DECEMBER 2014
On
Location
Pennsylvania sets the
scene for movie magic
PLUS
Nuts for the holidays
In-floor electric heating
Lights, camera, action
DECEMBER
Vol. 49 • No. 12
Peter A. Fitzgerald
EDITOR
Katherine Hackleman
S E N I OR E D I T O R / W R I T E R
James Dulley
Janette Hess
Barbara Martin
Marcus Schneck
4
C ON T R I B U T I N G C O L U M N I S TS
6
KEEPING CURRENT
News items from across the Commonwealth
W. Douglas Shirk
E N E R G Y M AT T E R S
‘Tis the season for family,
fellowship – and lots of cooking
L AYOU T & DESI GN
Vonnie Kloss
8
A D V E R T I S I N G & CI R C U L A T I O N
Michelle M. Smith
M E D I A & M A R K E T I N G S P E CI A L I S T
7
TIME LINES
Your newsmagazine through the years
Penn Lines (USPS 929-700), the newsmagazine
of Pennsylvania’s electric cooperatives, is published monthly by the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, 212 Locust Street, P.O. Box
1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266. Penn Lines
helps 165,800 households of co-op consumermembers understand issues that affect the
electric cooperative program, their local coops, and their quality of life. Electric co-ops
are not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally
directed, and taxpaying electric utilities. Penn
Lines is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. The opinions expressed in Penn Lines
do not necessarily reflect those of the editors,
the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association, or
local electric distribution cooperatives.
Subscriptions: Electric co-op members, $5.42
per year through their local electric distribution cooperative. Preferred Periodicals postage
paid at Harrisburg, PA 17107 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
with mailing label to Penn Lines, 212 Locust
Street, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1266.
Advertising: Display ad deadline is six weeks
prior to month of issue. Ad rates upon request.
Acceptance of advertising by Penn Lines does
not imply endorsement of the product or services by the publisher or any electric cooperative. If you encounter a problem with any
product or service advertised in Penn Lines,
please contact: Advertising, Penn Lines, P.O.
Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Penn Lines
reserves the right to refuse any advertising.
8
On Location
Pennsylvania sets the scene for movie magic
12A C O O P E R AT I V E
Visit with us at Penn Lines
Online, located at:
www.prea.com/Content/
pennlines.asp. Penn Lines Online
provides an email link to Penn
Lines editorial staff, information
on advertising rates, and an
archive of past issues.
CO N N ECT I O N
Information and advice from your local
electric cooperative
14
T I M E PA S S A G E S
Memories from our members
16
COUNTRY KITCHEN
Nuts for the holidays
17
POWER PLANTS
A gardener’s Thanksgiving
18
SMART CIRCUITS
In-floor electric heating options
19
19
O U T D O O R A DV E N T U R ES
Lights, camera, action ... again
20
CLASSIFIEDS
22
PUNCH LINES
23
Thoughts from Earl Pitts–
Uhmerikun!
Board officers and staff, Pennsylvania Rural
Electric Association: Chairman, Leroy Walls;
Vice Chairman, Tim Burkett; Secretary, Lanny
Rodgers; Treasurer, Rick Shope; President
& CEO, Frank M. Betley
© 2014 Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association.
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in
part without written permission is prohibited.
16
F E AT U R E
Surprise: Kids have the best deal when it
comes to cereal choices
23
RURAL REFLECTIONS
Let it snow …
O N T H E COV E R
The limited edition print, “The Judy,” is available for $60 unframed - $15 S&H; $275 framed - $40
S&H; from: The Renfroe Collection of Fine Art, 916 Holly Hills Road, P.O. Box 867; Hartwell, Ga.
30643-0867. You can also reach the gallery by phone at 706-376-5707 or email,
[email protected]. (This reflects only a portion of the full print; for a full view of the print,
go to: www.pamelarenfroe.com). All prints are guaranteed and major credit cards are accepted.
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
3
KEEPINGcurrent
New invasive insect found in
Pennsylvania
An invasive insect new to the United
States has been discovered in Berks
County, Pennsylvania, prompting the
immediate quarantine of several townships and boroughs in the county.
The spotted lanternfly, an inch-long,
black, red and white spotted insect, has
the potential to impact grapes, fruit
trees, pine trees and hardwood trees.
Native to China, India, Japan and Vietnam, the invasive insect has already
attacked 25 plant species in Korea that
also grow in Pennsylvania.
Adults often cluster in groups and
lay egg masses containing 30-50 eggs
that adhere to flat surfaces, including
tree bark. Freshly laid egg masses have a
gray, waxy, mudlike coating, while
hatched eggs appear as brownish, seedlike deposits in four to seven columns
about an inch long. Trees attacked by
the spotted lanternfly will show a gray
or black trail of sap down the trunk.
The general quarantine of the townships and boroughs restricts movement
of any material or object that can spread
the pest. This includes firewood, wood
products, brush or yard waste, remodeling or construction materials and waste,
packing materials like boxes, grapevines
for decorative purposes or as nursery
stock, and any outdoor household articles like lawnmowers, grills, tarps, and
4
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
any other equipment, trucks or vehicles
not stored indoors.
Businesses in the general quarantine
area need to obtain a Certificate of Limited Permit from the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture in order to
move articles.
Secretary of Agriculture George
Greig is encouraging all Pennsylvanians
to watch for the spotted lanternfly, and
offered these suggestions:
k If you see eggs: Scrape them off the
tree or smooth surface, double bag
them and throw them in the garbage,
or place eggs in alcohol or hand sanitizer to kill them.
k If you collect a specimen: Turn in the
adult specimen or egg mass to the
department’s entomology lab in Harrisburg for verification (first, place the
sample in alcohol or hand sanitizer in
a leak-proof container). Greig notes
that county Penn State Extension
offices are often a closer, faster option
for rural residents.
k If you take a photo: Email the photo
of adults or egg masses to
[email protected].
k If you report a sighting: Call the “Bad
Bug” hotline at 866-253-7189 with
details of the sighting and contact
information.
For additional information, visit
www.agriculture.state.pa.us and search
“lanternfly.”
calculated as the number of miles of
road multiplied by the number of lanes
(a one-mile section of four-lane road
would equal four snow-lane miles).
Motorists can check conditions on
the state-maintained highways by visiting www.511PA.com, which is free and
available 24 hours a day. The site provides traffic delay warnings, weather
forecasts, traffic speed information and
access to more than 700 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through smartphone apps and regional Twitter alerts.
