Ruralite, Consumers Power, May 2026

Ruralite

May 2026 • Volume 73, No. 5

CEO Michael Shepard

SENIOR VP OF CONTENT Leon Espinoza

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Chasity Anderson, CCC

DEPUTY EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Noble Sprayberry

SENIOR EDITOR Jennifer Paton, CCC

LEAD CONTENT EDITOR Victoria Hampton, CCC

ASSISTANT EDITORS David Herder, CCC; Sable Riley, CCC; Nina Todea, CCC

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Valeri Saldanha Rosa

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCTION SR. MANAGER

Elizabeth Beatty

SENIOR PUBLICATIONS COORDINATOR

Alyssa McDougle

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Main Street, America

Some roads were built to move people from place to place. Route 66 was built to move the American soul.

One hundred years ago, a telegram sent from Springfield, Missouri, changed the way this nation moved, dreamed and understood itself. What began as a practical push to connect the Midwest to the West Coast evolved into something far more profound: a 2,448-mile ribbon of pavement, nostalgia and identity stretching from the shores of Lake Michigan to a pier at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California.

memory. It was decommissioned in 1985, yet it refuses to disappear. Writer John Steinbeck called it the Mother Road, and that name still fits—it carries everyone who comes to it, generation after generation. Through song and film, from Bobby Troup’s classic ode to Pixar’s “Cars,” the highway has been reborn for every new audience that discovers it. This centennial is simply the latest chapter.

This month’s feature takes you along for the full ride, from Illinois to California, with the stories, the landmarks and the characters keeping the flame alive. There’s even a road quiz to test your Route 66 knowledge and a playlist built for the open highway.

This year, the world is paying attention. Springfield earned the honor of hosting the national kickoff of America’s Route 66 Centennial Celebration this spring. Communities from Illinois to California have been relighting neon signs, polishing roadside landmarks and readying themselves for visitors arriving from across the country and around the globe. Case in point: A group of Swedish motorcyclists turned up at a barbecue restaurant in Cuba, Missouri, filling the room with the thump of Harley-Davidsons and the happy sound of people experiencing something they’d long dreamed about. Route 66 has that effect on people. It always has.

What is interesting about this highway is how naturally it holds contradictions. It is both a monument to movement and an anchor for

Dave LaBelle’s Great Picture Hunt column has its own centennial connection this month. Photographer Amy Gaskin has spent four years documenting the world surrounding Marilyn Monroe—a project that has taken her as far as Australia and into the pages of National Geographic. Monroe would have turned 100 on June 1. It seems May is a month for marking a century of remarkable years.

And after all that road-tripping and reminiscing? Our kitchen feature delivers a collection of sheet pan dinners built for gathering, because the best journeys always end at the table.

Until next time, Chasity Anderson Editorial Director

Reader Exchange 18 Calendar Contest 20 Marketplace 26 Before You Go 30 Utility Pages: 4-5, 8, 25, 28-29, 32

The Mother Road Turns 100

Celebrations rev up America’s iconic Route 66 Spotlight, Page 10

Dinner Is Served

Sheet pan dinners are made for sharing In The Kitchen, Page 16

The Great Picture Hunt, Page 22

CONSUMERS POWER

Eddyville’s team spirit brings community together

By Jennifer Moody

At 4:49 p.m. on a sunny Tuesday in Eddyville, the umpire calls the last out in the first home softball game of the year.

As the players gather off the field to review the game, Eddyville’s baseball team shifts the bases. Players then carry two sections of a portable pitcher’s mound to the field’s center, using a long yellow tape to make sure it is positioned the correct distance from home plate.

That’s how ballgames work in Eddyville. The charter school has just one field, which means home competitions involve a quick makeover between games to ensure both teams can play.

It’s just one of the many ways the Eddyville community comes together to ensure their students have what they need.

“Because of the generosity of this community, we’ve been able to accomplish a tremendous amount,” Eddyville Charter School Athletic Director Karla Pearson says.

Community support is the reason Eddyville still has a school. Built in 1947, the single building served as a standard public school until 2001, when the Lincoln County School District closed it because of district budget restrictions.

Parents successfully petitioned the Oregon Department of Education to approve a charter in 2003, says Ann Cook, a member of the class of 1963 and one of the founding charter board members. The school now serves 218 students in kindergarten through 12th grade, including pupils from Newport, Waldport, Philomath and Toledo.

For close to two decades after reopening, Eddyville didn’t have baseball or softball teams. Instead, Karla says, students played through a cooperative program with the charter school in Siletz.

Karla started in Eddyville as a fifth grade teacher six years ago, then moved into administration as the secondary principal and athletic director a year later. By then, enough students were turning out to make home teams possible. At first, they had to play every game on the road.

The Eddyville community jumped in to make a home field happen. Lorraine and Kelly Foley allowed the use of their property for a ballfield adjacent to campus. With help from Bruce Tompkins, Justin Johnson and others, Kevin Rariden cut the brush, built the dugouts and benches, and hauled in the dirt for the infield. Jay and Darcy Mulberry donated funds for the pitching mound, temporary outfield fence and other field

equipment. Teams threw their first pitches on the field two years ago.

Some of the funding for the field came from another community project, the annual Eddyville Sports Dinner and Auction, which supports athletics at all levels.

Karla and a few other parents came up with the auction idea four years ago. The first two years, just offering dessert, brought in $20,000 each. Last year, the committee added dinner and the total jumped to $32,000. This year’s fundraiser, held in March, brought in more than 200 people and cleared more than $45,000.

In addition to the ballfield improvements, Karla says, the auction helped pay for travel fees and uniforms, along with wall mats, basketball backboards and other equipment. Starting last year, it also covers participation fees for every student who wants to put on an Eagle uniform.

Eddyville elementary students have volleyball and basketball teams. Middle schoolers have those teams, along with track, football and cross country. By high school, students can do all of the above, along with cheerleading, softball and baseball.

FROM TOP RIGHT: Amber Clearwater, holding son Brooks, 3, checks out the silent auction with daughter Paisley, 8, and Amber’s husband, Grant, holding their other son Boden, 3. The family came over from the coast to support Amber’s cousin, Bobbi Foley. From left, auctioneers Paul Schultz and Josh Jackson work the floor during the annual event. Eddyville senior Gracee Slaughter displays a painting of the “Eagle Tree” while Paul starts the bidding. Kamryn Choat throws a ball into the infield during Eddyville’s game against East Linn Christian Academy.

Players on indoor teams have just one gym and one cafeteria for practices. Again, Karla says, everyone steps up. The Booster Club serves breakfast for early practices and dinner for late games, sometimes feeding the visiting teams as well.

“We have teams practicing at 5:30 in the morning just to make sure we can get through everyone in a day,” Karla says. “It’s a little crazy, but we make it work.”

Eliminating participation fees has helped build numbers. This year, for winter sports alone—usually the most popular season, Karla says—108 of the 218 pupils in the student body turned out to don an Eagles jersey. That’s up from previous highs of 70 to 80.

Playing sports often means buying practice clothing, new shoes and other personal equipment, which can be beyond some families’ means, she says. That’s why the committee wanted the auction to help cover the fees.

“I don’t ever want money to be the reason a kid doesn’t come out for sports,” Karla says.

Just as they did for the field, the teams and the charter, everyone comes together to make sure the auction works, Karla says. Patrick McKnight, who coaches basketball, teaches the school’s culinary program and runs a barbecue restaurant in Newport called Pat E Mac’s, supplies brisket tender enough to cut with a plastic fork. Parents join forces to fill giant bins with salads and sides. Diners can choose a piece of cake at the end but also can pony up a few more dollars to get first dibs on multiple other desserts.

Parents, businesses and other donors give items for the silent and live auctions. The silent auction features everything from garden supplies to rounds of golf to 12 yards of rock, while diners bid on fishing rods, handmade quilts and tickets to Trailblazer games during the live auction.

“I have an incredible auction committee and group of volunteers that help,” Karla says. “It’s definitely not just me.”

Many of the more than 200 people who support the program are Eddyville alumni and remember playing sports there themselves.

Shane and Amber Russell, members of the class of ’99, come to the auction because “we love the small-town feeling,” Shane says. “It’s special. You don’t get it everywhere.”

Shane’s parents are also Eddyville graduates, he adds.

“This is a testament to what this community’s about,” he says, nodding at the auction’s packed room.

Bruce Tompkins, who graduated from Eddyville 50 years ago, was a basketball player, and Kevin Rariden, class of 1999, played baseball for the Eagles.

Kevin’s daughter Peyton Conner, 16, pitches for the softball team and says sports teach communication, leadership, teamwork and a positive attitude.

Were it not for the opportunity to play for Eddyville, Peyton says, “I’m sure a lot of us would have left and gone to a school with sports.”

Kevin says he got involved with the field project because of Peyton’s love for the game.

