which stands across the street from the airport.

“There’s a good deal of history out there,” Rowe says.

After the war, the airfield returned to a civilian operation. The facility retained much of the land around it that had once been part of the base, which is why it remains much larger than most other airports in communities like Colleton County.

Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative

H

Celebrities who have passed through the Lowcountry Airport • Sylvester Stallone • Barbra Streisand • Neil Armstrong • Jimmy Buffett • Ted Turner

• Gary Sinise

Broadband allows Medlin to track flights across the region. Here, he is checking the progress of a delayed pilot from Florida, who was bound for Walterboro.

Today, corporate and private jets make up most of the traffic, in part because of the airport’s spacious runways and taxiways.

“They just can’t come in and land on any old runway,” Rowe says. “That’s really been our bread and butter as we’ve developed over the past few years.”

The airport sees about 24,000 aircraft operations annually. “Through the years it’s just developed as a larger airport,” Medlin explains.

In the past five years, the airport has added 10 hangars. Looking forward, plans call for building a new terminal and developing a flight school. “It’s an airport that really is realizing its potential,” Medlin says. “The Internet and telephone PRTC provides certainly help with that.”

The flight tracking system logs a great deal of information about each flight that is then shared with surrounding airports over the Internet. “You can follow the pilot en route and it will you tell you his speed and altitude,” Rowe says. “It’s a really big advantage.”

Economic engine

Local officials tout the airport as a key economic development recruitment tool.

Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative

Medlin puts it more simply.

“CEOs don’t ride the bus to town,” he says. “They fly their jets.”

Several corporate executives have passed through the airport on scouting trips to evaluate the area’s potential for new businesses. For them and anyone flying in, the airport makes the first impression. If Walterboro is the front porch of the Lowcountry, the airport often serves as a welcome mat.

“It’s a big calling card for us,” says Heyward Horton, executive director of the Colleton County Economic Alliance. “Every community strives to distinguish itself, and Walterboro and Colleton County use the airport as a tool. It’s just a great asset to have.”

Horton says that in addition to the size of the airport, the location and the staff’s service have it well positioned for

• Greg Norman • Martha Stewart the future. Little touches like Wi-Fi and television for pilots and a friendly greeting make an impact on travelers. “Roger and the guys over there do such a great job of taking care of the pilots and patrons,” Horton says. “They’ve got quite a reputation.”

PRTC CEO Jason Dandridge says connecting the airport with broadband helps connect Colleton County to the world.

“Many people don’t realize that air service and high-speed Internet access are two major things businesses are looking for when they consider expanding to a new area,” he says. “We’re maintaining and expanding our network so we can continue to do our part, and I’m proud the network helps the airport staff do theirs. Combine that with everything else our community has to offer, and Colleton County should be a strong location for any company looking to expand.” 

Walterboro Wings-n-Wheels In April, the Lowcountry Airport will host its fifth annual Wings-n-Wheels plane and car show.

Visit www.walterborowingsandwheels.com for more details.

January/February 2013 | 9

Photo courtesy Ryman Auditorium Archives

A circle unbroken

Museums across the South trace the region’s musical roots, celebrate the larger-than-life personalities who make the songs come alive and educate legions of new fans.

By Cassandra M. Vanhooser

L

egendary entertainer Conway Twitty may have said it best: “Country music takes a page out of somebody’s life and puts it to music.”

Twitty’s words are etched in stone outside the entrance to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Nashville, Tenn., and they sum up the enduring popularity of the South’s favorite music. Simply put, we can relate to it. It’s real music about real people, and there’s no better place to learn about country music than Music City U.S.A.

Gone Country

The sparkling Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum stands as a monument to Southern songs and traditions. Multimedia exhibits take visitors on a journey through the development of this uniquely American art form, from its roots as folk music from the British Isles through its various incarnations to the mainstream country pop enjoyed today. The story is masterfully told with photographs, original recordings and video clips.