PennDOT urges travelers to prepare
for winter driving by carrying an emergency kit that includes non-perishable
food, water, first-aid supplies, warm
clothes, a blanket, cellphone charger
and a small snow shovel. Kits should be
tailored to specific needs of the travelers
(consider such items as baby supplies,
PennDOT prepares for winter
The Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation (PennDOT) has released
a video to educate the public about
PennDOT operations and provide safe
winter driving tips.
The “Winter Operations” video is
available at www.youtube.com/pennsylvaniaDOT. It highlights the department’s 5,400 operators and 2,250 trucks
that maintain more than 40,000 miles of
state-maintained roadways (96,000
“snow-lane miles”). A snow-lane mile is
extra medication, pet supplies or children’s games, depending on who is traveling in the vehicle).
When motorists encounter snow- or
ice-covered roads, they should slow
down, increase their following distance
and avoid distractions. PennDOT officials report that during last winter, there
were 427 crashes resulting in two fatalities and 130 injuries on snowy, slushy or
(continues on page 15)
ENERGYmatters
‘Tis the season for
family, fellowship –
and lots of cooking
B y K a t i e K o t h m a n n H a b y, C C C
NO MATTER what or how you celebrate, energy use tends to increase over
the holiday season. With more guests in
your home and more activities taking
place, your electric meter spins a little
faster than usual, costing you more
money. Start the New Year off right. Celebrate the holidays efficiently so you
don’t have to worry about a high electric
bill.
Decorating
k If you choose to decorate with strings
of lights, consider LED (light-emitting
diode) options. They use about 80 percent less energy than traditional
strings of lights and have a longer life.
Make sure to purchase high-quality
strings from reputable sources. Safety
and the lifetime of the light can be
compromised in less-expensive LED
strands.
k Solar-powered lighting options are
also worth considering for decorations. Instead of having a plug handy,
make sure you have a proper location
for the solar panel that powers them.
k Place strands of electric lights on
timers so they automatically turn on
in the evening after the sun sets and
turn off when you retire for the night.
You won’t have to spend time thinking
about plugging and unplugging them,
and you won’t have to spend money
powering them when you can’t enjoy
them.
k Decorate with less lighting. Consider a
natural, vintage feel for your decorations. Use items like pinecones, greenery, candy canes, popcorn strings and
gingerbread. The whole family can get
6
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
involved with decorating the home
with these safe and festive items.
Cooking
k Cook with your microwave, toaster
oven or slow cooker whenever possible. Small appliances cook quickly
and more efficiently than your oven.
k When you do use the oven, cook
more than one item at a time. Have a
ham, sweet potato casserole and rolls
that all need to cook in the oven?
Make some adjustments to cooking
temperatures and times, and put all
your dishes in at once to take full
advantage of the heat that’s being
produced.
k Don’t peek. It’s tempting to open the
oven door to check on holiday treats.
Use the oven light instead, and keep
the door closed. This will keep the
heat where it belongs — inside the
oven.
k Glass and ceramic dishes allow you to
cook food at a lower temperature
than metal baking dishes. If the
recipe calls for a metal baking pan
and you substitute glass or ceramic
cookware, reduce the temperature by
about 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
k Defrost food before you cook it. Simply planning ahead can cut cooking
times and energy use in half. Place
any frozen dishes in the refrigerator
the night before so they are ready to
go in the oven the next morning.
Around the house
k Turn down your thermostat a few
degrees. Extra people bustling around
the home and the oven warming food
will heat up your home a few extra
degrees. Adjust your thermostat
accordingly. You will save some
money on your bill, and your guests
will still be comfortable. l
Katie Kothmann Haby 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.
TIMElines
Yo u r N e w s m a g a z i n e T h r o u g h t h e Y e a r s
1984
QUILTS were found in humble cottages and kings’ castles, under
knights’ armor and inside Egyptian tombs. Marie Antoinette took one to
France in her trousseau, and the American pioneers took them west,
where they were used for everything from mattresses to window coverings to payment when cash was short.
Quilts — sandwiches made of layers of fabric with filling in between
them and held together with stitching — were used at least as far back as
the Middle Ages. They have been part of life in rural Pennsylvania since
colonial times.
Early Europeans quilted whole pieces of fabric and decorated their
quilts in many different ways, but when the colonists brought quilting to
the New World, they invented a new approach. Since they had to make
do with whatever they had, they saved every worn or leftover scrap of
fabric they could find to piece together their quilts. Thus was born a
purely American folk art: patchwork.
As times got better, people created prettier and more elaborate patchwork patterns. Today, the different ways to design and sew quilts are limited only by imagination.
Patchwork consists of small pieces of fabric sewn edge to edge to make
a larger design. Applique is the art of attaching small pieces onto a larger
background. The crazy quilt, quite popular during the Victorian era, is
made by sewing together different sizes and shapes of fabric in no particular pattern. And “whole cloth” quilts get their decoration entirely from
the quilting stitches, as the quilt is made of only one piece of fabric.
1974 The ideal time to provide adequate insulation is during initial construction of a building.
Heat loss can also be reduced by upgrading — or
even weather stripping — windows and doors.
1994 Battling for their lives, chronically ill babies
receive gifts of color and comfort from a group of
rural electric cooperative quilters through the AtRisk Babies Crib (ABC) Quilts programs.
2004 The Public Utility Commission approves a
multi-party settlement designed to help reverse
declining electricity delivery service reliability provided to cooperatives by private power companies.
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
7
PENNlines
On Location
Pennsylvania sets the scene for movie magic
PENNSYLVANIA has always played a
Heidi Havens, from the Pennsylvania
Department of Community and Economic Development. “Pennsylvania has
it all … something that cannot be found
anywhere else.”
Pennsylvania has the look of the quintessential American locale. It’s filled with
charming small towns off rural highways, but it also has stunning industrialera urban architecture, and is home to
Philadelphia’s history as “the birthplace
of America,” as Havens puts it.
Some argue that Pennsylvania was
also the birthplace of the movies, or at
least, they believe the state played a
major role. The earliest movie theaters,
the Nickelodeons, originated in Pittsburgh in 1905. They got their name
because admission cost only a nickel.
Movies were short, lasting only around
a minute, but they played in a continuous loop. The movies were so popular
that they spread throughout the nation,
and small theaters using what was
called “The Pittsburgh Idea” flourished
until the construction of the larger
movie palaces in the 1920s.
Now filming in Pittsburgh
These days, Pittsburgh has
arguably become the film production
center of the state. Dawn Keezer, the
director of the Pittsburgh Film Office,
says the city is on track to have its
busiest year ever. Keezer has been at
the helm of the Pittsburgh office for
20 years, and she attributes Pittsburgh’s growing film industry to economic incentives and the diversity of
its locations.
She says, “The only thing we don’t
have is a beach or desert. If they need a
beach, we’ll send them up to Erie. The
desert, we’re still working on!”