“But as we got going on the project, understanding the impact that it had for the kids that wanted to play really meant a lot to me,” he says. “And honestly, seeing the community show up for the kids’ games and seeing how grateful they all are that the field is there again keeps us all wanting to do more.”

Projects haven’t been determined for this year’s auction proceeds. Karla says among other things, the football field needs help with drainage, and the football players need new pads.

Karla says sports are an anchor that keeps kids in school. The senior class had just 11 students last year, but everyone graduated. All 18 seniors are on track to graduate this year, too.

The games bring people together, packing the gym in the winter and the sidelines in the fall and spring.

“We love our little school, and we love being able to offer things for our students and have excellent participation. It’s a big deal for our community. We pack the gym for home games,” Karla says. “It takes a village, and we’ve got a pretty awesome village out in Eddyville.” n

Wildfires Then and Now

As wildfire risks grow across the West, electric utilities

By Greg Mason

build grid resilience

In his 50 years as a forester, Paul Hessburg has studied wildfires much like he studies forest pathogens and insects.

Wildfires are “agents of pattern formation,” says Paul, a research ecologist who spent more than four decades with the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station.

Similar to how bark beetle infestations indicate a dying forest, Paul says wildfire prevalence provides insight into landscape conditions.

Dry conditions and increased tree density, compounded by warmer temperatures and milder winters, have led to large-scale fires at unprecedented levels in recent years, especially across the Western United States.

According to Paul, the consequences of destructive wildfires include increased scrutiny of electric grid operators and power providers as they take steps to ensure electric infrastructure is better equipped to withstand wildfire. These strategies are aimed at not only avoiding financially devastating legal repercussions if utility equipment sparks fires, but also strengthening grid resiliency to keep the lights on in the face of disaster.

“To me, resilience is learning to live with fire actively on the landscape,” Paul says. “It’s coming back with a vengeance, and there will not be an opportunity to live without fire.”

Observing how North American landscapes were once managed prior to European colonization paints a picture of how wildfire risk conditions

reached this point, Paul says. He notes how Indigenous people used fire deliberately and frequently to better their environments while limiting the fuel that feeds today’s larger, more destructive wildfires.

“The answer is in creating conditions where you can live actively with fire so that fire again is doing good work,” he says. “That means acting strategically around urban areas and exurban areas so that people and structures are not destroyed and infrastructure is not destroyed.”

How Fire Shaped North America

Wildfires were once so common in North America they were considered “medicine for the landscape,” Paul says.

Some scholars estimate 75 million to 100 million Indigenous people lived on the continent at the time of European colonization, Paul says. Tribes used fire to sustainably manage the landscape in myriad ways, he adds, from using controlled burns to improve the forage for deer and elk to burning beargrass to change its physical and chemical structure to make it more suitable for making baskets.

In the Northwest, Paul says Klamath River tribes used burnings to create smoke as cloud cover, cooling the river for king salmon populations to lengthen harvesting periods.

“Somewhere between 40 million and 85 million acres were intentionally burned annually through culturallyand lightning-ignited fires,” Paul says. “Over 25 or 30 years, that means an area equivalent to the Lower 48 was burning. It created fuel limitation, and hundreds of tribes

could live safely on the landscape.”

Then came European colonization, bringing with it the diseases that killed an estimated 80% to 95% of North America’s Indigenous population, Paul says. By the 1850s, most Indigenous people were either dead or marshaled onto reservations, Paul says, resulting in the loss of widespread cultural ignitions and burnings.

As such, forests grew denser while nonforest elements, such as wetlands and meadows, were also lost. Paul describes such elements as “governors on fire behavior,” saying they can change the rate of spread as well as flame length and intensity.

“Imagine that the vast intentional burning that allows you to live safely is no longer on that landscape,” he says. “Forests. Colonized meadows. Dewatered wetlands. Wet and dry meadows are now forested instead of these nonforest elements that are critical, and so you get a lot more forests on the landscape and a lot more dense forests, which sets the dining room table for large and more severe fire.”

Fast forward to the present. Forest Service firefighters successfully contain 98% of new fires within 24 hours, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The remaining 2% of fires—the ones that burn for days, weeks or months on end—are the ones most often in the spotlight, including those sparked by utility infrastructure in extreme weather.

Building and Maintaining Grid Resilience

Increasingly dry conditions throughout the West have forced utilities to adapt not only to keep their communities safe, but also to limit potential damage to power infrastructure.

Adaptive measures, Paul says, should include working with landowners to reduce the canopy bulk density surrounding transmission rights of way, forcing what would normally be crown fires—wildfires that spread through the top canopy layer of the trees—to drop to the forest floor, where they can be suppressed. Paul also says grasses and shrubs, not trees, should grow around utility rights of way.

Energy regulators in Western states, including Washington, Oregon and California, require electric utilities to regularly file wildfire mitigation plans outlining their efforts to prevent utilitycaused wildfires and ensure the proper procedures are in place to keep situations from worsening.

Actions prescribed by these plans include Public Safety Power Shutoffs, vegetation management programs, annual inspections, transmission upgrades and undergrounding power lines. Several utilities in the West also have weather station networks in place to monitor climate conditions.

Technology deployed by energy companies since 2020 includes camera networks powered by artificial intelligence to detect burns as they ignite. Utilities are also exploring drone surveillance

programs, as well as multispectral satellite imaging that detects the health of trees surrounding utility infrastructure, allowing for more proactive trimming practices.

With tree management, transmission lines often cross multiple jurisdictions to send energy from Point A to Point B, including federal lands and forests. Utilities have struggled to obtain the administrative clearance needed to access rights of way to manage vegetation around their facilities.

Western utilities are collaborating with federal legislators to pass the Fix Our Forests Act, a law that aims to accelerate and improve forest management activities on public, federal and tribal lands to reduce wildfire risk.

Jim Anderson, CEO of La Pine, Oregonbased Midstate Electric Cooperative, was among those who testified before Congress on Feb. 24 in support of the bill. In written testimony prepared for the House Committee on Natural Resources, Jim said Midstate’s approximately 14-mile transmission line through the Newberry National Volcanic Monument is so obscured in some sections “that it is impossible to see our infrastructure.”

“It is deeply concerning that we have not made any progress with Forest Service when it comes to managing the vegetation, including a failure to begin the permitting process,” Jim wrote. “This type of

Paul Hessburg uses his decades of experience as a forester to explore rising wildfire risks and encourage residents and utilities to take action to protect communities across the West. PHOTO COURTESY OF PAUL HESSBURG

delay is exactly why we need to enact the Fix Our Forests Act. The provisions in this legislation expanding electric utility authority to remove hazard trees—along with expedited timelines for review and approval of vegetation management plans— provide essential tools to protect our natural resources and keep our communities safe.”

Preventing and limiting the spread of wildfire is everyone’s responsibility, Paul says. Because houses and landscaping can be fuel for wildfires, Paul encourages residents to consult the National Fire Protection Association’s FireWise USA program for safety tips to keep their communities safe. He also recommends counties and cities adopt all standards by the International Code Council’s Wildland-Urban Interface Code, which provides minimum regulations for land use and building construction in wildfire-prone areas.

“In a lot of ways, people are trying to catch up with the new reality, including power providers,” Paul says. “There’s not going to be a new normal. It’s not settling out for generations of people. It’s going to keep changing.” n

Learn more about protecting homes, neighborhoods and towns from wildfire at National Fire Protection Association’s FireWise USA, tinyurl.com/bdz4e8e8, and International Code Council’s Wildland-Urban Interface Code, tinyurl.com/9ndze9c8.

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Celebrations rev up America’s iconic Route 66

By Jim McCarty

It’s midday at Missouri Hick Bar-B-Que along Route 66 near Cuba, Missouri. The lunch rush is almost over when the staff springs into action, moving tables together, preparing for a big gathering.

Soon, the restaurant walls vibrate with the two-cylinder thump of a dozen or so Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The door opens, and the happy sounds of a group that’s experiencing the time of their lives reverberate—in Swedish.

Scenes like this play out every day along what remains of the most famous highway in the world. It’s called the Mother Road, Main Street of America and the Highway That’s the Best. It once traversed eight states

along 2,448 miles, stretching from the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago to a pier at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California.

Its official name is Route 66, and it’s about to get busier than it’s been since it was decommissioned in 1985.

This year, Route 66 fans from around the world will look for new kicks as the celebrated road turns 100. Springfield, Missouri, was in the spotlight in April as the site of the national kickoff of America’s Route 66 Centennial Celebration.

The Queen City of the Ozarks earned that honor through a competitive process, but also due to its status as the birthplace of Route 66. On April 30, 1926, John Woodruff, a Springfield businessman, sent a telegram to Washington, D.C., requesting the new road be named U.S. Route 66. The

idea for the road didn’t originate here, but its iconic name did.

