Cooperative Living March/April 2015 - 3

THE INSIDE STORY
Ever-evolving,
Bill Sherrod
ever-improving technology
makes lots of
things in life simpler,
if not easier.
Today you can pay
bills and conduct
business online from
your living room or
the nearest Wi-Fi-equipped coffee shop.
You can make a call to anywhere
from just about anywhere you want,
using your smartphone. With the right
app, you can even see the person at
the other end of the ... Line? Signal?
Ether?
In my early working days, publication
layouts were done by hand, and
photography skills included developing
film (remember film?) and prints.
Now pages are composed electronically
and photos are digital.
Technology touches just about
everything. But there's some work that's
still done the old-fashioned way, such
as electric-line work. While co-op line
technicians have access to the latest
training and tools of the trade, often
they have to don their hooks and climb
a pole to keep our power flowing, just
like their predecessors did, decades ago.
The lineman's work is the point
of the annual Gaff-n-Go Lineman's
Rodeo, planned this year for Friday
and Saturday, March 27 and 28, at
the Caroline County Agricultural Fairgrounds,
just off U.S. 1 near Ruther
Glen. Friday's activities get underway
at 11:30 a.m. and include equipmentoperators'
events, while Saturday the
rodeo starts at 8 a.m. and features a
variety of climbing and technicalexpertise
competitions.
The rodeo, in its 13th year, functions
as a way to enhance the vital culture
of safety and help line technicians
improve their job skills and efficiency.
Plus, it's fun, for the line technicians
as well as their families and
friends. It's an opportunity for lineworkers
to showcase their skill in
doing the job that keeps our energy
flowing, so we can continue to enjoy
the benefits of contemporary life and
its technology.
The rodeo is free and open to the
public. For a full report and scenes
from previous rodeos, see page 12. You
can also visit www.gaff-n-go.com for
more details.
Happy springtime, and hope to see
you in Caroline County the last weekend
in March! 
- Bill Sherrod, Editor
12
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Our Mission
To inform you about your cooperative and its efforts to
serve your energy needs; how to use electricity safely and
efficiently; and the people who define and enhance the
quality of life in communities served by electric co-ops.
Contents
MARCH-APRIL 2015
A Friend to the Cooperatives
Virginia's 13 electric cooperatives have honored
Virginia State Sen. Bill Stanley with the Distinguished
Friend of the Electric Cooperatives award.
The View from Above
Electric-line technicians from across the mid-Atlantic
region will gather in Caroline County March 27
and 28 for the annual Gaff-n-Go Lineman's Rodeo.
12
On the cover: The Gaff-n-Go Lineman's Rodeo features various timed
and judged events to hone electric-line technicians' safety skills and work
efficiencies. Bill Sherrod photo.
28
Good Things Beyond the Cornfields
A traveler's treasure trove lies just beyond the
fertile fields that line Route 360 as it crosses
Virginia's Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula.
Keeping 'Granddaddy's Dream' Alive
A Highland County farmer's kindnesses have
helped his neighbor keep her late husband's
wish moving forward for their grandchildren.
Viewpoint
Mailbag
Whatzit?
36
History Mystery
Say Cheese!
Happenings
Currents
DEPARTMENTS
2
4
4
5
8
9
10
Bang for Your Buck 10
Reader Recipes
16
Local Co-op Pages 18
Healthy Take*
Caught in the Web*
Safety Sense*
28
36
20
21
22
It's Your Business* 23
Garden Muse*
24
Wise Energy Use 26
Kids' Korner
Classifieds
Rural Living
* not in all editions
Visit us online at: www.co-opliving.com
www.facebook.com/cooperativeliving
Please recycle this magazine.
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http://www.gaff-n-go.com http://www.co-opliving.com http://www.facebook.com/cooperativeliving
Cooperative Living March/April 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living March/April 2015