Pittsburgh has the ability to double
for many major cities. Its urban scenery
has been a stand-in for Paris, San Francisco and Manhattan.
“We do Manhattan better than ManPHOTO BY WALDEN MEDIA
big part on the big screen, from the
rolling fields of Gettysburg, to the scenic
Laurel Highlands with its streams and
rivers, to the farmlands in the Pennsylvania Dutch country, and in the steel
town ambiance of Pittsburgh and the
bustling urban neighborhoods of
Philadelphia.
Pennsylvania has been the production location for several iconic American films. It was the backdrop for such
“classics” as “Flashdance,” “The Night
of the Living Dead,” and “Philadelphia,” as well as blockbusters like the
latest Batman films and a recent
“Transformers” movie. Increasingly, the
state is becoming one of the most indemand destinations for Hollywood
film crews.
With 10 distinctive regions, and a
strong infrastructure of film professionals, the Keystone State is a great setting
for just about any movie genre.
“We have areas of spectacular landscapes to metropolitan areas such as
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia,” says
PHOTO BY PITTSBURGH FILM OFFICE
By M o l ly B row n
Penn Lines Contributor
8
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
Much of the action in the
filming of “Won’t Back Down” takes place behind
the camera. The 2012 movie, starring Maggie
Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis and Holly Hunter, was shot
in Pittsburgh.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
that seems like a lot of money, it’s not.
It’s a shoestring budget by industry
standards.
The series follows the two directors
as they work with local filmmakers and
actors in regional locations during the
freezing winter of early 2014. The show
features the city’s distinctive character
with downtown brick offices and journeys to the suburbs and to now-defunct
factory locations that somehow manage
to have a haunting beauty. Perfect for
capturing the region’s distinctive visual
splendor on film.
The rural landscape
industry in Pittsburgh. It’s a documentary series, not quite “reality television,”
that features two first-time directors as
they embark on a filmmaking experiment. Both directors are given the same
script and the same budget — $600,000
— to shoot and produce their films. If
hattan,” Keezer says. “We have walk-up
brownstones, locations that look just
like midtown, and we recently used the
Mellon Square as New York City’s Rockefeller Center.”
Pittsburgh is a great alternative shooting location for other major cities because
film crews there can control the streets.
Permits in other places may not allow the
same kind of control and access.
Lately in Pittsburgh, it’s not unusual
to see five feature films shooting at one
time. And the city is also host to television shows and commercials. The Pittsburgh region has been the location for
television series like “The Guardian”
with Simon Baker and recently, “Those
Who Kill” starring Chloe Sevigny, in
addition to reality series like the outrageous “Dance Moms,” “Farm Kings,”
and most recently, “The Chair” for the
Starz network.
In fact, “The Chair” is about the film
PHOTO BY LIONSGATE
HOLLYWOOD EAST: The filming of “She’s Out of
My League” goes on in Pittsburgh. The movie, a
romance/comedy released in 2010, stars Alice Eve
and Jay Baruchel.
Keezer notes that the rural areas of
Pennsylvania are the backdrop for interesting cinematic scenes. The Pittsburgh
Film Office partners with the Pennsylvania Film Office and covers 10 counties
in the state’s southwest region, including
Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler,
Lawrence, Westmoreland, Fayette,
Greene, Washington, and Indiana. The
service areas of REA Energy Cooperative and Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative include several of those counties.
But the film office is not limited to
those counties, and is happy to move
outside of them when the scene calls for
it. On their website (www.pghfilm.org),
they have a library of photographs that
document the region, and the office does
take submissions to its photo library.
ON THE RUN: Actor Taylor Lautner sprints down the street in this scene from “Abduction.” The action
thriller, released in 2011, was filmed in western Pennsylvania with scenes shot in Pittsburgh, Sutersville
and Brownsville.
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
9
“We’re always looking for more pictures,” Keezer says. “If anyone knows of
a great farm, or a great small town, or
an interesting landmark or location, let
us know.”
Filmmakers usually request specific
scenes — 1996’s “Kingpin” starring
Woody Harrelson needed bowling
alleys. Keezer says they looked at every
old bowling alley in the region before
settling on one in Carrick, south of Pittsburgh.
Each production requires scouting
the territory for the perfect location. In
fact, one of Keezer’s favorite locations
was featured in the season four premiere of the television show, “The West
Wing.” In the episode, the
president, played by Martin
Sheen, campaigns on a train
stop in Iowa. Keezer was
thrilled to transform Pennsylvanian farmlands into
Iowa.
“We worked with the
tourism office, local Farm
Bureau offices, and even
TAKING A BREAK: Russell Crowe, star of “Next Three Days,” left,
looked at crop reports,” she
takes a break during filming of the vigilante thriller in Pittsburgh.
says, adding that the producers requested a soybean field
with plants that were at least knee-high. nace,” the 2013 film starring Christian
But the Pittsburgh region is also
Bale and Woody Harrelson, was shot in
known for its industrial roots and work- Braddock, a rust belt town outside of
ing class sensibility. “Out of the FurPittsburgh that features abandoned fac-
Pennsylvania’s famous movie monster
By M o l ly B row n
ZOMBIES. Despite being more popular than ever, they probably aren’t the first thing that comes to mind when you think
about the rural farmlands of Pennsylvania. But the modern
zombie hails from the grassy fields and rural highways of Butler
County. Zombies sprang to life in their modern form in George
Romero’s 1968 film, “Night of the Living Dead.”
It was shot in and around Evans City and quickly became
a cult classic,
influencing countless other films in
the horror genre
and beyond. In the
documentary, “The
American Nightmare,” film professor Adam Lowenstein calls the
film’s ending “one
of the most powerful sequences that
we have … in film.”
It wasn’t just the
powerful ending
that struck audiences, but the
monsters themselves.
LIFE AS A ZOMBIE: Adams Electric Cooperative
Zombies show
member Jim Krut displays a model of his charno signs of dying
acter, “The Helicopter Zombie,” from the 1978
off anytime soon.
film, “Dawn of the Dead.”
One of cable television’s most-watched shows is the zombie drama, “The Walking
Dead.” And zombie films are more popular and prolific in Hollywood than even vampires. The sequels to “Zombieland,” “World
War Z” and yet another “Day of the Dead” are reportedly in production.
10
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
The creatures might be macabre, but surprisingly, they get a
lot of affection.
Just ask Jim Krut, a retired employee of Gettysburg-based
Adams Electric Cooperative and former Penn Lines editor, who
is also known as “The Helicopter Zombie.” If you’ve seen 1978’s
“Dawn of the Dead,” you probably remember a scene near the
end when the zombie played by Krut seriously injures the top
of his head. Perhaps you can guess how. Hint: it involves helicopter blades!