“This recognition is a testament to Missouri’s deep roots in the history of America’s most iconic highway and the vibrant spirits of the communities that keep that legacy alive today,” Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe says.

The governor’s farm sits along Route 66 in Jerome.

“We have some of the original roadway in Pulaski County that you can still drive on,” he says. “People come from all over the world to drive on that. This roadway is so historic, and it has made millions of memories for not just Americans but for people all over the world.”

Kickoff festivities included five satellite cities: Joliet, Illinois;

I think Route 66 is on a lot of visitors’ bucket lists. And I think whenever there’s a big milestone to be celebrated, people want to be a part of that and come experience Route 66 as it’s turning 100.

St. Louis, Missouri; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Santa Monica, California.

In preparation for the yearlong celebration, communities all along the historic route are sprucing up their landmarks, planning events, relighting neon signs and prepping for a major influx of visitors who plan to motor west.

“I struggle to make a specific prediction, and part of that is because it’s really hard to track specific routes,”

Oklahoma Route 66 Association President Rhys Martin says. “But I would be surprised if traffic didn’t double just because of the attention and the people planning their trips.”

Nikki Terlesky, Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona director of operations, agrees travelers are coming in a big way.

“I think Route 66 is on a lot of visitors’

bucket lists,” she says. “And I think whenever there’s a big milestone to be celebrated, people want to be a part of that and come experience Route 66 as it’s turning 100. I know a lot of Facebook groups I follow are just buzzing with people voicing their travel plans.”

While Missouri can claim the creation of the name, an Oklahoma man is known as the Father of Route 66. Cyrus Avery, a Tulsa real estate developer and owner of a coal company, saw the need for a roadway from the Midwest to the West Coast, connecting small towns and cities along the way.

Don’t Miss This!

Here’s the top attraction for each of the eight states. ILLINOIS—GEMINI GIANT (WILMINGTON)

If you only stop once before leaving Illinois, make it here. The 30-foot-tall Muffler Man is one of Route 66’s most iconic photo ops and a perfect start to the journey.

MISSOURI—MERAMEC CAVERNS (STANTON)

A road-trip classic since the 1930s, billboards and barn roof signs for this cavern once lined the entire Mother Road, and the attraction still feels like pure Americana.

KANSAS—CARS ON THE ROUTE (GALENA)

Kansas has only 13 miles of Route 66, but this restored Kan-O-Tex gas station—home to the truck that inspired Mater in “Cars”—is its standout.

OKLAHOMA—BLUE WHALE (CATOOSA)

An absolutely essential stop is the giant, smiling blue whale beside a pond. It is one of Route 66’s most beloved and quirky landmarks.

TEXAS—CADILLAC RANCH (AMARILLO)

Ten Cadillacs sit nose-down in the desert. They’re covered in spray paint, and you’re encouraged to add your own. It’s irreplaceable Route 66 kitsch.

NEW MEXICO—BLUE SWALLOW MOTEL (TUCUMCARI)

See the best neon on the entire route. It is a family-run motel with beautifully preserved rooms, and a true 1940s motor court experience. Even if you don’t stay, stop for photos.

ARIZONA—PETRIFIED FOREST AND PAINTED DESERT (HOLBROOK)

This is the only national park the Mother Road drives straight through where classic roadside nostalgia meets staggering natural beauty.

CALIFORNIA—ROY’S MOTEL & CAFÉ (AMBOY)

A surreal desert time capsule features a legendary retro-futurist neon sign. Nothing captures the lonely, romantic end stretch of Route 66 like Roy’s.

Appointed in 1925 to the Joint Board of Interstate Highways, Cyrus managed to steer the route south from Illinois through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California instead of a more northern route through Nevada.

Along with Missouri’s John Woodruff, Cyrus helped launch the U.S. Highway 66 Association in 1927 to encourage its use.

“One hundred and thirty-seven delegates from 32 cities of the Southwest, meeting here today, organized the National Highway No. 66 Association and elected

John T. Woodruff of Springfield, Mo., its first president,” read a Springfield Daily News story. “From Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico, the delegates gathered in Tulsa today determined that Highway 66, which runs from Chicago via St. Louis to Los Angeles, shall in fact become the ‘Main Street of America.’”

At the beginning, the route joined various existing state roads, many of which were still gravel. Besides paving the highway, the association’s

leaders also marketed Route 66 over other transcontinental routes.

One of the first efforts to popularize the road was an epic foot race that followed Route 66 from its start in California to St. Louis, then on to New York City. The distance was 3,400 miles over just three months. It started with 275 runners, but 77 dropped out on the first day. Only 55 finished. The winner was 20-year-old Andy Payne of Claremore, Oklahoma.

Through publicity like this, the nation learned of the new route, and traffic grew exponentially. Truckers favored its flat terrain, with elevations measured in hundreds of feet compared to thousands crossing the Rocky Mountains.

CALIFORNIA

ARIZONA

ARIZONA

In the 1930s, Route 66 became a pathway for migrants fleeing the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, heading west in search of opportunity.

When World War II gripped the nation, the route became strategic for moving troops and materials to support the war effort. This led to a major effort to rebuild the roadway for Fort Leonard Wood, an Army base in St. Robert, Missouri.

The highway was no match for the heavy trucks supplying the base. So, in 1941, construction began on a four-lane divided highway between it and Rolla. A deep cut bypassed a steep grade near Devil’s Elbow. Hooker Cut became the deepest highway excavation in the nation to date, and the four-lane, divided highway was the first of its kind. The improved roadway was fully open to traffic by September 1945—ironically, the same month the war ended.

Other improvements included rerouting to avoid a series of dangerous hairpin curves in Arizona, dubbed the Sidewinder. This 8-mile roadway has 191 curves with no guardrails and 12% grades. Today, it is often visited by adventurous travelers.

The Ultimate

(Ordered for the Drive) Playlist

DEPARTURE: CHICAGO (WINDOWS DOWN)

• Route 66 – Chuck Berry

• Sweet Home Chicago – The Blues Brothers

• Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones

• Good Times Roll – The Cars

• Real Gone – Sheryl Crow

• Life Is a Highway – Rascal Flatts

• Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf

• Runnin’ Down a Dream – Tom Petty

• Drivin’ My Life Away – Eddie Rabbitt

• On the Road Again – Willie Nelson

HEARTLAND MILES:

MISSOURI → OKLAHOMA → KANSAS

• Missouri River Run – Chloe Hoecker

• If You Wanna Get to Heaven – Ozark Mountain Daredevils

• King of the Road – Roger Miller

• Boys From Oklahoma – Cross Canadian Ragweed

• Oklahoma Smokeshow – Zach Bryan

• Carry On Wayward Son – Kansas

• Dust in the Wind – Kansas

• Ain’t Going Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up) –Garth Brooks

• Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma – Luke Combs

• Cadillac Ranch – Chris LeDoux

OPEN COUNTRY AND FREEDOM

• Wide Open Spaces – Dixie Chicks

• Follow Your Arrow – Kacey Musgraves

• Wagon Wheel – Old Crow Medicine Show

• Copperhead Road – Steve Earle

• Midnight Rider – The Allman Brothers Band

• Ramblin’ Man – The Allman Brothers Band

• Blue Sky – The Allman Brothers Band

• Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen

DESERT STRETCH:

TEXAS → NEW MEXICO → ARIZONA

• Amarillo by Morning – George Strait

• I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash

• A Horse With No Name – America

• Ventura Highway – America

• Take Me to the River – Talking Heads

• Running on Empty – Jackson Browne

• Take the Long Way Home – Supertramp

• Drive – The Cars

DUSK, MOTELS AND LONG THOUGHTS

• Fast Car – Tracy Chapman

• Angel From Montgomery – John Prine

• Into the Mystic – Van Morrison

• Gypsy – Fleetwood Mac

• Landslide – Fleetwood Mac

• The Mother Road – Alan Rhody

• Here I Go Again – Whitesnake

• Peaceful Easy Feeling – Eagles

• Take It to the Limit – Eagles

CALIFORNIA ARRIVAL

• Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival

• California Dreamin’ – The Mamas & the Papas

• Hotel California – Eagles

• Go Your Own Way – Fleetwood Mac

• California Girls – The Beach Boys

• Everyday Is a Winding Road – Sheryl Crow

• Beverly Hills – Weezer

SUNSHINE, CELEBRATION AND LETTING LOOSE

• Party in the USA – Miley Cyrus

• Hot to Go – Chappell Roan

• Paradise City – Guns N’ Roses

• Getaway Car – Taylor Swift

• Good Time - Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen

• Born in the USA – Bruce Springsteen

THE MEANING OF THE JOURNEY (CLOSING STRETCH)

• This Land Is Your Land – Woody Guthrie

• Take Me Home, Country Roads –John Denver

• Kyrie – Mr. Mister

• The Long and Winding Road – The Beatles

• Travelin’ Thru – Dolly Parton

• Running on Empty – Jackson Browne

• What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

• End of the Line – Traveling Wilburys

By the 1950s, Route 66 was the byway of a nation in love with the automobile. Cabins, motels, roadhouses and all manner of highway kitsch sprang up to lure motorists off the pavement. Among them was the first fast-food restaurant, believed to be Red’s Giant Hamburg in Springfield, Missouri.

