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CooperaN

COOPERATIVE

News

Wisconsin

ENERGY Cooperative

contents September 2016

News

NEWS BRIEFS

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Wisconsin youth learn about co-ops and leadership.

10 15 28 30

Nuclear

STORAGE

A cooperative-proposed environmental solution catches on.

Recognize backyard treasures.

CO-OPS VOTE

All politics is local, so is the future of rural America.

On the

COVER

Discover tons of treasures at Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum in Fountain City.

RECIPES

Try new ways to prepare tomatoes.

YOUNG MEMBERS

Cute co-op kids get cozy with their critters.

CEO’S MESSAGE

WECA’s 25 member co-ops elect board members from three districts.

MY CO-OP

Find out what’s happening at your local electric cooperative.

CLASSIFIEDS

Buy, sell, and trade with readers from across Wisconsin.

EVENTS

Find your fun this month in Wisconsin.

September 2016

WECN Sept2016TOC.indd 1

8/16/16 11:17 AM

LETTER FROM

THE EDITOR

Treasure in your own backyard While working on this month’s magazine, I realized that I had missed a treasure in my own backyard. I’m referring to the treasure of Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum featured on the cover and on page 24. Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News Associate Editor Mary Erickson returned from her trip to Fountain City and spoke highly of Elmer and Bernadette Duellman and their fantastic collection of cars and toys. I grew up in Buffalo County, just a few hills and valleys away from the museum, but I have never been there. I had heard about it, but didn’t realize what an amazing place it was until Mary explored it more fully. For many, I think the local electric cooperative is much the same—a treasure in your own backyard that you might not even notice. You flip the switch, the lights come on, and you don’t give it a second thought. But working with electric cooperatives, I can tell you that they are more than just a utility. Electric cooperatives invest in the future of the rural areas they serve. Most recently, electric cooperatives from across the state sponsored youth to attend the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association Youth Leadership Congress at UW–River Falls (see page 6). Students learned about the cooperative business model and participated in educational sessions focused on maximizing their leadership potential. Hopefully, many of these youth will return to their rural communities and become future leaders there. Electric cooperatives have long seen the benefit of investing in youth to better their communities. And co-op community development doesn’t stop there. Co-ops sponsor food and school supply drives, local non-profit donations, Toys for Tots, low-interest community development loans, scholarships, fire department donations, the list goes on and on. This September, I encourage you to recognize the treasures in your own backyard—including your electric cooperative. Dana Kelroy, Editor

Joining Elmer and Bernadette Duellman on the cover is a replica of Elmer. This wood sculpture was a gift to Elmer from his family for his 50th birthday. It’s displayed along with a sign that says “This prized possession was given to me by my wife and children for my 50th birthday. Carved by Leo Smith.” Leo is a well-known wood sculptor inspired by the natural environment of the Upper Mississippi River Valley. 4

September 2016 Vol. 77 No. 3 The Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News (Formerly Wisconsin R.E.C. News) has been published monthly and distributed since July 1940 to members of Wisconsin’s non-profit, consumer-owned rural electric cooperatives. It is available to non-members for $10 per year or $28 for three years. Published by the Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Steve Freese, president & CEO. USPS number: 688-480. Postmaster: please send address changes to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Periodicals postage paid at Baraboo, Wis. Send correspondence to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Phone (608) 467-4650. Web site: www.wecnmagazine.com. Co-op Members: Please send address changes to your local electric co-op. Contact information can be found on page 18. Steve Freese Dana Kelroy Mary Erickson David Hoopman Ann Bailey Tina Walden Geri Miller

WECA president & CEO editor associate editor contributing writer graphic designer editorial assistant advertising consultant

For advertising opportunities please email ads@weca.coop. The appearance of advertising does not constitute an endorsement of the products or services advertised.

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Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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NEWS BRIEFS STATEWIDE DIRECTORS CHOSEN

Three seats on the 10-member Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association board of directors were up for election this summer, and balloting at recent district meetings brought two new faces to the board. Scenic Rivers Energy Cooperative CEO Steve Lucas was elected to succeed Clark Electric’s Tim Stewart, who reached his term limit. St. Croix Electric Director Derrick Oberle succeeds Jump River Director Steve Truver, who did not seek re-election. Riverland Energy Director David Paudler, the incumbent board chair, was re-elected. Statewide directors chosen in the district meetings commence their new terms at the organization’s November annual meeting.

ANOTHER CO-OP SOLAR PROJECT BREAKS GROUND

NEW WECA YOUTH BOARD ELECTED The 2016–17 Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association Youth Board was elected during the organization’s recent Youth Leadership Congress—the 53rd— at UW–River Falls. Sponsored by their local electric co-ops, more than 125 high school students from across Wisconsin learned about the cooperative business model and participated in educational sessions focused on maximizing leadership potential. Shown here, attendees

learn about trusting their fellow students in a team-building exercise, and pictured (l–r) are newly elected board members Jonathan Readinger, Jump River Electric; Katelin Berklund, Vernon Electric; Emma Herek, Oakdale Electric; Jenna Jereb, Oakdale Electric; Ethan Michalowski, Central Wisconsin Electric; and Naly Vang, Oakdale Electric. Their tasks include helping to plan and conduct the 2017 Youth Leadership Congress.

AGREEMENT TO BENEFIT BUTTERFLY HABITAT The Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association and the Sand County Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) last month, outlining their plans to collaborate in improving habitat for insect pollinators, especially monarch butterflies. Habitat loss has diminished monarch numbers compared with their vast abundance across North America in earlier decades. The MOU outlines the habitat restoration responsibilities of the Sand County Foundation—a private, non-profit organization advocating scientifically sound land management—and WECA. The foundation is to offer grants and guidance to Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapters partnering with WECA

member co-ops, assist FFA chapters and WECA members with appropriate methodologies for establishing and managing habitat, pursue private and public funds to leverage WECA-member co-ops’ inkind contributions, and deliver public presentations and media content spreading information about the project. WECA has agreed to actively recruit member co-ops to identify potential habitat restoration sites, support member co-ops in providing safe and reasonable accommodations for FFA students and teachers working in projects on member properties, and contribute in-kind resources such as plant material and vegetation management in support of habitat restoration.