The scene has become important to countless fans in the
U.S. and abroad. Krut makes appearances at horror film conventions throughout the world, where he comes face to face
with the profound influence of the zombie monster.
“Fans are universal and cross-national,” he says. “Zombies,
and they weren’t always called that, have an influence that
flows through our culture’s veins.”
He is often surprised by how young his fans are. Many of
them weren’t even born when “Dawn of the Dead” came out.
“But they’ve seen the helicopter scene!” he remarks.
Krut spent two days on the “Dawn of the Dead” set, much
of it during the creation of the prosthesis on his head, made
from a plaster cast.
“I had to breathe out of a straw,” Krut recalls.
His scene was shot in one take, and the special effects
involved hidden pumps (to provide the gore). Though the scene
is gruesome, it also has a strong element of humor. In fact,
Krut finds humor to be a major facet of the horror film. He
says the humor helps audiences reimagine trauma in new, lessawful ways. Though the violence is explicit, tension is relieved
when the audience knows it’s just make-up.
“Horror is an illusion,” Krut comments.
Krut always had an interest in acting. He has acted and
directed for the Gettysburg Stage Ensemble, and has had roles
in several horror films throughout the years. Recently, he’s
been in such films as “ZOMBthology,” “Flesh of the Living” and
another, forthcoming “Night of the Living Dead.” His website is
www.helizombie.com.
PHOTO BY LIONSGATE
PENNlines
“Unstoppable,”
an action thriller released in
2010 and starring Denzel
Washington and Chris Pine, is the
story of a runaway train. Scenes
were filmed in and around State
College, and a number of other
Pennsylvania communities.
PHOTO BY PITTSBURGH FILM OFFICE
RUNAWAY TRAIN:
Pennsylvania’s rich and vast landscapes possess a vibrant cinematic
quality that really can’t be found in any
other place. That’s one of the state’s
qualities that allow its film industry to
flourish.
Economic incentives
Hollywood filmmakers are also
drawn to the state because of its tax
incentive — a 25 percent tax credit to
productions that spend at least 60 percent of their budget in the state. Major
PHOTOS BY THE PENNSYLVANIA FILM OFFICE
tories and the blue collar vibe the area is
known for. Johnstown in Cambria
County has a similar working-class
look, and it was the featured location for
1983’s “All the Right Moves” with Tom
Cruise.
“The Mothman Prophecies,” a
thriller with Richard Gere, was shot in
Pittsburgh, with the rural scenes taking
place in and around Kittanning in Armstrong County. The 2010 action film
“Unstoppable,” with Denzel Washington
and Chris Pine, features a runaway
train shooting across Pennsylvania.
Parts of it were shot around Blair,
Cameron and McKean counties.
“The Road,” a bleak 2009 film starring Viggo Mortenson, was partially
shot on an abandoned stretch of the
Pennsylvania Turnpike. The highway
stands in for a desolate apocalyptic
world in the miles that run between
Breezewood in Bedford County and
Hustontown in Fulton County. Matt
Damon’s “Promised Land” used Avonmore in Westmoreland County as the
small farm town needed for the movie
— a drama that examines the issues of
fracking in the production of natural
gas and its effects on small rural communities.
AVAILABLE SHOOTING LOCATIONS: The Pennsylvania Film Office maintains a large file of “location photos” that movie producers can review as potential shooting sites. Among them are (clockwise from top
left): Prince Gallitzin State Park in Cambria County, which is served by REA Energy Cooperative; the
courthouse in Warren County, where Warren Electric Cooperative is located; and a city street in DuBois,
where United Electric Cooperative is located.
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
11
PENNlines
feature films, in addition to television
and commercials, are eligible to apply.
Keezer says the Pittsburgh Film
Office brought in $75 million in filmmaker dollars to the state in 2013 and
was on track to be close to that in 2014.
Some of the most popular American
films in recent memory were filmed in
the Pittsburgh region. “Jack Reacher,”
starring Tom Cruise, was shot in Pittsburgh, as were the recent popular teen
dramas “The Fault in Our Stars” and
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower.”
Major motion pictures starring Russell
Crowe, Vin Diesel, Will Smith and Jake
Gyllenhaal were shot in Pittsburgh this
year. The city boasts around 300 working film professionals, or four ready-togo film crews, who benefit from the
work that productions bring to the
area.
Since 2007, the tax credit program
has brought $1.5 billion to the Commonwealth’s economy. Haven reports
that during 2012-13, $462 million was
spent in film production in Pennsylvania, creating over 2,500 jobs across the
state.
With the tax credit, the ready-to-go
film professionals, and its unparalleled
cinematic beauty, Pennsylvania is on
track to be a major Hollywood player for
years to come. l
Indiana’s own: Jimmy Stewart
Pennsylvania has always been a gold mine for Hollywood talent. Many of the biggest and most significant movie stars hail
from the Keystone State, although most of them come from
the big cities. Stars such as Bradley Cooper, Will Smith, Kevin
Bacon, and Grace Kelly come from Philadelphia, while Michael
Keaton, Jeff Goldblum, Zachary Quinto, and Gene Kelly used to
call Pittsburgh home.
However, one of the most iconic stars of all time hails from
a small Pennsylvania town. The star is the inimitable Jimmy
Stewart, and the town is Indiana, which is also where REA
Energy Cooperative is based. Stewart was born in 1908 to a
family of means. His father owned and operated the local hardware store where he often used the “bartering” system for payments from townspeople, once collecting a boa constrictor as
compensation from a customer with a traveling circus.
Jimmy Stewart is one star who always carried a little bit of
his small town roots with him. And on the big screen, Stewart’s
persona shows through. Part of his appeal in films like “It’s a
Wonderful Life,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and the Hitchcock classics, “Rear Window” and “Vertigo,” lay in his ability to
convey something of his own personal character. And Stewart
was always a nice guy, a genuine “everyman” with strong family values the audience could identify with and root for.
“He was a role model,” says Timothy Harley, executive director at the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana.
Despite his awe-inspiring Hollywood fame, Stewart never forgot his home community. He made multiple donations, many
anonymously, to support programs and groups in his hometown. In his will, he left a $500,000 Indiana County Endowment. His generosity still reaches the local community today.
Harley finds that Stewart’s influence is not relegated to the
past. Stewart’s timeless impact continues with the “Character
Education” program at the museum. The program encourages
conversations among both students and adults about ethics
and values — many of which are inspired by Stewart’s roles on
film, as well as in his real life.