Route 66 came to represent everything Americans hold near and dear: freedom,

adventure, nostalgia and small-town values. Those themes were shared in the1960s TV series “Route 66,” which helped fuel today’s nostalgia for the road.

Championed in songs such as Bobby Troup’s “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66” and the Eagles’ “Take it Easy,” immortalized by John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” and introduced to a new

generation through Pixar’s “Cars” movie, the Mother Road continues to fascinate those who prefer life in the slow lane.

The demise of Route 66 came with the rise of the new Interstate Highway System— including interstates 55, 44, 40, 15 and 10. Small towns where Route 66 was the main road were bypassed, and many businesses couldn’t survive as traffic moved away.

Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985. But the road never truly disappeared.

Mother Nature and the wrecking ball have taken their toll, but if you know where to look, you can still find remnants of the old route. New businesses have sprung from the ashes of those longgone oases on the road.

So, as the song says, “get hip to this timely tip, when you make that California trip,” and make this the year to get your kicks—on Route 66. n

The Ultimate

Q: WHO ORIGINALLY SANG “ROUTE 66”?

A: Nat King Cole, with the King Cole Trio, first recorded the song in 1946 at Radio Recorders in Los Angeles. Capitol Records released it as a single, which reached No. 11 on Billboard’s pop chart.

Q: WHO IS CONSIDERED THE FATHER OF ROUTE 66?

A: In the early 1900s, Cyrus Avery of Tulsa, Oklahoma, a real estate developer and owner of a coal company, began acquiring oil leases. With the need to reach the barren lands around him and the need for a roadway from the Midwest to the western lands connecting cities along the way, the road became a reality. With John Woodruff of Springfield, Missouri, Cyrus promoted the idea of a highway connecting the Midwest to the West Coast.

Q: WHAT TOWN IS CONSIDERED THE BIRTHPLACE OF ROUTE 66?

A: Springfield, Missouri, is widely recognized as the birthplace of Route 66. A passionate advocate for the “Good Roads” movement, Springfield businessman John Woodruff promoted highway development across Missouri. While the road itself did not begin in Springfield, the idea of the route was born here, making Springfield the home for the Main Street of America. John was elected the first president of the Route 66 Association.

Q: WHAT WRITER MADE ROUTE 66 FAMOUS?

A: John Steinbeck proclaimed Route 66 the Mother Road in his 1939 book, “The Grapes of Wrath.”

Q: WHERE DID THE ORIGINAL ROUTE BEGIN AND END?

A: Route 66 began in downtown Chicago, Illinois, and ended in Santa Monica, California, near the Pacific Ocean. The official start is at Adams Street and Michigan Avenue, with classic spots like Lou Mitchell’s diner nearby.

Q: HOW LONG WAS HISTORIC ROUTE 66?

A: It is generally accepted that, from beginning to end in 1926, Route 66 traversed 2,448 miles. However, as the route evolved over its 60 years of existence with new, improved alignments, the mileage varied over time.

Q: WHAT WAS THE ORIGINAL NAME FOR ROUTE 66?

A: John and Cyrus also played a key role in the naming the road. It had first been named Route 60, as all main east-to-west highways at the time ended in zero. However, the pair felt Route 66 would be easier to promote, especially with the flow of having two of the same number. Thus, on April 30, 1926, a telegram was sent to the Bureau of Public Roads asking for the name to be changed to Route 66.

Q: WHAT DISTINCTION DOES RED’S GIANT HAMBURG, A SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI, ROUTE 66 RESTAURANT, HOLD?

A: It is considered the first drive-in fast-food restaurant. Red’s opened in 1947 and operated until 1984. In early 2019, Red’s Giant Hamburg made a comeback, 35 years after the original restaurant’s closure. The new restaurant, on Route 413, was a re-creation of the original Route 66 location. It opened in August 2019 and operated for almost six years, closing its doors in May 2025. In 2013, a fundraising campaign was established to re-create the Red’s Giant Hamburg sign. The sign, shaped like a cross, was installed in 2015.

Q: WAS U.S. ROUTE 66 PAVED?

A: When Route 66 officially opened in 1926, only 800 miles were paved, the rest being graded dirt, gravel, bricks or wood planks. It took 11 more years before the road would become the first national highway to be completely paved.

Quiz

Q: WHAT STATES DOES ROUTE 66 TRAVEL THROUGH?

A: Route 66 traverses eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.

Q: WHEN WAS ROUTE 66 DECOMMISSIONED?

A: With the advent of the Federal Interstate Highway System, U.S. Route 66 was gradually decommissioned, with the last segment, in Arizona, removed from the federal system June 27, 1985.

Q: WHAT STATE HAS THE MOST MILES OF ROUTE 66?

A: New Mexico has the most miles, and Kansas has the fewest—Illinois, 301; Missouri, 317; Kansas, 13; Oklahoma, 432; Texas, 186; New Mexico, 487; Arizona, 401; and California, 314, for a total of 2,448 miles.

Q: WHAT ANIMATED MOVIE IS BASED ON ROUTE 66?

A: The 2006 animated movie “Cars” tells the story of Route 66 through characters Lightning McQueen and Sally and their escapades at Radiator Springs, a fictionalized representation of all Route 66 towns. Sally liked to say, “Those were the days we traveled to have a great time, not to make great time.” In the movie, Ramone’s House of Body Art looks similar to the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas. Other real-life locations that inspired parts of the movie include Cadillac Ranch, Wigwam Motels and Wagon Wheel Motel.

Dinner Is Served

SHEET PAN DINNERS ARE MADE FOR SHARING

Sheet Pan Gnocchi With Roasted Vegetables

16 ounces gnocchi

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

1 pint cherry tomatoes

6 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

11/2 teaspoons dried oregano

Heat oven to 425 F.

11/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 handfuls baby spinach

Shaved Parmesan cheese, for topping

On a large sheet pan, add gnocchi, red bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes, minced garlic, olive oil, oregano, basil, salt, thyme, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Combine everything, making sure it is well coated in the spices and oil.

Bake for 35 minutes, stirring halfway through.

Remove sheet pan from oven. Add spinach, and stir to combine. Return to oven for 5 minutes, just until spinach is wilted.

Serve with shaved Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.

Everything Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner

Cooking spray

2 medium sweet potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

5 cups broccoli florets

4 5-ounce salmon fillets

2 tablespoons everything bagel seasoning

2 teaspoons soy sauce

Heat oven to 425 F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil, and coat lightly with cooking spray.

Toss sweet potatoes with 2 teaspoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Place on half of the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine Dijon, honey and cayenne in a small bowl. Toss broccoli with remaining oil, salt and pepper in a separate bowl.

Remove potatoes from oven. Add salmon to the other half of the baking sheet. Place 2 teaspoons of the mustard mixture on each filet. Brush to coat, then sprinkle with bagel seasoning. Add broccoli to sweet potatoes. Bake until salmon flakes easily with a fork and vegetables are golden, about 12 minutes. Stir soy sauce into remaining mustard mixture, and drizzle over vegetables.

Sheet Pan Chimichurri Chicken

1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley

1 large bunch cilantro

1 tablespoon oregano

2 medium garlic cloves

11/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, plus more as needed

11/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1/2 teaspoon honey

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 cup whole cherry tomatoes

1 small red bell pepper

1/2 medium red onion

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

Rice, flatbreads or potatoes

Using a food processor, pulse parsley, cilantro, oregano, garlic, salt and red pepper flakes until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add olive oil and vinegar, and pulse until just combined. Season to taste with additional salt and vinegar.

In a large bowl, toss chicken thighs with honey and 1/3 cup of chimichurri. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Refrigerate remaining chimichurri until ready to use.

When ready to proceed, adjust oven rack about 6 inches below the heating element. Heat broiler to high.

Remove chicken from marinade. On a 13-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet, arrange thighs out so there is plenty of space between them. Discard marinade. Arrange zucchini, cherry tomatoes, red pepper and onions around chicken. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil, and season with salt.

Broil until chicken is golden brown and vegetables are just beginning to char, about 10 minutes. Flip chicken and vegetables. Broil until vegetables are tender, and chicken is lightly charred. The chicken should read 185 F on an instantread thermometer, about 7 to 10 minutes.

Serve with reserved chimichurri, rice, flatbread or potatoes.

Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos With Slaw

Cooking spray

8 corn tortillas

1 pound uncooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

11/4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

For serving:

1 batch easy taco slaw (see below)

1 medium avocado, sliced

Sour cream

Lime wedges

Heat oven to 400 F. Lightly coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place a large sheet of aluminum foil on a work surface. Stack the tortillas on top, and wrap in foil. Place the packet of tortillas on one corner of the baking sheet.

Pat shrimp dry, and place on baking sheet. Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss to combine, and spread into an even layer.

Roast until shrimp are opaque and pink, stirring halfway through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drizzle shrimp with lime juice, and toss to combine. Fill tortillas with shrimp, and top with slaw, avocado and sour cream. Serve with lime.

Taco Slaw

Shredded red cabbage

Salt

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Grated or shredded carrot

Thinly sliced scallions

Cilantro, finely chopped

Jalapeño pepper, deseeded and cut into slices

Salt the cabbage in a colander. Massage it to help release its liquid, then set aside to drain for 15 minutes.

Place mayonnaise, lime juice and garlic powder in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Using your hands, squeeze cabbage of its excess liquid one handful at a time. Add cabbage and remaining ingredients to the bowl, and toss to combine.

Sheet Pan Parmesan-Dijon Chicken Thighs

Nonstick cooking spray

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup freshly grated

Parmesan cheese

4 5-ounce bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

1/4 cup melted butter

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

11/2 pounds baby potatoes

1 pound green beans, trimmed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt, to taste

Freshly cracked pepper

Heat the oven to 425 F. Line a large sheet pan with aluminum foil, and coat with cooking spray.

Mix breadcrumbs and cheese in a small bowl. Set aside. Place chicken on prepared pan. Combine butter and Dijon in a large bowl. Brush chicken with mixture.

Add potatoes and beans to bowl. Toss in remaining mixture. Evenly spread vegetables on the pan around chicken Season everything with thyme, salt and pepper. Press breadcrumb mixture onto chicken thighs.

Bake until chicken is no longer pink at the bone, the juices run clear, and the potatoes can be pierced easily with a fork, about 25 to 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted near the chicken bone should read 165 F.

READER EXCHANGE

Crafts/Hobbies

Does anyone have old jewelry you don’t want anymore? I would love pre-1970s jewelry. I wear my older jewelry every day, but it’s wearing down and I would love a new batch. I’d wear them with pride. Thank you.

Sandy Corliss

2948 Happy Valley Road Roseburg, OR 97471 scorliss@mydFN.net

I would love to have material to make quilts and at least 3 yards to make aprons. Also, some yarn for knitting. I volunteer at the school nearby and would like to use it with the children. Thank you.

Hilma Tonuchuk

P.O. Box 20013 Kotlik, AK 99620

I make cross-stitch Christmas ornaments each year for my grandchildren. I prefer smaller patterns, and I’m unable to find “Leisure Arts 101 Christmas Mini Book 1.” Also, I can’t find any 18- or 22-count Aida cloth in any color except white. If anyone has the book or cloth, I’ll gladly pay for it. Thank you.

Elaine Beers

P.O. Box 96 Swisshome, OR 97480

Marty and I would like to thank everyone for the supplies. It’s time to request more denim—used would be great to give it more life. We can turn any scraps into useable things. We also need batting to put inside our quilts. Thank you all.

Shirley and Marty Egbert

190 S. Crystal Drive Rupert, ID 83350

I’m looking for parts to old hurricane lanterns. I rewire them and make them useful again.

R. Anderson

82164 Red Bluff Road Seaside, OR 97138

Milestones

My amazing stepfather celebrates his 97th birthday this month. He has always been a traveler, beginning with two cross-country moves as a young child. In adulthood, he has visited nearly all of the United States and 34 different countries. He is a proud U.S. Navy veteran who raised three sons with his first wife. He was a widower for many years before marrying again at age 90. He remains mentally sharp and active with family, friends and church. He is a master woodworker and an avid Scrabble player. He still hosts Bible study groups. He would be thrilled to receive birthday greetings, especially with stories about interesting places. Send cards to Gary Miller, 150 Calle Del Sol St., Richland, WA 99352. Linda Freepons Prosser, Washington

Our mother is fast approaching her 100th birthday this month. She was born in White Sulphur Springs, Montana, and spent summers at the family’s Watson Ranch near Benton Gulch, which was also a Post Office in the earlier 1920s and ’30s. With seven aunts and uncles, she had a great early life. In the 1940s, she moved with her parents and sister to Portland, Oregon, where she married and had four children in the first five years of marriage. Another came along six years later. She moved to Sisters, Oregon, in 1998, near her daughter. She loves reading large print books— one to two a week. In her younger years, she did a lot of volunteer work around town, wherever she could help. She is a longtime Christian, loves jokes and always has a wonderful positive attitude. She gets mostly junk mail now, and I know she would love some real cards and letters. Thank you. Send cards to Marylinn Watson, 369 E. St. Helen’s Ave., Sisters, OR 97759.

Gaynelle Savage Redmond, Oregon

My mom, Hazel Hays, is turning 84 at the end of this month. She worked her entire life to help my dad and give her children a great home life. My dad and my middle siblings have passed on, but she still has me, my brother and her dog, Dew. Please shower my mom with your kind words. She would be so happy. Hazel Hays, P.O. Box 255, Scio, OR 97374.

Karen Miller Scio, Oregon

Submitting Requests Is Free

Send your request (no attachments) to readerexchange@ruralite.org or mail to Reader Exchange, 5625 NE Elam Young Parkway, Suite 100, Hillsboro, OR 97124. Fill in the subject line with Reader Exchange.

Acceptance, scheduling and editing are at the editor’s discretion. Single requests only, please. No duplicates. If replying to a reader submission, please only send what is requested.

Submissions are handled first-come, first-served as space allows. We cannot honor every request.

Please affirm you have authorization from all appropriate parties before submitting. By submitting, you indemnify Reader Exchange, Pioneer Utility Resources Inc., its officers, directors, employees, utility clients and insurers from all legal liability incurred by the publication of information. We no longer accept pen pal requests. You may submit a pen pal request as a Marketplace ad (pricing applies).

When submitting a milestone request, please send it at least two months before the milestone.

Phone numbers are not published. Email addresses are if they are part of the ad, but you must include a postal address.

Requests must include the name and address of the electric utility that provides your magazine.

JUST RELEASED!

No coin embodies the spirit of America more than the Morgan Silver Dollar. From the Comstock Lode discovery that provided millions of ounces of silver to make them, to outlaws robbing stage coaches in the Wild West to pay for their bar tabs and brothel visits, the hefty Morgan Silver Dollar holds a special place in American history.

It’s no wonder collectors and history buffs alike clamor to get their hands on them. That is, if they can get their hands on them.

Prized Last-Year Coins

Collectors love “lasts” as no collection is complete without the last coin struck. Last year coins are often hard to find and always in demand. Little did master engraver George T. Morgan know the legacy he was creating when he designed what has become known as “The King of Silver Dollars” but it came to an end 104 years ago with the last-year 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar, the most beloved coin in American history.

Public Release - Only 832 Coins Available

Rarcoa®, America’s Oldest Coin Company, is announcing the public release of 832 of the very last year 1921 Morgan Silver Dollars, struck at the iconic Philadelphia Mint. Each coin today comes in Brilliant Uncirculated condition, pristine as the day they were struck!

Hold 104 Years of American History

Struck in 1921, each coin is one hundred and four years old. Could Charles Lindbergh have carried your coin in his pocket during his flight across the Atlantic? Or maybe your greatgrandfather carried it while storming the beaches of Normandy during World War II before ending up in a small coin shop in Tuscaloosa, Oklahoma. Each coin has its own unique history and you can hold 104 years of American history when you buy yours today!

A Miracle of Survival

Coin experts estimate that only 15%-20% of Morgans are still surviving today due to multiple mass-meltings over the years. The Pittman Act of 1918 melted over 270,000,000 coins, that’s almost 50% of all coins produced at the time. Untold quantities were melted in the 1980s and 2000s when silver prices rose up to $50 per ounce.

Sold Nationally for as much as $239

This same 1921 Morgan Silver Dollar sells elsewhere for as much as $239. But thanks to Rarcoa’s buying power and numismatic expertise, you can own one for as little as $89.95, in quantity while supplies last. That’s a difference of up to $149!

Because the precious metals market is always active and dynamic, prices may adjust to reflect the latest market opportunities.

BUY MORE AND SAVE!

1921 Morgan Silver Dollar Brilliant Uncirculated

1-4   $99.95 each

5-9   $94.95 each, save $5 each, save up to $45

Ruralite Calendar Photo Contest 2027

It is time to share your favorite photos for a chance to appear in our 2027 Ruralite calendar. Up to 13 winners are selected, and each receives $100. Photos must be submitted by June 30, 2026. The contest is open to recipients of Ruralite and Currents magazines. Each person may submit up to two photos. Each submission must include:

• Photographer’s name, address and electric utility.