In addition to two floors of exhibit space, visitors can also peek behind the scenes into the museum’s archives thanks to the glass walls that encompass the staff’s workspace. Artifacts currently on display range from Carl Perkins’ blue suede shoes to Webb Pierce’s 1962 “Silver Dollar” Pontiac Bonneville convertible.

Even the building’s architecture helps tell country music’s story. From afar, the windows in the front of the museum resemble the ebony and ivory of piano keys. The swooping arch of the building’s roofline speaks of a ’50s Cadillac fin, while the tower atop the rotunda mirrors the WSM tower that still sits just south of town.

The Mother Church of Country Music

The Ryman Auditorium, just a couple of blocks north on Fifth Avenue, is more of a religious experience. “This building is 10 | January/February 2013

Visitors enjoy the Grand Ole Opry display at the Ryman, where they can see stage clothes worn by stars such as David “Stringbean” Akeman, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. alive,” says museum curator Brenda Colladay. “There is a great vibe to this place. There is no other place like the Ryman.”

The soaring stained-glass windows and worn oak pews speak to the building’s past as a church. Visitors can take a leisurely self-guided tour of the many exhibits, or splurge on a guided backstage tour. There’s even an opportunity to have professional photos made center stage or make a record in the Ryman studio.

In many ways, the Ryman’s history parallels the story of country music itself. In the 1940s, fans stood in lines that stretched for blocks to get a seat, but by 1974, when the Grand Ole Opry moved to the new Opry House at Opryland, the Ryman was slated for demolition. It survived — barely. The old auditorium was allowed to fall into disrepair, until a crop of young artists embraced their country roots and traditions and lobbied for the Ryman’s renovation and rebirth.

Today performers young and old yearn to take the stage at the Ryman, and they come from every musical genre — just as they always have. “Everybody loves to play here,” Colladay says, “and it’s a great place to see a performance because it means so much to the people on stage.”

Where the Bluegrass Grows

The International Museum of Bluegrass in Owensboro, Ky., pays tribute to the “hillbilly music” of Appalachia, that high lonesome sound developed by the state’s own Bill Monroe and now played around the world. A large portion of the first floor is dedicated to telling Monroe’s story, from his birth in Rosine to his recognition as the Father of Bluegrass. Visitors can also access documentaries from the Video Oral History Project, an ongoing effort to record first- and second-generation bluegrass musicians.

In addition to preserving the history of bluegrass, the museum

Dixieland Delights

Together Randy Owen, Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook are known as Alabama, one of the most successful bands in music history. Since signing with RCA Records in 1980, the group has sold more than 73 million records. They’ve had 43 singles hit No. 1 on the music charts, and 17 albums are Platinum sellers. Eight times they’ve been country music’s “Entertainer of the Year,” and they claim a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Though the band gave its farewell tour in 2003 and 2004, admirers still visit their fan club and museum in Fort Payne, Ala. The museum itself is a modest collection of memorabilia, awards and hit records, as well as a souvenir and gift shop.

Tiny Muscle Shoals in the northwest corner of the state has been a hotbed of music since the ’60s. A number of country,

rock and R&B performers have retreated to small-town Alabama to write and record their best. FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio are both still in operation and allow tours by appointment.

The Alabama Music Hall of Fame, located in nearby Tuscumbia, offers a glimpse into the lives of artists such as Lionel Richie, Hank Williams, Emmylou Harris, Gold City and Martha Reeves.

A favorite exhibit among visitors is Jim Nabors’ Gomer Pyle costume.

Country on the Beach

If not for Myrtle Beach, the group Ala-

bama might still be laboring in obscurity.

The boys got their start playing for tips in the honkytonks here. Still, Calvin Gilmore was the one to open the area’s first music theater in 1986. Today, the Missouri-born musician and a bevy of talented performers entertain more than 300,000 visitors each year at the 2,200-seat Carolina Opry.

Alabama and Dolly Parton now have theaters on the Grand Strand, too.

