MG_NL_1204

December 2004

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

September 2004

Member Newsletter

Middle Georgia

The Official Newsletter of Middle Georgia Electric Membership Corporation

P.O. Box 190, Vienna, GA 31092

Years of Service Recognition for Middle Georgia EMC's

dedicated employees goes to

Joe Tripp

, line foreman, who

has been with us since the "good old days" back in 1972.

Joe has been here 32 years and counting! And

Gary Fowler

computer technician, has been here for 18 years!

Years of Service Recognition

Our offices will be

CLOSED Friday, Dec. 24,

and Monday, Dec. 27 for

the Christmas Holidays!

iddle Georgia EMC is once again accepting

applications for the Walter Harrison Scholarship.

This prestigious award, presented annually to students
displaying academic excellence and financial need,
gives winners $1,000 that can be applied to academic
expenses at any accredited two- or four-year universi-
ty, college, or vocational/technical institute in Georgia.

To be considered for the scholarship, applicants

must live with either an EMC member or an EMC
employee and must be enrolled in or applying for a
position in an accredited undergraduate degree pro-
gram. Full-time students, part-time students, as well as
EMC members and employees, are all eligible to
receive the award.

In 1985, Georgia's electric cooperatives started the

scholarship fund as a way to honor the late Walter
Harrison. Famous for his championing of the electric

cooperative industry and his desire to

improve the quality of life in rural America,

Harrison was recognized nationally by his

nickname "Mr. Rural Electrification." In

addition to having this scholarship

named after him, Harrison was also

inducted into the Cooperative Hall

of Fame the very same year.

Harrison's career was as distinguished as his repu-

tation. Armed with his passion to bring electricity to
rural areas, he played a vital role in creating both the

statewide and the national associations
of electric co-ops (the Georgia Electric
Membership Corp. and the National
Rural Electric Cooperative Association,
respectively). Harrison was an
NRECA board member for 31 years
and served a year as its president.
In addition to his work with EMCs,
Harrison also edited and published
his hometown newspaper, the Millen
News, was mayor of Millen for
20 years, and even represented
his town in the Georgia
General Assembly.

The Walter Harrison Scholarship

Fund is financed through dona-
tions from Georgia's EMCs and
other associated organizations.
Georgia Southern University
in Statesboro administers the
fund, with the number of $1,000 scholarships award-
ed dependent on year-end earnings. Last year, seven
scholarships were awarded.

For more information or for an application, con-

tact Lisa Laney or Robert Herman at Middle Georgia
EMC (229) 268-2671. All applications must be
received by Feb. 7, 2005. Recipients will be
announced in May.

Scholarship Applications Available

Holiday Closings

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

MANAGER'S

Comments

By Hugh Richardson

ome of our members continue to take advantage
of our gas-to-electric-conversion rebates. So far,

we have had 118 members convert their gas heat to
electric heat pumps. Rebates are $150 per ton. Now
is a good time to consider this conversion with win-
ter approaching. All the HVAC contractors in our area
are aware of this program and will turn in the proper
forms to us for your rebate.

Our cooperative officially reached the 7,000-

meters-served level this year after a small, but consis-
tent, growth for 64 years. We serve an average of
4.55 meters per mile, and we are still a primarily

rural area EMC. Sixty-five
percent of our customers
are residential homes.

What is the greatest

change we have seen in the past 25 years about the
operations of this business? The answer is probably
our telecommunications and data acquisition. Two-
way radios and a four-line phone system were all we
had in 1979. We expect more global positioning sys-
tems being used in the next few years, which will
vastly improve our mapping, staking and member
locations.

Updates ...

hen you're wrapping

presents, fixing din-

ner, decorating the house
and singing carols, don't
neglect the dangers that
come with using the extra
electricity.

Stringing holiday lights
means using lots of extension cords. Don't overload
outlets. Use no more than three sets of lights per exten-
sion cord.

Check decorative lights for damaged cords, plugs and
sockets. Replace anything that's frayed, cracked or
broken. Buy cords that are certified by Underwriters
Laboratories; look for the UL symbol on the package.

Don't run cords under rugs, carpets or baseboards.
This creates a fire hazard.

When you put up outdoor decorations, avoid stringing
lights in trees near power lines. Fasten outdoor lights
securely with insulated staples, never nails or tacks.

Keep electric lights away from decorative metal trees.
And keep all light strings out of reach of small children
and pets. Both like to chew the wires!

Use caution when
tapping extra electricity

Do you

KNOW

Do you

U.S. co-ops serve some

120 million members,

or four in 10 Americans.

--Source: National Rural Utilities

Cooperative Finance Corp.