• A short description—otherwise known as a caption—of what is shown.

• Photographer’s email address and phone number.

• JPEG file photos only. Photos must be horizontal (landscape) format and at least 300 dpi at 11 inches wide by 9 inches tall. Vertical photos and any photos created or altered by AI are not accepted. Enter today by visiting tinyurl.com/ruralitecalendar or use the QR code on this page.

Winning Tips

• Use the highest resolution setting on your camera.

• Photograph beautiful places and wildlife.

• Capture scenes full of vivid color.

• Reflect the seasons.

• Make us feel something—awe, joy, etc.

Marilyn Forever

By Dave LaBelle

During the pandemic, I taught an eightweek online photo class. One of my students, Amy Gaskin, struggled to find a project she felt comfortable photographing since so many people were masked and afraid of interacting with others. I suggested Amy consider shooting a “dead person” story, the kind magazines like National Geographic do on famous people who are deceased—such as Van Gogh, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway or Abraham Lincoln. I asked her if there was

You can find Amy Gaskin’s story at amygaskin.com/marilyn/nationalgeographic.

LaBelle

anybody famous buried close by her home. She immediately thought of Marilyn Monroe.

That was more than four years ago. Amy is still tirelessly working on the Marilyn project, which has taken her as far away as Australia. Portions have been published in newspapers and magazines in the United States and abroad, including National Geographic online. She hopes to publish her book, “Marilyn Forever: A Symbol of Hope,” soon. June 1 would have been Marilyn’s 100th birthday.

While recently in Palm Springs,

Reader Challenge

California, I photographed the controversial 26-foot-tall, 34,300-pound statue of Marilyn Monroe created by the late American artist Seward Johnson.

As always, I considered various angles and times of day. Things look different in different light, and colors change rapidly— often within a few minutes or even seconds—as do shadows in the mornings and evenings.

I settled on a morning shot as the rising sunlight moved across the figure with a man walking past to offer scale, rather than midday with crowds doing selfies. n

What project would interest you enough to study, explore, photograph and/or write about? Who or what are you curious about? I’ve often said, as long as you have any camera you should never get bored. I would need a dozen lifetimes to explore all of the people and places I am curious about. This is your chance, your license, your challenge to start today. Who knows where your curiosity might lead you? Maybe a gallery showing, a newspaper or magazine article? Maybe even a book?

Email your best image—just one—with caption information, including an explanation of how it affects you, to gph@pioneer.coop. We may share submissions on our website and social media channels.

“I never expected it to be so beautiful that it takes your breath away.”

— Kaya C., on Stauer Opals

In a quaint village, nestled between rolling hills, lived a young woman with a deep appreciation for gemstones. Her grandmother gifted her a delicate cross pendant adorned with opals. The opals shimmered with a mesmerizing play of colors, reflecting hues of blues, greens, and fiery oranges. Her grandmother shared the legend of the opals, believed to bring hope, purity, and luck to those who wore them.

Using this story as inspiration, Stauer brings you the Opal Spirit Cross Pendant. With over 2 total carats of Kyocera lab-created opals set in .925 sterling silver encased in yellow gold, this pendant is a radiant celebration of beauty and craftsmanship. Each opal captivates with a kaleidoscopic dance of fiery oranges blending into oceanic blues, streaked with flashes of vibrant green that seem to come alive with every movement. The shimmering opals are skillfully arranged to create an enchanting, otherworldly glow, embodying the spirit of hope and harmony.

This breathtaking combination of color and craftsmanship is available as a limited availability of only

930 pieces, making it a rare and treasured addition to your jewelry collection. Plus, when you order today, you’ll receive the gold-finished sterling silver chain—a $69 value—absolutely free! Don’t miss your chance to own this exclusive tribute to timeless elegance and meaningful symbolism.

Necklace Specifications:

• 2 1/2 ctw. Kyocera lab opals and DiamondAura® accents

• Yellow gold-finished .925 sterling silver setting

• 18" gold-clad .925 sterling silver chain

Do We Owe You Money?

Unclaimed Capital Credits

Consumers Power is attempting to locate former members of the cooperative whose capital credit checks issued in 2022 were not cashed. These checks are for members who received electric service from CPI in 1992 and 1993.

The capital credit checks of these former members have been returned by the U.S. Post Office as “undeliverable” or have otherwise been unclaimed.

The last possible date to claim these funds is Thursday, November 19, 2026 at 5 p.m. If these checks are not claimed by this date, the funds will be forfeited and no longer can be issued.

CPI has set up an unclaimed capital credits area on its website that can be searched by name or address. Find it at www.cpi.coop.

To claim a refund or submit questions about this notice or the lists, contact CPI at 541-9293124, or send an email to capitalcredits@cpi. coop.

MARKETPLACE

Agriculture

Reinforced custom-sized pond liners (39 cents/sqft.). Hay covers, greenhouse covers, any width and length. Truck tarps and more. High puncture and tear strength. Best price guaranteed. Celebrating 45 years in business. btlliners.com. 541-447-0712. 0427

Strong and dependable 20-year-old female ag. graduate (May 2026) of Feather River College seeking ranch hand employment, preferably with cattle. Lilly, 916-717-9981. 0526

Antiques and Collectibles

Buying American Indian collectibles, Navajo jewelry, blankets, rugs. CA/AZ baskets and beadwork. Quality paintings of the early Southwest and Americas. Call 760-409-3117 or send photos to amer.ind.baskets@gmail.com. 0526

WC Collectibles. We buy comic books! Local to Inland Northwest. Willing to travel. WCCollectiblesCheney@gmail.com; 509-496-1835.

Buying antiques and collectibles: advertising signs, porcelain signs, gas pumps, beer signs, antique toys, cast-iron coin banks, neon signs and more. Jason, 503-310-3321, or tjabaughman@yahoo.com. 0926

For sale: two silk area rugs, medallion motif, fringed: 8x5’, $950; 5x3’, $450. Photos available. fisherdj_2000@yahoo.com. 0526

Two large wood tool chests on rollers, includes many old, vintage hand tools, photos available, no shipping, Baker City, OR. seabee69jim@gmail.com. 0526

Model train magazines. More than 900, from ’40s, ’50s and early 2000s. Selling one lot, no single sales. $100 or offer, no shipping, Baker City, OR. seabee69jim@gmail.com. 0526

Automotive

For Sale: 1982 and 1985 vintage Tri Hawk 304s and a 2002 Grinnell Scorpion. Roseburg, OR. 541-784-8233 or 541-784-8232; dsiasbuckle@gmail.com. 0526

Rare ’65 Buick Gran Sport, all original, frame up restoration. Numbers matching. Power brakes, steering, seat, windows, A/C. Engine 401, HP 325. North ID. 760-638-6574. 0526

Classic 1999 Chevy Suburban LT 2WD, immaculate condition, always garaged, maintenance records, original owner, photos available, $12K. tedsbaseball@gmail.com; 503-354-2051. 0526

Quick, Affordable: How to Place an Ad

„ Ads 25 words or fewer are $35 a month. An ad of up to 35 words is $50 a month. Contact information is included in the word count. Phone numbers and emails count as one word.

„ Longer ads may be placed. Contact 503-357-2105 or info@pioneer.coop for pricing.

„ Ads are for customers of member co-ops, public utility districts and municipals only. Subscribers and nonmembers may inquire about pricing at 503-357-2105 or info@pioneer.coop.

„ Ads must be direct and in first person, and are subject to approval and editing.

„ Closing deadlines (in our office): July issue—May 29

„ If submitting ad by mail, send appropriate payment with your name, address, email, phone number and the name of the electric utility that provides your magazine to: Marketplace, P.O. Box 1306, North Plains, OR 97133. Make check or money order payable to Ruralite.

„ We accept credit card payments for ads submitted to info@pioneer.coop. Call 503-357-2105 to pay by credit card. Advertisements are accepted in good faith. Pioneer Utility Resources is not liable for interactions between buyers and sellers.

1977 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40; runs well. Original engine/running gear. In Plumas Co., CA. $8K, OBO. js9445@hotmail.com; 530-927-7679 for details. 0626

Boats

Beautiful Don Hill design wood drift boat with high-impact fiberglass bottom and Shorelander trailer. Includes 10-foot oars, lead anchor, plus HW. $4.3K, OBO. Rodger: sandyd@cbbmail.com or 971-227-1753. 0626

Mirrocraft 12’ aluminum fishing, recreation boat. Year 2000. Two seats. Electric motor and 15 horse Honda gas motor. Asking $1,995. 541-444-1394. OR Coast. 0526

Books, Magazines, Videos

Book restoration. Bibles, cookbooks, cherished family heirlooms. Beautiful work. We give renewed life, more durable than original, to last for generations. 775-537-7066; salacanstudio@gmail.com. 0426

I have 12 Etude magazines, 1926-27; some covers are missing. Free. I will mail to you. 541-475-6656. Leave your contact information.