Wisconsin electric cooperatives’ leadership in community solar development marked another milestone in August, with the ceremonial groundbreaking in the St. Croix County Town of Warren for a planned 2.34 megawatt array. Upon completion of “Sunflower II” this fall, the site will also host 16 acres of pollinator-friendly plants and grasses. Sunflower II is one of 12 solar installations set for construction this year in the Dairyland Power Cooperative service area and Dairyland will purchase 93 percent of the facility’s output, with St. Croix Electric Cooperative securing a 25-year, fixed price, power purchase agreement with co-developer SoCore for the remaining seven percent.

FEDS FORECAST NUKE SHRINKAGE, RENEWABLE GROWTH

The share of North American electricity generation obtained from nuclear and renewable sources combined is projected to grow nearly one-fifth over the decade spanning 2015–2025, but the numbers show all the growth occurring among renewables, with nuclear not quite holding its own, a report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicates. EIA figures show nuclear providing 18 percent of North America’s electricity mix in 2015 and slipping to 16 percent over the decade. Renewables are projected to grow from 20 percent to 29 percent during the same period. Fossil fuels are projected to contribute a shrinking but still majority share, declining from 62 percent of total generation in 2015 to 55 percent in 2025.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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A MEMBER

s a member of an electric cooperative, you can play a significant role in deciding what happens at your local cooperative and within the co-op associations with which it’s affiliated. There are seven cooperative principles all co-ops—including Wisconsin’s electric cooperatives—strive to honor in shaping their business and membership practices. Principle number 2 is Democratic Member Control. Cooperatives are democratic organizations Members of Eau Claire Energy Cooperative exercise democratic governed by their members, all control of their cooperative by casting their votes in the board of whom are free to actively election at the 2016 annual meeting. participate in setting policies and making decisions. The members’ member cooperatives are organized in three districts. In elected representatives—the each district three individuals are elected to serve on the board of directors—are acWECA board. Two of these three seats are filled by co-op countable to the membership. In Steve Freese directors and one by a co-op manager. No cooperative Wisconsin’s electric cooperatives, WECA President & CEO can have more than one member serving at any given members have equal voting rights time. They serve a three-year term and are limited to two (one member, one vote). In keeping with longstanding terms. custom (and state law), Wisconsin’s electric cooperatives Positons taken by WECA aren’t made up in a vacuum; hold annual meetings for their entire membership, most they are developed by the membership at large. Every of them during late winter and early spring and a handful cooperative can present resolutions to help guide the in the fall, always based on the end of the individual codirection the association takes moving forward. Once a op’s fiscal year. resolution has been developed it’s At the annual meeting the cooperdiscussed and potentially refined by ative engages its membership in the the WECA Legislative and Regulatocooperative’s performance during the ry Committee, made up of members preceding year and the direction it from every cooperative. Committee will take in the near future. At each members make recommendations for annual meeting I attended this year review by the WECA board. If that the members were brought up to date board approves advancing a resoon the fiscal health of their cooperalution, it will be brought before the tive and on plans for upgrades to their association’s annual meeting where electric service during the coming the entire membership votes—and year. Members had the opportunity to may amend—the resolutions. shape and influence the governance Once adopted, these memof their cooperative by electing felber-generated resolutions direct the low members who will serve on the staff and board of WECA on the board of directors. legislative positions we advocate, The standard of one member influence the stories that appear in one vote, observed by each electric this magazine, and guide the procooperative, assures every member The Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Associagramming we provide. The direction an equal opportunity to influence tion’s 25 member cooperatives elect board we take as an association is the result the outcome of the board elections. members from three Wisconsin districts. of a chain of events set in motion by Not every election is contested, but the members attending their local multi-candidate contests do occur electric cooperative’s annual meeting. throughout the cooperative world, showing Principle 2 is It’s an example of democracy put fully into practice as alive and well. people take time out of their busy lives to listen and have Meanwhile, each member of your cooperative’s a say in the governance of their local electric cooperative. board of directors plays a role in the Wisconsin Electric Principle 2: Democratic Member Control. Cooperative Association (WECA). The association’s 25

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Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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All politics is local

So is the future of rural America

n two months, Americans will cast votes for a president, 34 senators, 435 members of Congress, 12 governors, 5,920 state legislators, and in countless local races. If the presidential race is at the top of most voters’ minds, the state and local races can also have a direct impact on “kitchen-table” issues affecting families. For rural America, the stakes are high. An annual snapshot prepared by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service says “rural employment in mid-2015 was still 3.2 percent below its pre-recession peak in 2007.” The same report found that rural America continues to experience population decline driven by outmigration of residents to larger urban areas. The trends underlying much of this outmigration—issues such as globalization, technology advances, and the shift from a manufacturing-based economy to a service and knowledge-based economy—are largely beyond the control of any community, state, or even country. But even if the challenges facing rural America are global, the prevailing sentiment among rural residents and academic researchers is that the solutions must be largely homegrown. In other words, if rural America is to enjoy a prosperous future, it will be thanks to the ingenuity, self-reliance, and determination of its people. The rural electrification movement is a prime example. America’s electric cooperatives are always on the lookout for new ways to support and promote the interests of the communities they serve—and also alert to developments that could hobble the ability of those communities to grow and prosper. Regular readers will recall an article in the July edition of Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News that in part described co-ops striving to be engines for economic de-

velopment. Separate from and yet crucial to cooperative efforts to help build local economies is another program, a new one that’s especially relevant today, called the Coops Vote Initiative.