Harley is a strong advocate of Stewart’s lasting legacy. And
the museum provides a great way to highlight Stewart’s vital
small town heritage for a new generation.
The Jimmy Stewart Museum is the largest drawing attraction
in Indiana County. It can be accessed online at www.jimmy.org.
“Nice people come here,” Harley says. “They come from all
12
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
over the world.”
THREE MORE
STARS FROM
CO-OP COUNTIES
Other notable
actors who are
from areas served
by Pennsylvania
cooperatives
include Sharon
Stone, Charles
Bronson and Craig
Sheffer.
Actress Sharon
Stone was born in
Meadville, Crawford
County, an area
served by CamHOMETOWN STAR: Jimmy Stewart, one of the big
bridge Springsscreen’s most well-known stars of yesterday, is
based Northwestremembered in his hometown of Indiana with the
ern Rural Electric
Jimmy Stewart Museum, located at 835
Cooperative. She
Philadelphia Street.
graduated from
Saegertown High School in 1975 before moving to New York to
pursue a modeling career. The height of her fame came in 1992
with the thriller “Basic Instinct,” also starring Michael Douglas,
and known for its provocative love story. Stone went on to star in
several major motion pictures, even garnering an Oscar nod for
her role in “Casino” in 1995.
The late Charles Bronson, best known for the vigilante film
franchise that began with “Death Wish” in 1974, is from Ehrenfeld
in Cambria County, areas of which are served by Indiana-based
REA Energy Cooperative. Bronson grew up in a small coal patch
town and worked as a miner when he was a teenager after his
father died. He served in the U.S. Air Force in World War II before
migrating to Hollywood in the 1950s and starring in nearly 100
films over the course of his career.
Craig Sheffer, known for leading roles in “A River Runs
Through It” and “Nightbreed,” comes from York County, areas of
which are served by Gettysburg-based Adams Electric Cooperative. He has had a notable career in feature films and on television, as a guest actor, and as a regular in the television series
“One Tree Hill.”
PHOTO BY JIMMY STEWART MUSEUM
By M o l ly B row n
TIMEpassages m e m o r i e s
from our members
(EDITOR’S NOTE: In observance of 50 years of the electric cooperative Youth Tour
program in Pennsylvania, throughout the year Penn Lines will feature personal
accounts of former Youth Tour participants. To share your Youth Tour memories, write
Stephanie Okuniewski at Penn Lines, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108 or email
[email protected].)
Youth Tour memories
Emily Docter represented Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative on the Youth Tour in 2012. A graduate of Cambridge Springs
High School, she expects to graduate from Laurel Technical Institute
in May 2015 with an associate degree in administrative office technology.
Penn Lines: How did your Youth Tour experience help
with your career direction?
Emily Docter: Youth Tour has
impacted my life in so many ways I
never thought about back then. I chose
to get into the business field because
there are so many directions I could go
with my degree. I want to move when I
graduate and travel (a lot). I realized at
Youth Tour how big the world really is
and how many people are out there. I
Emily Docter in 2014
met so many new friends and still keep
in touch with some of them.
Penn Lines: What advice would you give to someone
going on Youth Tour today?
Emily Docter: My advice to anyone who has the opportunity to be a part of Youth Tour would be to throw yourself into
it 100 percent. Get out of your comfort zone and talk to as
many people as you can. At first, it’s kind of intimidating to
meet so many new people at once, but everyone else is just as
nervous as you are, so don’t worry. Also, be sure to pack more
clothes than necessary or you’ll run out of clothes like I did.
Whoops!
Penn Lines: In what ways has your Youth Tour experience helped you as a person?
Emily Docter: I learned that I would have missed out on
an amazing opportunity had I not been a part of Youth Tour.
To this day, I still thank my mom for convincing me to go.
Penn Lines: What did it mean to you to have the
opportunity to meet with your congressional representative?
Emily Docter: Meeting our congressional representative
was a first for me. It was a great experience to have someone
who has so much influence listen to us and hear what we had
to say.
Penn Lines: What would you change about Youth Tour
if you could?
Emily Docter: If I could change one thing about Youth
14
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
Tour, I would have to say,
making it two weeks
instead of one. There is so
much to see, do, and learn
on this trip that soaking it
all up in one week is a
challenge, but one well
worth it.
Penn Lines: What is
your favorite memory
from Youth Tour and
why?
Emily Docter, second from left, on Youth
Emily Docter: My
Tour in 2012
favorite memory from
Youth Tour was the dinner-dance. The dinner-dance was one
night where all of the Youth Tour kids, and I mean ALL of us,
had dinner together, mingled and talked, met new people from
all over the nation, and then danced the night away with people you’d probably never see again, but for that one night, we
were all together. That was my favorite part. So again I will
say to anyone who might be interested in going on the Youth
Tour, go for it, because it really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am so glad I was able to experience it.
Braden McClain represented Warren Electric Cooperative on the
Youth Tour in 2012. A graduate of Corry Area High School, he is a
student at Edinboro University majoring in cinema with a minor in
English.
Penn Lines: How did your Youth Tour experience help
with your career direction?
Braden McClain: It made it easier to talk to people.
Penn Lines: What advice would you give to someone
going on Youth Tour today?
Braden McClain: Make sure to embrace the experience. It
is a great experience that very few people in the world will
ever get to experience. Live it up, make some friends, gain
some connections, and just have fun.
Penn Lines: In what ways has your Youth Tour experience helped you as a person?
Braden McClain: Youth Tour helped me become a more
social and open member of society. Going on the trip, I saw it
as a practice run to invent a “new me.” These kids had never
met me before, didn’t know what I was like, so I could become
Braden McClain, center, on Youth Tour in 2012
anyone I wanted. I chose
to become more open,
more outgoing, more
lively. I opened myself to
experience a new reality,
and it wouldn’t have
happened if it weren’t
for the Youth Tour.
Penn Lines: How has
the opportunity to
meet people from all
over the country influenced you?
Braden McClain: I
became more personable
and experienced in talking to strangers. I can
now talk to a random
person for hours,
whereas my past self
KEEPINGcurrent
(continued from page 4)
ice-covered roads where aggressive-driving behaviors, such as speeding or making careless lane changes, were factors
in the crash.
For more information on PennDOT’s
winter preparations and additional winter-driving resources for motorists, visit
the department’s “Ready for Winter”
website at www.dot.state.pa.us/winter.
Flight 93 National Memorial
suffers significant losses in fire
The National Park Service reports
there were a significant number of items
lost in the Oct. 3 fire that destroyed the
Flight 93 National Memorial headquarters. The cause of the fire is still under
investigation. There were no injuries.