Community Events

La Pine Rhubarb Festival, June 20-21! Free community event featuring more than 140 vendors/food trucks, live music, adult beverages, kids zone and granny rhubarb pies! La Pine Senior Activity Center. More information: 541-536-6237. 0626

“The Warmth Within My Shadow,” by Jason Hogge: May 1-June 27 at Art Center East in La Grande, OR. Also, free art classes for youth. artcentereast.org. 0526

Education

Long Creek Virtual Learning Acellus Academy. Free in OR, online, accredited, K-12 education. Contact Long Creek School for information and to sign up. longcreekschool.com; 541-508-9164. Furniture, Appliances

For sale, matching green couch and chair. Good condition, $135. 541-720-0865. 0526

Miscellaneous

Attention, landowners. Grants available now. Wildland fire fuel reduction service. Steep ground, remote, rocky, small lot, big acreage … no problem. Blue Mountain Defensible Space LLC. Bluemountainbrush@gmail.com; bluemountainbrush.com; 509-399-3473. 1126

Granite cemetery markers at affordable prices. Will ship to most places. More information: Joe, highdesertmemorials@gmail.com or 541-815-8906, highdesertmemorials.com.

Local commercial fisherman sells summer catch of preserved freshness by blast freezing at sea, gourmet canned tuna on internet. Sept.June. 100% guaranteed the best canned tuna you ever tasted. Original, jalapeno and garlic flavors available. To order: twofisherstuna.com or 206-799-1082. 0526

Pets, Supplies

3 Australian/Husky purebred puppies in John Day, OR. Born Jan. 19, ready for new homes. 3 males. Please call if interested, can send pictures. Sherry Dress, 541-620-1372. 0526 Real Estate

Let me help you buy or sell ranch, farm and recreation property in OR. Fourth-generation Oregonian, prior ranch owner. For sale: Deschutes Canyon Mountain views, 118 acres, Riverfront. $11.9M. John Gill, 541-480-9161; johngill@landandwildlife.com. Land And Wildlife brokerage. 0526

John Day River Trading Post on more than 1 fenced acre, previous store, existing USPS lease, home. $375K. Duke Warner Realty, 541-987-2363; ddwr@ortelco.net. 0526

320 acres east of Adel, OR. Borders Hart Mountain views, Steens Mountain and Beaty Butte. Landowner tags, very rural. Reduced price: $145K. For maps: 541-659-1573; thejugglingman3@gmail.com. 0526

Private 10-acre wild tree farm near Sandpoint, ID, with older 3-bd. mobile home, countymaintained road, good building sites. $395K. Steve, 208-290-6505. 0526

Mobiles to mansions. Cabins to castles. Brookings, OR, area Principal Broker Pat Piper, Century 21 Agate Realty. Helpful. Educated. Caring. 28 years area experience. 541-251-2152; patpiperbroker@gmail.com.

For sale/rent: 20-acre developed land, 3,600sqft. shop with “barndominium” potential. Weddings/events, horse property, RV hookups, creek, views. $575K. Seller financing. Goldendale, WA. 509-378-5886. 0526

For sale in Rosarito Beach, Baja, Mexico. 2 lots. 2,153 sqft. each. Valles del Mar. Security, paved streets, lights, utilities ready. $33K, negotiable. 323-386-3613. 0626

Recreational Rentals

Ocean view Maui vacation rental. For the months of May-Oct. $210/now $185. One-time cleaning $150, 2 TVs, king-size bed, queen-size sofa bed. Beach chairs and umbrellas. Great view. 503-812-6689. 0626

Vacation rentals in Sisters, including Black Butte Ranch, or for local help managing your home in Central OR, call 541-778-7939 or visit avacationexperience.com. 0526

Sunshine and sand—Book your summer dreams at WaveCatcher for 2026. Oceanfront cottage with direct beach access, on the spectacular Central Oregon Coast. Sleeps 6. Pet friendly. All house amenities. Winter closure November-March. Reservations, information text 541-740-2846 or email relax@wavecatcherbeachrentals.com. 0526

Enjoy your ideal Maui getaway. This updated 2-bd., 2-ba. condo sleeps 4 and features a charming surf shack design. Just half a block from a beautiful beach, it’s perfect for morning strolls and sunsets. Plus, you’re steps away from shops and restaurants at Azeka Plaza. tinyurl.com/MauiGetaway. 0526

Recreational Vehicles

2004 Fleetwood Flair, 34’, 45.2K miles, like new, 2 slide-outs, Triton V-10, 5500 Onan, 2 AC. Garaged except when traveling since March 2009. $22.95K. 541-508-6866. 0526

1996 Pleasure Way motorhome. 83K miles, fully contained, 8 cylinders, gas, clean. $20K, OBO. For pictures and information, call or text 503-706-5846. Clatskanie, OR. 0526

Selling my 2022 Heartland Sundance UltraLite travel trailer. 24 ft., loaded. Single slider, awning, power leveling jacks and tongue jack. Large TV with Dish receiver. AM/FM/CD player, queen bed, microwave, 3-burner stove/oven, shower, gas/electric refrigerator, TireMinder system, gas furnace, A/C. Complete with anti-sway hitch. $19.5K, OBO. 541-403-2028. Baker City, OR. 0526

2014 Solo Rider Electric golf cart. Swivel and stand-up seat for disabilities. Gently used, well-maintained. New batteries and charger. $7K. 509-948-5759. Prosser, WA area. 0526 Services

Dawn Till Dusk Masonry. Brick, block, stone and pavers. Small jobs and repairs welcome. dawntillduskconstructionmasonry.com; 541-388-7605; 541-410-6945. License No. 245760 bonded and insured. La Pine, OR. 0526

Sheidler Bookkeeping. Wrangling those books so you don’t have to. QuickBooks and Xero certified. Contact Valia at 541-519-9005 or sheidlerbookkeeping@gmail.com for a free consultation. 0726

Blue Mountain Defensible Space LLC Wildfire Fuel Reduction: clearing brush, thinning trees, animal habitat enhancement. Expert service. Grant money available OR, WA, ID. Bluemountainbrush@gmail.com; 509-399-3473; bluemountainbrush.com. 1126

Situations Wanted

Attractive, active 60-year-old Christian gentleman in Umpqua, OR. Business owner. Loves hot rods, smooth jazz, beach. Seeks financially stable, adventurous woman, 40–60. grailgolf@hotmail.com. 0626

Want to Buy

Buying American Indian collectibles, Navajo jewelry, blankets, rugs. CA/AZ baskets and beadwork. Quality paintings of the early Southwest and Americas. Call 760-409-3117 or send photos to amer.ind.baskets@gmail.com. 0526

Gold, silver, coins/currency, buy, sell. Collections wanted. Fair prices paid. 45 years in retail store. Baker City, OR. 800-556-2133; garrymclin@aol.com. 0526

Old carpenter tools, planes (wood/metal), levels, chisels, slicks, adzes, axes, hatchets, handsaws, old rulers, spoke shaves, wrenches, shipwright tools, old tool chests. 503-659-0009; 971-666-0659. 0526

Powering Down to Prevent Wildfires

Public Safety Power Shutoffs help lower wildfire risk when extreme weather conditions arise

Oregon is heading into wildfire season with a head start—and not in a good way. A dry winter and below-average snowpack sets the stage for higher fire risk across the state.

That reality is changing how utilities prepare. For Consumers Power, it means members may experience something unfamiliar—outages that are intentional.

It’s called a Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS.

When extreme weather conditions—high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation—combine to create significant wildfire risk, CPI may proactively turn off power to help prevent electrical equipment from sparking a fire.

It’s a last resort, but one that is increasingly necessary in the Pacific Northwest.

A Difficult Decision Made for Safety

CPI continually monitors weather conditions, fire risk and on-the-ground reports throughout wildfire season. When those factors point to a clear and imminent threat, the cooperative may deenergize parts of the system to protect members, communities and the electric grid itself.

“We know shutting off power is disruptive,” says Billy Terry, CPI’s deputy vice president and chief operating officer. “But safety has to come first.”

And that disruption can be significant. A PSPS event may last several hours or even multiple days, depending on how long dangerous conditions persist. Even after weather improves, crews must patrol power lines and ensure there’s no damage before electricity can be safely restored.

Adding another layer of complexity, CPI receives power from the Bonneville Power Administration. That means in some cases, a shutoff could be initiated upstream with little notice, affecting local members.

When conditions are extreme, power may go out—and stay out—for a while.

What Members Can Expect

When possible, CPI will provide advance notice—typically up to 48 hours before a shutoff.

During a PSPS, communication remains a priority. Updates are shared through email, text messages, automated phone calls,

social media, and the CPI website as conditions change and restoration timelines become clearer.