Strength in Numbers

A non-partisan program of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), Co-ops Vote is designed to promote civic engagement and voter participation in communities served by electric cooperatives. Co-op members can visit the website at vote.coop to gather information on the voter registration process in their state, dates of elections, information on the candidates running in those elections, and explanations of key issues affecting rural America. Visitors to the website can also take a pledge to be a co-op voter. This pledge doesn’t commit anyone to vote for a particular candidate or party; what it does do is send a message to candidates at all levels of government that electric cooperative members will be showing up at the polls in great numbers, and are paying close attention to issues that affect the quality of life in their communities.

Maximizing Natural Strengths

Nationwide polling by organizations across the political spectrum confirms that elite institutions are failing to inspire voter confidence, and the uneasy feeling spanning a remarkably diverse and high percentage of the electorate includes many who will participate actively in the Co-ops Vote Initiative. An inclination to withhold trust from remote, elite institutions doesn’t necessarily suggest automatic rejection of findings from researchers at the Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy & Competitiveness.

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Securing a Positive Future In the early decades of the 20th century, access to electricity was a key factor differentiating the quality of life and economic vigor of urban and rural areas. In the early decades of the 21st century, with access to electricity virtually universal in the United States, its affordability is the key factor. Many business enterprises spend more for energy usage than for any other expense except paying the personnel. It thus logically follows that any factor raising the cost of energy exerts downward pressure on business activity, downward pressure on job creation, and on opportunities to better compensate workers currently employed. The question for consumers—or for energy providers asking on the consumers’ behalf—is whether a factor that increases energy costs is unavoidable or a voluntary public policy choice, and if the latter, whether the anticipated results seem worth the expense of lost opportunities. In this century, that question applies in rural and urban communities equally. Maintaining and—we all hope—improving Americans’ quality of life will depend in no small measure on protecting the ability of cooperatives to continue delivering energy and related services to rural communities as free as possible from unnecessary, low-return expenses imposed from afar.

November 8 will bring Americans’ collective decision as to which leaders we trust with crucial choices. It’s to be hoped that in office, they’ll respect the aspirations of communities—in the best electric co-op tradition—helping themselves to grow and prosper. Before election day, study the issues that are crucial to you and your community. Examine every candidate and decide which ones offer the best chance they’ll approach crucial issues from a perspective you agree makes sense for your community. And then join millions of fellow electric cooperative members at the polls. —Justin LaBerge writes on consumer and cooperative affairs for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the Arlington, Va.-based service arm of the nation’s 900-plus consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperatives. The Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association’s Dave Hoopman contributed to this article. DR® RAPIDFIRE™ FLYWHEEL LOG SPLITTER

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Listing key steps for boosting rural economies, the Harvard researchers say “rural economic development should focus on the unique strengths of each area rather than concentrating on ameliorating generic weaknesses.” Many rural communities face similar challenges driven by similar factors, but the best way to address those issues can vary widely from community to community. It’s in this sense that one of the greatest advantages enjoyed by electric cooperatives comes into play, through their ability to leverage the unique strengths of the communities they serve. The members of each cooperative are empowered to explore different approaches to solving problems and figure out what solutions are best for their community. This applies to the energy sources they use to generate electricity, the technologies they use to operate the system, and the policies and procedures they adopt. What works for co-op members in one state might not make as much sense for co-op members in another. Thus, electric co-ops (which as noted in the July article referenced earlier, disproportionately serve consumers and communities with lower-than-average household incomes) must be especially wary of one-size-fits-all regulatory initiatives that hinder their ability to use the most advantageous methods of providing affordable energy for their consumer-owners. That’s why keeping energy affordable is among the highest priorities for Co-ops Vote.

8/15/16 8:40 AM

We told them so

Co-op-proposed environmental solution catches on

n the final week of July a brief item in a utility newsletter sent us searching the archives of Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News. Burrowing through a decade’s worth of back issues, we found what we were looking for in the May 2006 edition. The object of the search was a cover story titled “Private Parking,” describing the leadership role taken by Wisconsin’s electric cooperatives attempting to do what the federal government couldn’t bring itself to do—even to the extent of failure to carry out its own law—by providing an environmentally secure storage site for spent fuel from the nation’s nuclear power plants. Conflicting agendas within the government killed off the co-op-led effort three years ago, but the recent newsletter article reported the government was now making progress after reversing course, seeking private vendors to do the very thing it had thwarted cooperatives and other energy providers from accomplishing: establishing safe, temporary storage of accumulated nuclear waste at purpose-built sites away from the dozens of power plants where it’s currently held. The news came six years after congressional politics scuttled the government’s own, nearly completed waste repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, and almost 19 years past the deadline specified in federal law for such a facility to be open for business.

The Best-Laid Plans

Today, it’s easy to say the fiasco of U.S. nuclear waste-handling was predictable but it mustn’t have been quite so obvious in 1982. The Nuclear Waste Policy Act, adopted by a divided congress and signed into law by Republican President Ronald Reagan, directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to develop a permanent repository and begin accepting spent fuel for storage no later than February 1998. That deadline was still several years away when it became clear it wouldn’t be met. Large utilities running nuclear plants and accumulating spent fuel at the plant sites could see they might need to retire facilities even before their licenses expired unless they could park spent fuel somewhere outside their limited storage space until the government kept its promise. Among those taking the lead was La Crosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative. Dairyland ceased nuclear generation in 1987 but still had 42 tons of spent fuel on its hands, cooling slowly in a deep indoor storage pool within its shut-down plant at Genoa on the Mississippi River.