Among the items lost in the fire were
objects being prepared for exhibit in the
new visitor center. In all, 334 original
photographs and 25 recovered items and
personal mementoes of passengers and
crew members of United Airlines Flight
93 were destroyed. The photos had been
loaned to the memorial by family members for digital reproduction. The digital
reproductions of all of the photos were
recovered.
Some items donated by the FBI and
others who responded to the crash of
wouldn’t have even been able to make eye contact.
Penn Lines: What did you learn on Youth Tour that
surprised you?
Braden McClain: We went to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial
Museum. For anyone who has been there, they’ll know what I
learned and felt.
Penn Lines: How would your life be different today
had you not gone on Youth Tour?
Braden McClain: I would be a shell of a person, living in
my dorm room eating week-old ramen, looking out my window thinking, “I should really go talk to one of those people.”
But then retreating to watch another season of “Sons of Anarchy” on Netflix.
Penn Lines: What is your favorite memory from Youth
Tour and why?
Braden McClain: The friends I made. I still keep in contact
with two of them, and they’ve honestly been some of the best
people I’ve met in the past decade. It just goes to show you
what will happen once you step out and take a chance. It’s a
small world, but it sure knows how to keep us entertained. l
Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001, were also
destroyed, along with 110 boxes of tribute items left at the temporary and permanent memorials since the crash. The
American flag that flew above the U.S.
Capitol on Sept. 11, 2001, was among the
items destroyed.
At the time of the fire, items scheduled to be displayed in the new visitor
center were in the temporary curatorial
storage and processing area at the headquarters in preparation for a visit from
exhibit fabricators. The long-term storage of the collection is at a high-security
facility in the Pittsburgh area.
The fire destroyed three buildings,
which served multiple functions for the
operation of the memorial, including
administrative and staff offices for the
National Park Service and the Friends of
Flight 93, conference facilities, and temporary storage of some of the memorial’s
collection.
Gettysburg gets $1.8 million to
protect battlefield
The National Park Service has
announced Gettysburg National Military
Park is the recipient of approximately
$1.8 million in grants from the Land and
Water Conservation Fund to help preserve land at the Civil War battlefield.
Another $420,000 is being distributed to
protect land at the Manassas, North
Anna and Rappahannock Station battlefields in Virginia.
The grants are funded through revenue from federal oil and gas leases on
the Outer Continental Shelf through a
program that purchases land, water and
wetlands for the benefit of all Americans. They are administered by the
National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program, one of more
FEDERAL GRANT: Nearly 20 acres of battlefield will
be preserved at Gettysburg National Military Park
thanks to a recent grant.
than a dozen programs administered by
the National Park Service that provide
state and local communities technical
assistance, recognition and funding to
help preserve shared history.
In Gettysburg, nearly 20 acres of land
that was in danger of being developed
will be purchased. l
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
15
COUNTRYkitchen
by Janette He ss
Nuts for the holidays
JUST WHEN you’ve been craving homemade cookies,
December comes around to give you an excuse to pull out
the mixing bowls and fire up the oven. This season, focus
on nuts — almonds, pecans and walnuts — to give your
cookies plenty of holiday gravitas.
With their winning combination of almonds and cherries, melt-in-your-mouth Almond Balls will always
deserve a spot on your ultimate holiday cookie platter.
Take these cookies to a party and watch them disappear.
Pecan Sticks, because they are not overly sweet, perfectly
showcase pecans, a favorite nut for winter baking. Oldfashioned Thumbprint Cookies will give you the opportunity to creatively customize the flavor and appearance of
each cookie.
When making cookies of any type, remember that the
color of the baking sheet may affect the look of the finished product. This month’s cookies were baked on lightcolored sheets, as dark-colored sheets sometimes result in
overly browned cookie bottoms. If dark-colored sheets are
used, just keep a close eye on your cookies.
This December, make, share and enjoy
cookies with nutty goodness. l
THUMBPRINT COOKIES
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 to 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans, waln
uts or
almonds
Fillings of choice (see suggested
combinations below)
Mix together first 4 ingredients. Stir
in dry ingredients. Roll dough into
balls the size of small walnuts. Dip
in lightly beaten egg whites and roll
in
chopped nuts of choice. Place abou
t 1 inch apart on ungreased baking
sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 5
minutes. Remove from oven and quic
kly
press thumb on top of each cookie.
Return to oven. Bake 8 to 9 minu
tes
longer, or just until edges of cook
ies begin to brown. Cool. Fill each
thumbprint with jam or jelly before
serving. Makes 24 to 28 cookies.
COMBINATIONS:
Chopped walnuts or pecans with apri
cot jam
Chopped almonds or pecans with
cherry jelly or seedless raspberry
jam
A trained journalist, JANETTE HESS focuses her writing on interesting
people and interesting foods. She is a Master Food Volunteer with her
local extension service and enjoys collecting, testing and sharing recipes.
PECAN STICKS
1 cup ground or finely processed pecans
(approximately 4 ounces)
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder, if
desired
Mix ground pecans with butter. Stir in egg yolk,
vanilla extract, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and flour. Divide dough into 48 piece
s and roll into short sticks.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes, or
until just beginning to brown.
Leave hot cookies on sheets. While still slightly
warm, roll in remaining
1/2 cup powdered sugar. For chocolate-coated
sticks, roll sticks in 1/2 cup
powdered sugar mixed with 4 teaspoons unswe
etened cocoa. When completely cool, store in single layer in airtight conta
iner. Makes 48 cookies.
16
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
ALMOND BALLS
1 cup butter, softened
2 cups flour
Dash of salt, if using unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 cup blanched, ground or finely
processed almonds (approximately
4 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
9 large, quartered)
18 maraschino cherries, halved and blotted dry (or
Add almonds and
Combine butter, flour, salt and 3/4 cup powdered sugar.
piece into
cherry
Press
ns.
portio
36
extracts. Mix well. Divide dough into
s for
degree
325
at
Bake
ball.
g
formin
Finish
n.
portio
center of each
still
While
.
brown
to
begin
edges
approximately 35 minutes, or just until
cool,
etely
compl
When
sugar.
red
powde
cup
1/2
ing
remain
warm, roll in
s.
store in single layer in airtight container. Makes 36 cookie
Correction
The cooking temperature for the Custard Rice Pudding
printed in November’s Penn Lines was omitted from the
recipe. Bake the pudding at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. We
apologize for the inconvenience this omission caused. To view
the full recipe, please go to our website at www.prea.com and
follow the links to the November issue.
POWERplants
by Barbara Martin
Telling time
with plants
DO YOU follow a regular calendar, or do you follow the
flower and garden calendar?