“I thought when I came out here that it would work,” Calvin says. “I bet everything I owned on it, but even in my wildest dreams I could not have imagined the success we’ve had.”  Photo courtesy International Bluegrass Music Museum

is dedicated to educating and training a new generation of fans and musicians to carry on the legacy. Audiences around the world can tune in to Radio Bluegrass International, an online radio station that broadcasts round the clock. The museum offers a Saturday Lessons program that outfits students with instruments and reasonably priced instruction. The museum even sponsors a Bluegrass in the Schools program that takes instructions and information to students around the state.

The tiny community of Renfro Valley claims the title “Kentucky Country Music Capital.” This vast entertainment complex is home to the country’s third longest running radio show, Renfro Valley Gatherin’, broadcast every Sunday morning since 1943. The Renfro Valley Barn Dance, a live stage show, is performed on Saturday nights, and other headline acts take the stage throughout the year.

The Kentucky Music Hall of Fame and Museum, also at Renfro Valley, features an Instrument Room, a fully functional recording booth and a blue-screen studio, where visitors can perform with their favorite Kentucky music stars. Honorees range from Rosemary Clooney and Loretta Lynn to the Kentucky HeadHunters and Christian artist Steven Curtis Chapman.

The International Bluegrass Music Museum takes visitors on a historical tour of this uniquely American art form.

Click or Call for more info...

Alabama

Tennessee

Alabama Music Hall of Fame www.alamhof.org 800-239-2643

Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum www.countrymusichalloffame.com 615-416-2001

The Alabama Fan Club & Museum www.thealabamaband.com 256-845-1646

Ryman Auditorium www.ryman.com 615-889-3060

Kentucky

South Carolina

International Bluegrass Music Museum www.bluegrass-museum.org 888-692-2656

Alabama Theatre www.alabama-theatre.com 800-342-2262

Kentucky Music Hall of Fame & Museum www.kentuckymusicmuseum.com 877-356-3263

Carolina Opry Theater www.thecarolinaopry.com 800-843-6779 January/February 2013 | 11

High-speed Internet lets you share photos fast

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or many years, people spent the first few weeks of the new year waiting for Christmas photos to be developed. Now, with digital cameras and a high-speed connection from PRTC, those photos can be shared around the world before the Christmas cookies get cold.

But what’s the best way to share your photos online? And what’s the best way to be sure you keep those photos even if something happens to your computer? Using your Internet connection, you have access to several free services that allow you to upload, store and share photos.

Here are some tips for sharing photos online:

Use sharing sites to archive photos

What would happen to your photos if your computer crashed or was stolen? Uploading high-quality versions of your photos gives you an online backup of your images, just in case. Storing copies of your photos on external hard drives is a good idea as well, but these devices are also vulnerable to theft, fire or power surges.

Pay attention to quality

Most sites give you options on the quality and size of the photo to upload. A lower-resolution photo is quick to upload and share, but may not reproduce well if you plan on printing the photo. For archiving photos that you may want to print, it’s best to use the highest quality setting. Just be aware that, even with a fast connection, it could take several minutes — or even a few hours — to upload a large number of high-resolution photos.

Picasa

Flickr

www.picasa.google.com

www.flickr.com

• By Google • 1 GB storage limit for free accounts • Premium users pay monthly for more space

12 | January/February 2013

• By Yahoo!

• Free accounts limited to 300 MB of photos each month • Limits the size of images on free accounts

Your privacy is your responsibility Once a photo is uploaded, it becomes very easy to copy, paste and share with the world. Most sites have privacy settings where you can choose who can see the photos; but even then, someone you’ve allowed to see the photos could download and repost them.

Shutterfly & snapfish

Facebook & Google+

www.shutterfly.com www.snapfish.com

www.facebook.com www.google.com/+

• Share online and order prints • Unlimited storage space • Allows for large photos

• Easiest way to share with friends • Some limit the quality of photos on free accounts Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative

Prince of Prints

Palmetto Parcels prospers with printing and packages

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et’s say you need to ship a canoe across the country. Or rush a package of grits to a homesick child at college. Or even send a mounted 14-point buck or 7-foot marlin back up north.