The La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR or LACK-bar), Wisconsin’s first commercial nuclear generation facility, was a comparatively tiny, 50-megawatt demonstration project launched in 1967 by Dairyland and Milwaukee’s Allis Chalmers Corp. for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and commencing operations in 1971. When the AEC ended the project two years later and sold the plant to Dairyland, it came with assurances that even if the cooperative decided to end LACBWR operations, it would realize several million dollars selling the fuel for reprocessing. That lasted four years. In April 1977, claiming a need to prevent diversion of fuel for weapons use—an application calling for far more highly enriched uranium than any used to fuel a power plant—the Carter administration halted reprocessing, making the fuel at every U.S. nuclear plant a long-term liability for its operators: Once used up for purposes of generating electricity, it would remain highly radioactive and stranded at the plant sites. In 1987, Dairyland yielded to the impossible economics of continuing to operate so small a generation facility in an extremely demanding security environment and retired the LACBWR plant. Utilities with continuing nuclear operations faced similar but bigger challenges: They were still creating spent fuel as their available storage space dwindled. In 1994, Dairyland and seven nuclear utilities formed a consortium called Private Fuel Storage (PFS) and began examining potential sites for a temporary repository in lieu of the promised federal facility. Perhaps surprisingly, given the “not-in-my-backyard” sensitivities triggered by radioactive materials, many options appeared. In 2006 John Parkyn, since retired but then CEO of Private Fuel Storage, told Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News more than 30 sites were considered and “In fact, we didn’t even look at any sites that weren’t voluntarily offered.” Individual counties, Indian tribes, and private landowners applied. In 1996, the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians approached PFS and offered the use of some of its land in Utah, about 60 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Numbering fewer than 200, the Goshutes wanted the economic opportunities associated with hosting a storage facility. PFS agreed to lease about 800 acres of reservation land, federal regulatory review commenced in 1997 and in February 2006, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC, successor to the old AEC) granted a license

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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Two views of Dairyland Power Cooperative’s independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) at the southern edge of the Genoa, Wisconsin, power plant site on the banks of the Mississippi River: The close-up shows the five casks containing the spent nuclear fuel removed in the fall of 2012 from the partially dismantled La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor. The longer view shows the ISFSI in relation to Dairyland’s still-active Genoa power plant. Dairyland officials say their cache of spent fuel could qualify for an early spot in the queue for removal from power plant sites if a proposed interim storage facility wins federal regulatory approval.

to build and operate the facility. Not one shovelful of earth has been turned. The reasons—those that are undisputed—involve the same kind of congressional roadblocks that deepsixed the federal government’s Yucca Mountain waste repository, also after it passed regulatory muster and won licensure. The opposition was bipartisan: Democrats killed off Yucca Mountain and Republicans did in PFS. Late in 2005, Senator Orrin Hatch (R–UT) told officials of Xcel Energy, the PFS partner with the largest ownership share, that he would “pull out every stop in the book to stop the PFS plan.” PFS still exists but is described as “moribund” by people close to the situation. License in hand, it dropped the Utah project in 2013, unable to obtain necessary transportation-related permits from the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management. Yucca Mountain was doomed even earlier, its funding cut off by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) after some $13 billion had been spent on development and the facility was virtually completed.

Irony Wins Big

Recognizing last December that the ongoing loss of nuclear generation through early plant retirements was at odds with the Obama administration’s ambition to do away with carbon dioxide emissions from electric generation—nuclear plants produce none—the DOE issued a re-

quest for proposals to develop privately operated, temporary storage sites and start moving spent fuel away from plant sites nationwide. What the DOE asked for differs from its Yucca Mountain project in one critical aspect. The Yucca Mountain site was designated by the federal government; the DOE’s interim solution relies on willing host communities. It would do the same thing PFS attempted a decade earlier, successfully until federal officials torpedoed it. Two private developers now seek regulatory approval for interim storage facilities in Texas and New Mexico. In July, Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists produced information requested by the NRC in its review of a proposal to store 5,000 metric tons of spent fuel from a dozen decommissioned plants. The plan would use an existing facility near Andrews, Texas, just east of the New Mexico state line. The Waste Control Specialists (WCS) site already holds large quantities of low-level radioactive waste. WCS applied April 28 for licensure to store high-level spent fuel with an eye toward eventually taking in 40,000 tons in eight separate stages. Earlier this year, New Jersey-based Holtec International obtained the endorsement of local government committees for a proposed spent fuel storage site between Hobbs and Carlsbad, New Mexico, only about 40 miles west of

WCS’ proposed Texas site. The Holtec project would hold up to 75,000 metric tons of spent power plant fuel and other high-level waste currently at scattered locations, the company says. About 70,000 tons of spent fuel is now in storage at the power plant sites where it was used, according to figures from WCS. That’s an important number. Last December the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) advised a House subcommittee that even if the funding tap were reopened to permit Yucca Mountain’s completion, further legislation would be needed before it could accept all the spent fuel stored at power plants. Kim Cawley, head of the CBO’s Natural and Physical Resources Cost Estimates Unit, told the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy the accumulated spent fuel totals 11,000 tons more than Yucca was authorized to hold by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act.

Lucy and the Football?

Witnesses to this saga over the past two decades are sure to ask whether the DOE’s request for proposals is yet another “Lucy-and-the-football” moment, with officials or agencies poised to yank back at the last instant what finally looks like a chance at success. Brian Rude, Dairyland Power Cooperative’s vice president for external and member relations, listed several reasons why not, while conceding “It’s not going September 2016

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to be easy.” Rude says the LACBWR is “a great candidate” to have its spent fuel moved promptly if an interim facility wins approval. “Almost all the discussions about spent fuel handling including President Obama’s blue ribbon commission on the future of nuclear energy have said the shut-down reactors ought to go first, absolutely,” he noted. Foremost among Rude’s reasons for optimism is that Harry Reid is retiring. Rude characterizes him as “a oneman wrecking crew on spent fuel policy. He has been incredibly effective at derailing the whole federal government response to spent fuel management; he singlehandedly shut down Yucca, it’s padlocked.” Reid’s tenure as senate majority leader and, more recently, minority leader, has many senate Democrats “chafing” over the inability to act on the issue, Rude said. “Now you’re going to see people like [Maria] Cantwell from Washington and perhaps some of the New England Democrats who have spent fuel problems right in their backyard,” he said, adding that in 2013 a bipartisan “gang of four” including Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Diane Feinstein (D-CA), and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) emerged in support of moving spent fuel away from plant sites. Rude labels one reason for urgency “a personal reaction and not a Dairyland one, necessarily.” “Personally I feel that absolutely if carbon is an issue and if, going into this, 20 percent of our energy was created by nuclear power which is carbon-free, and we’re seeing those plants just drop right and left, it’s a tragedy to me that we’re losing these plants when we’re concerned about carbon.” In July, the Nuclear Energy Institute noted the shutdowns, completed or impending, of 14 U.S. power reactors in recent years. Most if not all are closing well short of their scheduled license expirations and the Midwest, with steep carbon dioxide emission cuts mandated under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, has already lost Wisconsin’s Kewaunee plant, looks destined to lose two Exelon plants in Illinois, and could see the loss of Minnesota’s Prairie Island plant more than a decade ahead of schedule under a scenario presented in January to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission by Xcel Energy. Loss of those four plants 14