For instance, December is
dominated by our focus on the
traditional and time-honored
Christmas tree, a needled evergreen with a triangular silhouette. We particularly prize the
balsam fir for its lingering fragrance, and most of us are
familiar with holly leaves and
berries.
Perhaps you might also recognize the season by the scent
of paper whites? These
spritely narcissus bulbs are
typically forced to bloom
indoors for the winter holidays.
Speaking of holiday plants,
how about the unassuming
mistletoe? I have never noticed
that it has a fragrance, but I
could be wrong.
Many of us associate the
vibrant red of the hothouse
poinsettia with the winter holidays. (Modern poinsettias
include many colors besides
the old standby red.) We also
enjoy the massive red blooms
of amaryllis, another bulb
BARBARA MARTIN ,
who says she began gardening as a hobby “too
many years ago to
count,” currently works
for the National Gardening Association as a horticulturist. A former
member of Gettysburg-based Adams Electric Cooperative, her articles appear in magazines and on the internet.
forced to flower indoors in
winter.
How lively and passionate
red can be! It’s no wonder we
send red roses for Valentine’s
Day and plant special rose
bushes on Mother’s Day. Roses
and fragrance are certainly
linked in our minds, too, perhaps thanks to the oftenquoted line from Shakespeare’s
“Romeo and Juliet:” “A rose by
any other name would smell as
sweet.” And yet, among modern roses, many are scentless
or nearly so.
Among the most reliably
fragrant of seasonal flowers
are the giant blooming
hyacinth bulbs sold around
Easter. The ultra-fragrant purple, pink and white hyacinth
blossoms proclaim spring is
here, their scent wafting easily
across a room. The fragrant
white Easter lilies also mark
the season.
By June, our customary gift
flowers like potted azaleas and
florist mums are usurped by
the blooms surrounding us
outdoors — the fragrant, oldfashioned lilacs, peonies, the
sweetly scented stock, lavender,
clove pinks, or sweet violets.
Summer flowers can commemorate all kinds of events
from the patriotic red, white
and blue bedding schemes for
the Fourth of July to pastels for
garden weddings. Exotic rose
gardens have been favored as
trysting spots for centuries,
and every gardener welcomes
the hum of bees, butterflies,
and hummingbirds swirling
through a colorful and fragrant
flower garden on a warm and
sunny afternoon.
In summer, the ubiquitous
Hall’s honeysuckle vines emit
a heavy fragrance. I notice it
most in the evening when the
perfume is held by humidity
and drawn in through an open
window. Add the scent of fragrant flowering tobacco, and
nothing says late summer
more, except the gleaming
white moonflowers opening
wide as saucers at dusk and
letting loose their scent.
By fall, we enjoy seasonal
mums, ornamental kale and
pansies. But I look forward to
the native autumn witch hazel
flowers, their soft scent drawing us close to marvel at the
spidery blooms. I also monitor
the later — or should that be
earliest — blooming witch
hazels from mid-December
onward. These, like the calendula, bloom off and on during
warm spells like the February
thaw. And of course, as the
spring advances, the largerflowered, mainstream witch
hazels come into their own,
IT’S POINSETTIA TIME: A sure sign that
the holidays are approaching is the
appearance of shelves of poinsettias.
perhaps blooming in fabulous
combination with the mysterious hellebores. It’s exciting
enough to make the gardener’s
pulse race.
Now, no greenhousegrower can rival nature herself, doing what she does best
in her own time with elusive
blooms like those witch hazels.
But I admit to eagerly anticipating indoor flowers on the
sunny windowsill. Take, for
example, the pristine and
ultra-fragrant blooms of the
jasmine vine. I watch it like a
hawk. As every winter-crazed
gardener knows, that first jasmine bloom’s perfume marks
the season beginning to turn.
It’s nearly time to turn the
page on the calendar, too.
Here’s to the coming new gardening year — may it be filled
with all manner of flowers,
fruits, fragrance, wonder and
delight! l
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
17
SMARTcircuits
by James Dulley
In-floor electric
heating options
ELECTRIC-RESISTANCE heating systems are expensive to use for heating a
home. This is why most homes with allelectric heating use heat pumps, which
are more energy efficient. Geothermal
heat pumps can be several times more
efficient than resistance heating and provide inexpensive central air-conditioning.
Electric in-floor heating, which can be
used under tile, carpeting and hardwood,
is technically no more efficient than an
electric-resistance furnace. However, it can
be less expensive to operate because it
pinpoints and improves comfort. And
besides, what’s better than stepping onto a
heated-tile bathroom floor in the morning?
A home loses less heat through the
walls, ceiling and windows when the
indoor temperature is lower. The amount
of electricity used is typically several percentage points less for each degree the
thermostat is set lower. With improved
comfort from in-floor heating, you should
be able to lower the thermostat setting
considerably and not feel chilly.
Another energy-saving advantage of
in-floor heating is the fact that each room
can have a separate thermostat, allowing
you to set different temperatures in various rooms and heat as needed.
Instead of heating the room air, a
warm floor radiates heat upward to your
body. When one’s feet are warm, your
entire body feels warm. In-floor heating
reduces the extent of heat stratification
where the hot air from a forced-air furnace naturally collects near the ceiling.
In-floor heating is most commonly
used in a concrete or tile floor with high
thermal mass, but some types are specifically designed to be used under carpeting,
hardwood or laminate flooring. It can
actually provide better comfort under car18
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
pet and hardwood because their low thermal mass allows the system to respond
faster to thermostat changes.
In a concrete slab or under a tile floor,
electric heating cable is usually laid in a
serpentine pattern. In one design, long
cable guides are nailed along the outer
edges of the floor. Selecting how many
slots to skip between cables determines
the total cable length and heat output. It
also simplifies even spacing. Once the
cable is in place, it is covered with concrete or thinset for tiles.
For use with carpeting, thin mats or
sheets with electric cable embedded in
them are placed on the floor before the
carpeting is laid. The manufacturer can
calculate the amount your rooms need,
and the cable is available in 120 or 240
voltages.
There is one type designed with thin
electric heating cables embedded in a
strong fiberglass mesh. This is particularly
effective for use under hardwood flooring
and laminate. If you’re thinking about this
option, first check with the hardwoodflooring manufacturer about the maximum allowable temperature to avoid
excessive drying of the wood. Consider
installing a special programmable thermo-
stat with a laminate and engineered wood
setting to protect the materials.
Another design uses a low-voltage
heating mesh. This mesh is only about
one-eighth inch thick and is stapled
directly to the subflooring. There also are
wafer-thin heating kits that are placed
between the pad and the carpet.
With in-floor heating, you do not have
to cover your entire house (or even an
entire room), so you can add to the system
as your budget allows.