Patrick Hyman is the man for the job.

“You have to scratch your head sometimes and go ‘How am I going to do this?’” says Hyman, owner of Palmetto Parcels in Walterboro. “There’s a way to do it.”

For the last 13 years, Hyman and his crew have been helping Lowcountry residents send items across town, around the country and beyond. “You’d be hardpressed to find an area of the world we haven’t shipped to,” he says.

Along the way, Palmetto Parcels added printing services that now accounts for about 75 percent of its business. But the entrepreneur says his high-speed Internet connection from PRTC was a key tool that enabled him to keep up with the everevolving worlds of shipping and printing.

“All of it would not be possible without high-speed Internet,” he says. “It just makes everything flow. We can’t ship a package without the Internet.”

Hyman, a Florence native, says he had always wanted to start a business and Palmetto Parcels has been every bit the challenge he thought it would be. When big print orders come in, it often means long hours feeding the machines. “I’ve actually slept on bubble wrap,” he says, laughing.

Some of his most frequently shipped items are Lowcountry staples like pudding, mustard barbecue sauce, green peanuts for boiling, Duke’s mayonnaise and grits bound for friends or family members who can’t buy the regional favorites where they live. “The parents and grandparents around here ship out so much to their kids and grandkids,” Hyman explains.

The printing side of the business, which now handles orders from businesses as far away as Columbia and Savannah, started

Palmetto Rural Telephone Cooperative

Above: Patrick Hyman monitors orders on his shop’s computer network.

Right: Locals ship a lot of regional comfort foods like grits, green peanuts and barbecue sauce. Here, Hyman preps some local honey to be shipped. off as a single copier. “We stuck a machine in the corner and it went well, so I said, ‘We need two machines!’” Hyman says.

From there, he’s added more and more printers, each one bringing higher technology to the shop. Clients can now send in print orders digitally, receive online proofs from Hyman, pay and have the prints shipped without ever coming into the store. The latest printer allows him to lay out multiple prints in about five clicks instead of the 15 minutes it took with the old equipment. “This technology is shifting fast,” he says.

To keep up, broadband is a requirement.

“I couldn’t do it without it,” he says. “If it wasn’t available, I’d have to move it to somewhere I had high-speed.”

PRTC Chief Technology Officer Tony Stout says that like Hyman, PRTC will continue to change with technology. “Obviously, the business owners in our community know what’s coming in their fields better than we do,” he says. “Our job is to be sure they have the connection they need to stay up with whatever comes next. The fiber network gives them those tools.” 

January/February 2013 | 13

Photos by Nathan Morgan Photography

Southern Kitchens Grits have gone gourmet Grits are as true to the South as sweet tea in summertime.

They’re a patch on our culinary quilt. And in these parts, you’ll find the once-thought-of lowly grain in the fanciest of restaurants.

I remember my first taste of grits. “No bigger than a junebug” my granddaddy would say about me, as he carried me into our neighborhood diner and put me down on a big round stool. Then he would belly up to the counter and order a platter of pancakes and a big bowl of grits for us to share.

Back then, the grits were pretty watery. Nothing that a little butter or gravy couldn’t cure, but for the life of me I really don’t know why I liked them. Then something happened in my adult years. Grits went gourmet, and now they’re showing up on the fanciest of menus.

So get your grits going and enjoy them however you want.

They’re back in vogue. But really, they never left.

Email your recipe and story ideas to Anne Braly at apbraly@gmail.com.

Anne P. Braly Food Editor

14 | January/February 2013

 The Chow 45 roadside sign welcomes visitors. Chef Mark Madrey has put Mayfield, Ky., on the culinary map with Chow 45.

Chow down on grits

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ith the twist of a spoon or the flip of a spatula, Mark Madrey turns simple grains into culinary creations that smack with a complexity of flavors that only grits can bring.