would eliminate more than 11,000 megawatts of emissions-free generation requiring replacement by something that can deliver power 24 hours a day. Statistics from the State Energy Office indicate their combined output exceeds 54 percent of all Wisconsin-based generation capacity as of 2013.

The Meter’s Running The government’s ongoing failure has cost Americans dearly as utility ratepayers and taxpayers. The cost of a permanent repository was to be covered by a one-tenth cent per kilowatt-hour fee the DOE charged utilities on sales of nuclear energy. Those collections were halted by a federal court in May 2014, a little more than 16 years after the still-unavailable facility was legally bound to begin accepting waste. As of 2015 the DOE’s waste fund had a balance of more than $34 billion and utilities were suing for breach of contract. More than $5 billion was paid out from a Treasury Department judgment fund by the end of last year, with many cases still pending. Dairyland has recovered substantial sums and envisions continuing litigation for more than another year. Last December, the CBO’s Kim Cawley told House members, “As long as DOE remains behind schedule, taxpayers will continue to incur liabilities.” Even if the DOE begins accepting waste within a decade, its backlog will exceed 20 years and “During that time, liabilities will continue to accrue,” Cawley said. If there’s a brighter side, it’s that Wisconsin’s member-governed electric cooperatives saw a need and tried to do something about it, a characteristic tracing a straight line back to their founding in the 1930s and ’40s. If the government is serious this time, this state’s co-ops will have had a hand in a solution that’s caught on, however belatedly. —Dave Hoopman

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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8/15/16 9:34 AM

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Tomato Time Recipes and photos courtesy of the Florida Tomato Committee.

}

Tomato and Sweet Corn Bisque 2 medium-sized tomatoes, coarsely chopped 2 Tbsp unsalted butter 1/2 onion, ﬁnely chopped 1 lb fresh corn kernels 1 large garlic clove, minced 4 cups low-sodium broth (vegetable or chicken) Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 2 Tbsp sour cream 1 scallion, thinly sliced 1 Tbsp ﬁnely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

Melt butter in a large, heavy pot. Add onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring until lightly browned for about 6–7 minutes. Add corn and garlic. Cook, stirring until the corn is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add broth and simmer until corn is tender, about 15 minutes. Lightly season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1-1/2 cups of corn to a blender, add sour cream and 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and puree until smooth, for about 2 minutes. Return the puree to the soup. Add the tomatoes, scallion, and 1 tablespoon of cilantro to the soup and cook until heated through.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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8/11/16 8:10 AM

Tomato and Cucumber Salsa 2 large tomatoes, diced 1 large cucumber, seeded and diced 1/2 cup red onion, chopped 1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 lemon, juiced Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Best Chicken Salad Stuffed Tomato Crowns 4 medium-sized fresh tomatoes 1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt 2 cups chicken, cooked, shredded, and chilled 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped 1/2 cup celery, diced small 1/2 cup carrots, diced small 1 lemon, juiced 1 small onion, diced small Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Rinse tomatoes under cold running water and pat dry with clean paper towels. With a sharp serrated knife, slice off the top part of the tomato that was attached to the vine. Make diagonal cuts (see illustration) being careful not to slice all the way through the tomato, and scoop out core. Set tomatoes aside. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the tomatoes. Taste chicken salad and adjust seasoning with the kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Using a fork, separate the sliced tomatoes open and fill with chicken salad. Serve chilled.

Fresh Tomato Chop Salad 3 fresh tomatoes, diced 1 cucumber, seeded and chopped 1 red or sweet onion, chopped 1 green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 bunch fresh basil, hand torn 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar 2 Tbsp olive oil In a large glass or plastic bowl, combine all ingredients and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Serve over salad greens if desired.

Hot Artichoke Dip Stuffed Tomatoes 4 large-sized fresh tomatoes 2 large-sized fresh tomatoes with seeds removed, diced 1 (8 oz) package low-fat cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup low-fat mayonnaise 1/2 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated 1 lemon, juiced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 Tbsp fresh basil Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste 1 can low-sodium artichoke hearts, drained and chopped fine 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, diced tomatoes, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and fresh basil. Stir in chopped artichoke hearts and spinach. Taste mixture and adjust seasoning with lemon juice, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Set aside stuffing mixture. Rinse the whole tomatoes under cold running water and pat dry with clean paper towels. Slice off the top of each tomato with a serrated knife. Using a spoon, scoop out 1/3 of the insides of the tomato. Fill the tomatoes back up with the stuffing mixture. Top each stuffed tomato with the shredded mozzarella. Place stuffed tomatoes in a baking dish and put them into the preheated oven. Bake for 10â€“15 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Serve warm with tortilla chips or crisp flatbreads. September 2016

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RECIPE EXCHANGE Submit your favorite recipes to be featured on our reader recipe page. Email to tina@weca.coop Strawberry Shortcake Irma Smith, Pardeeville

1 qt strawberries 1 cup sugar 2 cups flour 2 Tbsp sugar 3 tsp baking powder 1/3 cup shortening 1 cup milk Butter or margarine Light cream or sweetened whipped cream Slice strawberries; sprinkle with 1 cup sugar and let stand for 1 hour. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Grease layer pan, 8x1-1/2-inch. Measure flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, and baking powder into bowl. Cut in shortening thoroughly until mixture looks like meal. Stir in milk until blended. Pat into pan. Bake 15–20 minutes or until golden brown. Split shortcake while warm. Spread with butter; fill top with strawberries. Serve warm with cream.