December 2004

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

Mama's Eggnog

(Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen)
The Food Network

Recipe summary
Difficulty: easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 1 minute
Yield: 8 to10 servings
User Rating:

(5 Stars)

Ingredients

*6 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 pint heavy cream
4 pints milk
1/2 pint bourbon

1 tablespoon vanilla
Nutmeg

Directions

In a bowl, beat the egg yolks

with the 1/2 cup of sugar until
thick. In another bowl, beat the
egg whites with 1/4 cup of sugar
until thick. In a third bowl, beat
the cream until thick. Add the
cream to the yolks. Fold in the
egg whites and add the milk,
bourbon, vanilla and a pinch of
nutmeg (if desired). Chill in freez-
er before serving.

Serve eggnog in a large punch

bowl.

*RAW EGG WARNING: The

American Egg Board states: "There
have been warnings against con-
suming raw or lightly cooked eggs
on the grounds that the egg may
be contaminated with salmonella,
a bacteria responsible for a type
of food-borne illness. Healthy
people need to remember that
there is a very small risk and treat
eggs and other raw animal foods
accordingly. Use only properly
refrigerated, clean, sound-shelled,
fresh, grade AA or grade A eggs.
Avoid mixing yolks and whites
with the shell."

Holiday Recipes

from the Food Network

Dorothy Zehner's
Apple Kuchen

(Recipe courtesy of the Bavarian
Inn, Frakenmuth, Mich.)

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: medium
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3/4 teaspoon vanilla, divided
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 egg

1-1/2 cups apples, peeled and chopped
1-1/2 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons apple juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Fahrenheit.

In a bowl, combine butter,

1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon
vanilla. Gradually beat in 1-1/4

cups flour. Press crumbly mixture
onto bottom and up sides of 9-
inch pie plate. Bake in oven for 5
minutes. Cool. Beat cream cheese,
1/4 cup sugar and remaining
vanilla until combined. Beat in
egg. Pour over crust. Combine
chopped and sliced apples, juice,
remaining sugar, 2 tablespoons
brown sugar, cinnamon and
lemon juice. Spoon over cheese.
Bake for 45 minutes. Combine
oats, 1/3 cup flour and 1/3 cup
brown sugar. Cut in 1/4 cup butter
or margarine to resemble coarse
crumbs. Sprinkle over pie. Bake
for 15 to 20 minutes more.

Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter

Board of Directors

Don Wood

President

Johnny Noble

Vice President

Kay West

Secretary

John David McCall

Treasurer

Jerry F. Rhodes

Director

Royce Conner

Director

Ronnie Fleeman

Director

Ronnie Youngblood

Director

David Dunaway

Director

Davis and Forehand

Attorneys

Staff

Hugh Richardson

General Manager

Lisa Laney

Executive Secretary,

Newsletter Editor

Randy Kent

Office Manager

Mike McGee

Manager of Operations

and Engineering

Vienna Area (229) 268-2671

Rochelle

(Day) (229) 365-2263
(Night) 1-800-342-0144

Hawkinsville

(Day) (478) 892-3436
(Night) 1-800-342-0144

Office Hours

Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

(Branch offices closed from

12-1 p.m. daily)

Closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays.

There is a dispatcher on call 24 hours

a day for your convenience.

GEORGIA MAGAZINE

We have had a new addition to our EMC family!

William Smith, our mechanic, and his wife, Stacy, wel-
comed a daughter into the world on Wednesday, Oct. 13,
2004. Savannah Smith weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces, and her big
brother Justin and big sister Brittany greeted her. Congratulations!

Middle Georgia EMC

welcomes new member

Middle Georgia EMC

welcomes new member

The Dooly County Annual Christmas Parade will be

held on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004, at 11 a.m. in Unadilla.

Lineup for the parade will begin at 10 a.m. on

Borum Street in front of the high school gym.

Again this year, the parade will be featured on

WSST-TV Channel 55.

Don't forget!

lanning to give your child a computer

this holiday season? Remember that

children are learning to use the

computer at tender ages--when their bodies
are still forming. Make sure your kids are
properly seated so using their computer
doesn't interfere with their good posture.
Here are some tips:

Adjust the chair so your child's feet
rest firmly on the floor or a footrest
for support.

Arrange a workspace that allows the child to reach the keyboard
while comfortably seated--without bending or twisting.

Position the computer screen so your child can view it without tilt-
ing the neck backward or forward.

Fit the keyboard and mouse to the size of your child's hands.
Small hands are more comfortable using smaller keyboards.

Make sure lights don't create a glare on the computer screen.

Require your child to take regular breaks from the computer to
rest eyes and body. You can buy software programs that interrupt
your child's work at regular intervals to encourage breaks.

Kids and computers