Madrey, chef and owner of Chow 45 in Mayfield, Ky., relishes the glory of grits — particularly their versatility.

“You can do just about anything with them,” he says. “You just need to be adventurous. Get them off the breakfast table and eat them for lunch and dinner, too.”

Chow 45 keeps grits on the menu with one steadfast, signature item: Cheesy Grit Cakes (crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside). Other grit specials range from lowcountry shrimp and grits — one of Madry’s favorite dishes to make — to gritsstuffed portobellos.

Chow 45 opened in an 80-year-old building in May 2010. It’s small, with just 16 tables, but that’s all Madrey wanted after retiring from a lifetime of managing restaurants and moving home to open his own place. During his career, he’s worked with numerous trained chefs and learned from them. “They were all very creative people who were not afraid to think outside the box,” he says. “That’s the whole key. I

like to mix flavors that don’t traditionally go together.”

And that’s where grits come into play, enticing customers who might not have liked grits in the past.

“I have never been a huge fan of grits,” admits Erin Carrico, executive director of the Murray County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Now she eats at Chow 45 a couple of times a month.

“What grabbed me the first time were the shrimp alongside the grits,” she says. “So when my plate arrived, I took the chance and tasted the grits. Bam! I had never tasted grits with such awesome flavor.”

“I’m particular about every dish,” Madrey says. “I want every dish that goes out of the kitchen to be special.”

He keeps his recipes a closely guarded secret, but was willing to share one of his favorites. “Our grits-stuffed portobellos are really simple, but they’re excellent,” he says. 

If you go...

here: Chow 45, 1102 Highway 45 N. W Phone: 270-247-4545 Hours: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Mon. 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. Tues. – Sat.

Grits: New twist on a Southern tradition 4-5 large portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 cups chicken broth Black pepper, to taste 1/2 teaspoon dried sage 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 1/2 cup grits 1/3 cup English peas (You may substitute another type of pea or corn.)

3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley Swiss or cheddar cheese, shredded Parmesan cheese Sauté onions in olive oil and butter until they begin to brown; add the chicken stock, pepper, sage and rosemary; bring to a boil. Gradually add grits, stirring constantly. Turn heat down, cover and cook for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peas during last five minutes of cooking.

Remove mixture from heat and stir in the parsley.

Lightly brush mushrooms with butter or olive oil. Stuff each mushroom with the grits mixture, then top with cheddar or Swiss cheese and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes. Serve as an appetizer or as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or shrimp.

Source: Mark Madrey, Chow 45

Grits-stuffed portobellos make a great appetizer or side dish.

Grits and Greens 1 pound young collard greens, beet greens, chard or kale 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt Good-quality cider vinegar or red wine vinegar 1 recipe hot stone ground grits

Remove tough stems, wash greens and drain in a colander. Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy-bottomed 3- or 4-quart saucepan over low heat until butter melts.

Add garlic and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until golden brown — about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic to a small dish; set aside. Increase heat to medium-high. Add greens to the pan and cook, tossing frequently with tongs, just until the leaves wilt, about 2 minutes for collards, beet greens, chard or spinach, and about 3 minutes for kale.

Stir in red pepper flakes and salt, return the garlic slices to the pan and toss well. Season

Grits are a simple dish, but it’s important they be made correctly. Mark Madrey prefers using stone-ground grits from Anson Mills in South Carolina or Falls Mill in Tennessee. Stone-ground grits have more flavor and texture, he says.

Also: Use half-and-half instead of water for a creamy, rich texture. Use more liquid than the recipe calls for. Again, this will make them creamier.

Do not overcook your grits.

Photo by Nathan Morgan Photography

Grits-Stuffed Portobellos

to taste with vinegar. To serve, spoon hot grits into a warmed serving bowl or plate and surround with greens. Drizzle with olive oil, if desired, and potlikker. Serve immediately.

Source: Anson Mills 15

292 Robertson Blvd.

Walterboro, SC 29488

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