REA Beans

Cathy Mousette, Cornell Appeared in “What’s Cooking in Wisconsin” Cookbook

1 lb bacon, cut up 1 chopped onion 1/2 cup catsup 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp dry mustard 2 tsp vinegar 1 can butter beans 2 cans pork and beans 1 can kidney beans Fry bacon; drain all but 1 tablespoon of the grease. In grease, fry onion until clear. In separate bowl, mix catsup, sugars, salt, mustard, and vinegar. Drain beans. Mix everything together; bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. 22

Old-Fashioned Shortcake Lucy Ross, Park Falls

2 cups unsifted flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 3 Tbsp baking powder 1/2 cup butter or regular margarine 3/4 cup milk 3 pints fresh strawberries 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1 cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp confectioner’s sugar Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease 8x8x2–inch square baking pan. In a large bowl, sift flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and baking powder. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Make a well in center of mixture. Pour in milk all at once; mix quickly with a fork just to moisten flour. Turn dough into prepared pan. With fingers lightly press dough evenly into bottom of pan. Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown. While shortcake is cooking, wash strawberries in cold water; drain. Reserve several nice strawberries for garnish. Hull and slice the rest of berries; add 3/4 cup sugar and mix well. With a rotary beater, beat cream just until stiff. Gently stir in confectioner’s sugar. Loosen edges of cake with knife, and turn out upon a wire rack. Cut cake in half crosswise. Put bottom cut side up on serving plate. Spoon over half of the sliced berries. Set top of cake in place, cut side down. Spoon the rest of the sliced berries over top. Mound whipped cream lightly in center. Garnish with whole strawberries. Serve at once.

Spaghetti Casserole

Ella Baird, Luxemburg Appeared in “Reader’s Favorites” Cookbook

1 pkg (16 oz.) spaghetti 1 lb ground beef 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1 can tomato soup 1 can cream-style corn 1–2 Tbsp chili powder Salt and pepper to taste 6 slices (each 1/4-inch thick) Velveeta cheese Fry ground beef with onion; drain. Break spaghetti into two–inch lengths, cook in boiling water, and rinse. Combine beef-onion mixture, spaghetti, and rest of ingredients except cheese, and stir until well mixed. Pour into a 9x13–inch casserole dish. Top with Velveeta slices, cover with foil, and bake for 40 minutes in a 350-degree oven. Cut into squares and serve.

REQUESTS from our

READERS Reader Pat Thompson, Summit, Ill. is looking for a recipe for crock or quick dill pickles. If you can help, have a request of your own, or would like to submit a recipe for publication, please write to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative

News, What’s Cooking? 222 West Washington Ave., Suite 680, Madison, WI 53703-2719 or contact us via our website, www. wecnmagazine.com. Thanks!

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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8/9/16 3:48 PM

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8/9/16 9:21 AM

Tons of Treasures at Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum

t all started with a single pedal car. In 1971, Elmer Duellman of Fountain City bought a pedal car at a swap meet. The antique toy ﬁt right in with his love of cars, so he added it to his budding collection. “I had never seen a pedal car before in my life, and I bought it,” he said. “Then I got the chance to buy more pedal cars and more pedal cars and more pedal cars, and so it kind of swelled.” Swelled so much, in fact, that between the full-size autos and the toy cars—not to mention all the other treasures he found along the way—it wasn’t long before Elmer and his wife, Bernadette, had enough collectibles to open a museum. And so they did. Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum, located atop Eagle Bluff in Fountain City, along Riverland Energy Cooperative’s lines, houses the Duellmans’ 50-year collection of antique, classic, and muscle cars; pedal vehicles of all kinds; vintage motorcycles and scooters; classic bicycles, including some mid-1800s models with the large front wheels; a newly created display of vintage snowmobiles; and rows upon rows of antique and collectible toys of all kinds. Now in its 23rd season, the museum is a popular stop for car and toy enthusiasts as well as visitors who just want to enjoy the nostalgic step back in time that a stroll through the museum’s ﬁve buildings offers. Many visitors bring lunch and settle in at one of the picnic tables on the grounds, taking in the spectacular view from the museum’s backyard on Eagle

2 Bluff, the highest point along the Mississippi River. “We call it the best-kept secret in Wisconsin,” Elmer said.

It All Started with Autos Actually, long before that ﬁrst

pedal car, it started with cars. “I’ve been a motorhead all my life,” Elmer said. Cars have always been part of his life both vocationally—he and Bernadette ran Elmer’s Auto Salvage together for many years—and as recreation. A self-described “car racing nut,” Elmer’s visited 105 different race tracks; he’s attended the Daytona 500 50 times. Elmer even raced cars himself for a short time in the 1960s and has sponsored many race cars as well. Some unique NASCAR pieces that are part of the Duellmans’ collection include the side panel off Dale Earnhardt’s race car and Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #8 NASCAR race car. Both are on display along with other vintage race cars. It doesn’t have to be a race car, however, to catch Elmer’s eye. Elmer noted that many of his vehicles were not purchased as investments—he bought them long before they became valuable collectors and simply kept them in good condition. “We still have our ’58 Chevy that I bought in ’58, and it’s still running,” he said. “We used it for our 25th anniversary, we used it for our 50th anniversary, and we hope to use it for our 60th.” The Duellmans’ collector cars—all three buildings’ full—

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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WISCONSIN FAVORITES

are in working order. Elmer and Bernadette take some of them out from time to time for special occasions and community events. The entire collection sparkles; each car, whether it’s taken out for a spin or not, is washed every other Thursday.