Still, one message remains consistent: Members should be prepared to be without power for an extended period. That preparation is no longer optional, it’s essential.

Preparing Before the Power Goes Out

Preparing for a PSPS starts with thinking ahead. Because these outages can last longer than a typical power interruption, having a plan in place can make a big difference for you and your family.

For CPI members, preparation starts with a few key steps: Stay informed. Make sure your contact information is up to date with CPI so you can receive alerts. Sign up for local emergency notifications and consider downloading wildfire alert apps to stay aware of changing conditions.

Plan for communication. Keep phones charged and have backup charging options available. It’s also wise to maintain a printed list of important phone numbers in case cell service is disrupted.

Prepare for medical needs. If someone in your household relies on refrigerated medications or electric-powered medical devices, have a plan in place. This could include backup power or alternative arrangements.

Stock essentials. Food, water, batteries, flashlights and pet supplies should be readily available. Think beyond a few hours. Plan for days without electricity.

Consider backup power. For some households, especially those with critical needs, a generator may provide peace of mind during extended outages.

Think beyond your home. PSPS events can affect more than just lights. Cell towers, internet service and even fuel pumps may be affected, making preparation even more important.

What Is a PSPS?

A Public Safety Power Shutoff is a safety measure used by utilities to help protect communities during extreme weather conditions.

When wildfire risk is high—such as during periods of strong winds, low humidity and dry vegetation—power may be temporarily shut off to reduce the risk.

When conditions warrant, CPI may implement a PSPS to help reduce wildfire risk and protect the communities it serves.

Working Together to Stay Safe

Public Safety Power Shutoffs are not something utilities want to use—but they are something utilities must be ready to use.

What once may have seemed unthinkable—turning off power on purpose—is now one way CPI works to protect the people, places and communities it serves. The same lines that deliver electricity also run through forests, fields and neighborhoods, and in extreme conditions, reducing risk sometimes means making difficult decisions.

That’s why preparation matters. Understanding PSPS and having a plan in place can make all the difference when an outage occurs.

Wildfire seasons are changing. And as they do, being ready becomes part of a shared responsibility— one that helps protect the cooperative, its members and the communities we all call home.

Learn More

Visit cpi.coop/psps or scan the QR code. n

Cabin Views

This is the view from Jane Phillips’ cabin deck on Craig Mountain. Only 45 minutes from her main home, the drive takes her family through wheat fields, farms and forest. After running a generator at the cabin for so many years, the Phillips family is now enjoying having power, thanks to Clearwater Power. PHOTO BY

JANE PHILLIPS

To submit your photo, email a JPEG to photos@pioneer.coop.

Include “Before You Go” in the subject line and share a bit about what inspired you to make your photo.

REACHING OUT TO OUR VETERANS IN NEED

One in four Veterans lives in rural areas. Every day, we strive to extend our reach, to make sure they have access to the compassionate care and attention they need—from advanced telehealth services to community-based outpatient clinics. Because all our Veterans deserve it, no matter where they are. We believe it’s up to us to ensure they lead healthier, happier lives.

Visit vacareers.va.gov to lend a hand.

When it’s you against nature, there’s only one tool you need: the tempered steel Stag Hunter from Stauer—now ONLY $59!

That first crack of thunder sounded like a bomb just fell on Ramshorn Peak. Black clouds rolled in and the wind shook the trees. I had ventured off the trail on my own, gambled with the weather and now I was trapped in the forest. Miles from camp. Surrounded by wilderness and watching eyes. I knew that if I was going to make it through the night I needed to find shelter and build a fire... fast. As the first raindrops fell, I reached for my Stag Hunter Knife

EXCLUSIVE FREE

Survival of the Sharpest

Stauer Pocket Binoculars -a $99 valuewith your purchase of the Stag Hunter Knife

Forget about smartphones and GPS, because when it comes to taking on Mother Nature, there’s only one tool you really need. Our stunning Stag Hunter is the ultimate sidekick for surviving and thriving in the great outdoors. Priced at $149, the Stag Hunter can be yours today for an unbelievable $59! Call now and we’ll include a bonus leather sheath!

A legend in steel. The talented knifemakers of Trophy Stag Cutlery have done it again by crafting a fixedblade beauty that’s sharp in every sense of the word. The Stag Hunter sports an impressive 5⅓" tempered German stainless steel blade with a genuine deer stag horn and stained Pakkawood™ handle, brass hand guard and polished pommel. You get the best in 21st-century construction with a classic look inspired by legendary American pioneers.

But we don’t stop there. While supplies last, we’ll include a pair of $99 Stauer pocket binoculars and a genuine leather sheath FREE when you purchase the Stag Hunter Knife.

Your satisfaction is 100% guaranteed. Feel the knife in your hands, wear it on your hip, inspect the craftsmanship. If you’re not completely impressed, send it back within 30 days for a complete refund of the item price. But we believe that once you wrap your fingers around the Stag Hunter’s handle, you’ll be ready to carve your own niche into the wild frontier.

BONUS! Call today and you’ll also receive this genuine leather sheath!

knife is beautiful!”

feel of this knife is unbelievable...

MAILING ADDRESS

P.O. Box 1180

Philomath, OR 97370

541-929-3124

800-872-9036

LOCAL OFFICES

6990 W. Hills Road

Philomath, OR 97370

1900 W. Oak St.

Lebanon, OR 97355

BOARD OFFICERS

Shane Russell | CHAIRMAN

Eric Horning | VICE PRESIDENT

Terry Plagmann | SECRETARY

Kevin Christopher | ASSISTANT SECRETARY

STAFF

James Ramseyer | PRESIDENT/CEO

Billy Terry | DEPUTY VP/COO

Scott Muller | TREASURER/CFO

Denise Downs | CAO

Taylor Cox | CIO

cpi.coop

Give a Gift

That Keeps on Giving

When you sign up for Operation Round Up, your bill is rounded up to the nearest dollar each month. That difference helps support our local communities. The average contribution is $6 a year. To sign up or for more information, call 800-872-9036 or visit cpi.coop.

OR-6

President’s Report Wildfire Mitigation: A Year-Round Commitment

Wildfire season is something we all think about as summer approaches, but at Consumers Power Inc., wildfire mitigation is a year-round responsibility.

That means continual work to maintain our rights of way along power lines, strengthen system infrastructure, and invest in equipment designed to detect electrical faults quickly and respond safely when conditions change. These efforts help reduce the potential for wildfire ignition while improving the overall resilience of our electric system.

Just as important is staying informed and learning from others across the industry. In January, CPI team members participated in the Northwest Public Power Association’s Wildfire Conference. Consumer-owned utilities from across the region shared strategies, lessons learned and new approaches to wildfire prevention. In March, members of CPI’s leadership team attended the Western Energy Institute’s Wildfire Planning and Mitigation Conference, which brings together utilities from across the West, including many of the region’s largest investor-owned utilities, to discuss emerging wildfire risks, planning strategies and industry coordination. Participating in these conversations ensures CPI remains aligned with evolving best practices and prepared to meet the challenges of future wildfire seasons.

Wildfire mitigation requires continual attention, planning and investment. By working year-round to maintain our system, strengthen our practices and engage with industry partners, CPI remains committed to protecting the communities we serve while delivering safe and reliable power to our members.

Columbia River Spill Order Raises Concerns for Public Power

A recent federal court ruling ordering additional spill at several Columbia and Snake river dams has raised serious concerns for consumer-owned utilities like CPI. While protecting salmon and the Northwest’s natural resources is a shared priority, decisions affecting the region’s power system must also consider reliability, affordability and community needs.

The Federal Columbia River Power System provides the backbone of the Pacific Northwest’s clean energy supply. It delivers dependable, carbon-free electricity that powers homes, farms and businesses across our region. For many rural communities, including CPI members, hydropower is essential to keeping electricity affordable and reliable.

Recent analysis suggests the spill order could lead to immediate cost increases for utilities. Bonneville Power Administration estimates the ruling could drive a roughly 6% rate increase. When combined with other expected operational adjustments, overall increases could approach 16%. These costs ultimately affect the families, farms and small businesses served by consumer-owned utilities.

There are also reliability concerns. The Columbia River system provides dispatchable power that helps stabilize the grid during extreme weather and periods of high demand. With electricity demand growing rapidly across the Northwest, the region currently has no clear replacement plan for this critical resource.

For decades, public power utilities have invested billions of dollars in fish passage improvements and habitat restoration, creating the largest wildlife mitigation program in the world. Salmon recovery and hydropower must coexist, and consumer-owned utilities remain committed to that responsibility.

Moving forward, solutions must come through collaboration rather than continued litigation. CPI will continue working with regional partners to support balanced, science-based approaches that protect salmon while preserving reliable, affordable power for the members we serve.

James Ramseyer President/CEO