Dukes of Hazzard toys and displays of Christmas and Halloween toys. Elsewhere, an impressive doll collection includes Shirley Temple dolls, baby dolls, and china-faced dolls from the 1850s, still dressed in their original clothing.

Toyland The toy collection that started with a single pedal car grew into one of the largest pedal vehicle collections in the world, at more than 700. They come in all forms, including race cars, trucks, ﬁre trucks, planes, and tractors. Some are kept in a barn that’s ﬁlled with some of the oldest pieces of the Duellmans’ collection, including antique Model Ford cars, wooden sleds and toboggans, soap box derby cars, wagons, and train sets. However, the toy collection is not limited to things that go. Next to the barn is a toyshop bursting with bright, colorful toys grouped according to their time and style. There are character toys, circus toys, wind-up toys, and pull toys made of everything from cast iron to rare Japanese tin. There’s a collection of

Sharing the Joy—When asked to

name a favorite item of their collection, neither Duellman is able to settle on just one. They enjoy their entire collection, having acquired each piece simply because they liked it. As the collection grew, it became apparent that many other people enjoyed it as well. “We’d been collecting for a long time and people wanted to see what we had,” Bernadette explained. “So we decided to open this to the public once a month, but that wasn’t enough. So we went to one weekend, and that still wasn’t enough.” The couple settled on opening their collection to the public twice a month from May through October, sometimes with special activities to complement the museum tour. For example, the museum will be open Labor Day weekend, with

bluegrass music performed live on the grounds on Labor Day afternoon. On September 17 and 18, the museum will feature a display of vintage race cars, with some local drivers on hand. The museum will be open for three weekends in October—1 and 2, 8 and 9, and 15 and 16—providing extra opportunity for guests to take in the beautiful fall colors from the bluff-top view. The Duellmans also host visits from tour buses, car clubs, and other groups, and they are happy to open the museum for visitors at other times with advance notice. If someone is interested in seeing what they’ve collected, Elmer and Bernadette are interested in showing them. “That’s my favorite part,” Elmer ﬁnally answered when asked about his favorite piece. “I like to share it all with other people.”—Mary Erickson

Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum is located at W903 Elmer’s Road, Fountain City. Contact the Duellmans at (608) 687-7221 or elmerstoys@yahoo.com. To learn more, visit www.elmersautoandtoymuseum.com or visit the museum’s Facebook page.

1. Bernadette and Elmer Duellman. 2. A G-Man Cruiser pedal car, complete with a G-Man gun mounted on top. 3. A rare 1947 Ford station wagon. 4. An original 1932 Ford pickup. 5. German antique tin motorcycle toys. 6. A pedal firetruck. 7. Vintage character toys. 8. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s #8 race car.

September 2016

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YOUNG MEMBERS

Kids and Critters September 2016 1. This skittish barn cat accepts affection from 5-year-old Landrey. Landrey is the son of Brandon and Jennifer Dietzel, members of Scenic Rivers Energy. 2. Tiana fell asleep on a trip with Bella on her lap. Tiana is the granddaughter of Barb Tidgwell, member of Jackson Electric.

3. Axel and Elsa along with their dog, Maggie, enjoy the hollyhocks on their grandparents’ farm. Photo submitted by Anthony and Christine Buss, members of Central Wisconsin Electric. 4. Avalyn holds her favorite chick, a Japanese Bantam. Photo submitted by Avalyn’s mother, Sara Huggard, a member of Price Electric.

Send photos of kids with animals, along with a brief description, to WECN Magazine, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703. Please include the name of your electric co-op. Photos will be returned. If in good-resolution, electronic format, photos may also be submitted via email to tina @weca.coop. By submitting, sender implies that he/ he/she has rights to and owns the image, and grants WECN permission to use the image. By submitting, the parent or legal guardian also authorizes us the right to publish the image.

Electrical Safety Calendar

Use this handy calendar to help keep your home safe. For more tips, visit esfi.org. JANUARY

FEBRUARY

MARCH

 Check and replace furnace filters

 Vacuum refrigerator coils

 Replace smoke and carbon monoxide alarm batteries if not done in last 12 months

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

 Check and replace furnace filters

 Clean air conditioners or schedule annual inspection  Vacuum refrigerator coils

 Dust light fixtures/lamps  Schedule annual inspection of gas-powered dryer

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

 Check and replace air conditioning filters

OCTOBER

 Check and replace furnace filters

 Vacuum refrigerator coils

NOVEMBER

 Vacuum refrigerator coils

 Schedule annual furnace cleaning and inspection

DECEMBER

 Dust light fixtures/lamps

ESFI recommends hiring a licensed, qualified home electrical inspector if: Your home is more than 40 years old; your home had a major addition or renovation or major new appliance added in the last 10 years; and/or you are the new owner of a previously owned home.

Every month you should: 1. Inspect all electrical and appliance cords for damage 2. Test GFCIs & AFCIs

Whether you have a receptacletype or circuit breaker-type ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), pushing the TEST button should turn off power to the circuit. To restore power, press the RESET button. To test arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) push the TEST button. The breaker handle should go to the middle or off position. To reset, move the breaker handle to the OFF position and then to the ON position.

3. Test smoke and carbon monixide alarms

Push the TEST button or use other procedures recommended by the manufacturer. Smoke alarm batteries should be changed at least once a year. If an alarm “chirps” or “beeps” to indicate low batteries, change them right away. Replace all smoke alarms at least every 10 years.

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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CLASSIFIEDS MISCELLANEOUS

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TRAVEL & CAMPING MISSISSIPPI RIVER—CHECK IT OFF YOUR BUCKET LIST! Multi-day, assisted cruises. You rent the houseboat; as your guest, I pilot the vessel. Prefer Retirees. 414-731-8241. Ferryville, WI.

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LOOKING FOR A GIFT IDEA? Consider giving a gift subscription to Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News! The price is just $10 per year for 12 issues or $28 for three years (36 issues). Include subscriber’s name, address, city, state, Zip Code, and check payable to WECN. Mail to: WECN, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison WI 53703.

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WISCONSIN EVENTS 2–4 Old Time Farm Fest—Fountain City. Fest grounds, Fri. 3–9 p.m.; Sat. 7 a.m.–10:30 p.m.; Sun. 7 a.m.–3:30 p.m. 608-687-7625. 3 Craft Show—Nekoosa. Lake Arrowhead, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. 715-325-3480. 3 WATVA & Fifield Dirt Devils ATV Rally—Park Falls. Flambeau Resort, noon. 715-762-4488. 3 Harbor View Treasure Hunt—Phillips. Chain of Lakes, noon. 715-339-2626. 3, 4 Progress Days—Prentice. Downtown. 715-428-2124. 3, 4 Blue Moon Art Tour—Cable/ Drummond. Art studios on Blue Moon Road, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. 800-533-7454. 4 Chic-Nic—White Creek. Easton-White Creek Lions, 11:30 a.m. Food, games, music. 608-548-2439. 4 Southern Blues BBQ & Crawdad Festival— Phillips. Birch Island Resort, 4–8 p.m. 715-339-3151. 8–10 Garage Sale—Mauston. Stewart’s Chapel, Thur. and Fri. 8 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sat. 8 a.m.–noon. 608-847-4450. 9–11 Historic Re-enactment—Platteville. Mound View Park. 608-348-8888. 9–11 Dairy Days— Platteville. Legion Field, 9:30 a.m. 9-11 Musky Tournament—Butternut. Timber Breeze, Fri. 5–7 p.m.; Sat. 4:30 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sun. 6 a.m.–noon. 10 Tractor Pull—Clifton. Park, 12 p.m. 10 Used Book Sale—Lena. Public Library, 8 a.m.–12 p.m. 920-829-5335. 10 Customer Appreciation Pig Roast & Raffle— Nekoosa. Lake Sherwood Lodge, 4 p.m. 10 Dairy Fest—Lena. Downtown. Parade, tractor & truck pulls, inﬂatables for the kids, face painting, a petting zoo, and pony rides. All free. 10 Wildlife Benefit—Neillsville. Apple Valley Bar & Restaurant, 5:30–9 p.m. 715-743-3639.

September 2016 11 Pancake Extravaganza—Columbus. Middle School, 7:30 a.m.–1 p.m. $7 in advance, $8 at the door.

23 Fall Harvest Festival—Phillips. Downtown, 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

11 Fall Festival—Bloomer. St John’s Catholic Church. 715-568-3778.

23–25 Leaf it to Rusk Fall Festival— Ladysmith. Throughout Rusk County. 715-532-7328.

11 Meeting and Fundraiser—Nekoosa. Petenwell Co. Park, 11:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

23–25 Pancake Breakfast—Warrens. St. Andrew Catholic Church, 6–11 a.m. $7 adults, $4 for children over 5.

11 Swiss Steak & Broasted Chicken Dinner— Tigerton. St. John Church, 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m. 15 Chicken Q—Tomah. VFW Post 1382, 11 a.m. until gone. $10 per plate, eat in or carry out. 608-343-2464. 17 Tractor and Truck Pull—Granton. Fire Station, 4 p.m. 17 Fly-In—Oconto. Airport, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. $5.00, 12 & under free, parking free. 920-246-5620. 17 Wine Tasting Train—North Freedom. Mid-Continent Railway Museum, 1 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. 608-522-4261. 17 Musky Tournament—Spirit. Little Spirit Lake Boat Landing, all day. 17 Used Books & Bake Sale—Columbus, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. 920-623-5910. 17 Classic Car Show—Wild Rose. Roseville Mini Golf & Gift Shop, 7:30 a.m.–3 p.m. 920-987-5205. 17, 18 Driftless Area Art Festival—Soldiers Grove. Beauford T. Anderson Park, Sat. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. 17, 18 Northern Aged Iron, Inc. Show— Highbridge. Hill Farm, 8 a.m. $3 button gets you in both days, 18 and under free. 715-209-1305. 17, 18 Antique Tractor Clubs 5th Annual Show—Shantytown. Corkey’s Bar. 715-677-3016. 18 Polish Polka Fest—Thorp. Quonset Hall, 1–5 p.m. 18 Polish Dinner—Hawkins. St. Mary’s Church, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 715-585-6513. 18 Dinner & Bazaar—Sheldon. St. John’s Catholic Church, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 715-452-5817.

23–25 Fall Harvest Festival—Friendship. Adams Co. Fairgrounds. 608-339-6997. 24 Applefest—Tigerton. Community Park, 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. 715-535-2110. 24 Christmas Tree Festival—Ogema. Downtown, 9 a.m. 715-428-2711. 24, 25 Pottery Tour—Western Wisconsin. Steve at 715-426-7367. 24, 25 Booksale—Gays Mills. Library, Sat. 9 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m.– 2 p.m. 608-872-2184. 25 Autumn Harvest Dinner—Fall Creek. Zion Lutheran Church, 10:30 a.m.– 1:30 p.m. 715-877-3128. 25 Alzheimer’s and Dementia Alliance Tractor Drive—Brodhead. Spring Grove Township Hall, 10 a.m. $20 per tractor, under 10 is $5 and $15 per person. 25 Zion Lutheran Church125th Anniversary— Tigerton. 10 a.m. Worship, lunch, program. 30, Oct 1, 2 Historical Encampment— Nekoosa. Historic Point Basse Site. 715-325-1759.

Send us your October events by September 9. Wisconsin Events is a public service for our readers. Submissions should be received early in the month prior to the month in which the event will occur. Due to space limits, we may need to eliminate details, so be sure to include a phone number (with area code) where callers may obtain more info. If we receive more listings than space allows us to print, we reserve the right to select those we believe will be of interest to the greatest number of readers. Send listings to: Events, WECN, 222 W. Washington Ave., Ste. 680, Madison, WI 53703 or to tina@weca.coop

Wisconsin Energy Cooperative News

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