Remember, if you’re away from home
for extended periods of time during the
winter and set your thermostats low to
save energy, there’s a chance a pipe may
freeze during a severe cold snap. Self-regulating electric heating cables, which
attach along water pipes, are available
from the in-floor heating cable manufacturers. They automatically self-adjust the
heat output depending upon the temperature of the pipe. l
Have a question for Jim? Send inquiries
to JAMES DULLEY , Penn Lines, 6906
Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, OH 45244 or
visit www.dulley.com.
OUTDOORadventures
by Marcus Schneck
Lights,
camera,
action ...
again
“SPIDERMAN,” “The
Avengers,” “RoboCop” and
“Frankenstein” were among
this year’s offerings from our
current generation of whizkid moviemakers, who seem
to be in some sort of race to
see which superhero origin
story they can retell the most
times. I think “Spiderman” is
currently in the lead at 5,783
remakes, probably because
they love that tortured soul at
the heart of the character’s
secret identity.
My numbers for the
remake tallies may be a bit on
the high side. But, the question
that this trend of one remake
after another of the same story
begs is this: Why keep going
back to the same origin story
of the same character again
and again? And, for the outdoor community, the real
question is, can’t you remake
some of our favorite movies?
For example, couldn’t the
is
is outdoor and nature
writer at PennLive.com,
the website of The Harrisburg, Pa., PatriotNews. He also writes for
a range of magazines
and websites, and has
written more than two dozen books. For more
of his writing, visit www.marcusschneck.com.
MARCUS SCHNECK
greatest movie ever made
about man’s experience in the
outdoors, “Jeremiah Johnson,” benefit from modern
technologies and effects? It
was released in 1972, a good
five years before even “Star
Wars.” On the other hand,
that particular classic has
Robert Redford in the starring role; Will “Bear Claw”
Geer in a role that includes
lines like “Skin that one, pilgrim, and I’ll get you
another;” and a deep authenticity from the legendary
Hawken rifle to the highly
ceremonial, but also deadly,
mano-a-mano battles between
Johnson and a stream of
Native American warriors.
Then there’s “Hatari,” that
1962 John Wayne-Red Buttons
vehicle — mostly John Wayne,
of course — about a misfit
crew in Africa collecting animals for zoos, presumably
“back in the States.” The
potential imagery of the Dark
Continent and the possible
action sequences of animal
capture could rival “Avatar.”
On the other hand, would it be
worth it without The Duke?
“Mutual of Omaha’s Wild
Kingdom,” the 1963-88 televi-
sion series — I know, it’s technically not a movie — in
which the host, Marlin
Perkins, weekly subjected his
latest sidekick to brutality at
the claws or talons of the featured beast in the name of
wildlife research and conservation, could provide the plotline for a potentially interesting and visually dazzling flick.
With a crew willing to
allow some restraint, 1972’s
“Deliverance” might be a candidate for remake. While I
doubt anyone would argue
about the potential for
updated action scenes, some
might disagree with my
thinking that a new cast
could prove interesting.
Although I enjoy Burt
Reynolds as an actor and
think the stuntman comedy,
“Hooper,” is one of the most
entertaining films ever made,
I have always believed that
“Deliverance” suffered from
Reynolds’ stony acting.
“My Side of the Mountain,” the 1969 release that
had more than a few kids of
my generation seriously considering running away to
make a new self-sufficient,
survivalist home for them-
selves in the forest, could
really become a modern,
moody character-study starring the latest flavor-of-thesecond kid star.
“Those Calloways,” also
known as “Those Crazy Calloways” — the story of what
today we would call an offthe-grid guy with a passion
to establish a permanent
sanctuary for migrating geese
is another prime prospect.
That scene with youth actor
Brandon de Wilde battling
the wolverine in its den could
be epic.
We could probably shoot
most of them right here in
Pennsylvania.
On second thought, looking
back over my initial list, I’m
worried that today’s
moviemakers and young stars
might just muck up these great
old movies, not having grown
up with them. So, maybe we
should keep this brainstorm
just between you and me.
That said, I would like to
have your thoughts on additional “old” outdoor-focused
movies and why you think
they could stand a remake.
Send them to me at
[email protected]. l
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
19
PENNLINESclassified
ISSUE MONTH:
AD DEADLINE:
Penn Lines classified advertisements reach more than 165,800 rural Pennsylvania households!
February 2015 . . . December 17
Please note ads must be received by the due date to be included in the requested issue month. Ads
March 2015 . . . . . . . January 19
received beyond the due date will run in the next available issue. Written notice of changes and
cancellations must be received 30 days prior to the issue month. Classified ads will not be accepted
April 2015 . . . . . . . . February 16
by phone, fax or email. For more information please contact Vonnie Kloss at 717$233-5704.
CLASSIFIED AD SUBMISSION/RATES: Please use the form below or submit a separate sheet with required information.
Electric co-op members: $20 per month for 30 words or less, plus 50¢ for each additional word.
Non-members:
$70 per month for 30 words or less, plus $1.50 for each additional word.
Ad in all CAPITAL letters: Add 20 percent to total cost. ‰ Please print my ad in all CAPITAL letters.
PLACE AD IN THE MONTHS OF:
.
WORD COUNT:
‰ I am an electric co-op member. Attached is my Penn Lines mailing label. Name/Address or Mailing Label Here:
Enclosed is payment in the amount of $
.
‰ I am a non-member. Address is noted or attached at right.
Enclosed is payment in the amount of $
.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
.
Additional words; attach separate sheet if needed.
FREE Headings (Select One): ‰ Around the House
‰ Business Opportunities
‰ Employment Opportunities ‰ Gift and Craft Ideas
‰ Livestock and Pets
‰ Miscellaneous
‰ Motor Vehicles and Boats ‰ Nursery and Garden
‰ Real Estate
‰ Recipes and Food
‰ Tools and Equipment
‰ Vacations and Campsites ‰ Wanted to Buy
SPECIAL HEADING:
. SPECIAL HEADING FEE: $5 for co-op members, $10 for non-members. Applies
even if heading is already appearing in Penn Lines. Insertion of classified ad serves as proof of publication; no proofs supplied. SEND FORM
TO: Penn Lines Classifieds, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Please make CHECK/MONEY ORDER payable to: PREA/Penn Lines.
AROUND THE HOUSE
CHURCH LIFT SYSTEMS
GIFT AND CRAFT IDEAS
SPECIAL OFFER — BOTH COOKBOOKS FOR $12. “Country
Cooking,” Volume 2 — $5, including postage. “Recipes
Remembered,” Volume 3 — $7, including postage. Both of
these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men and
women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association,
P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention:
Cookbooks. Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.
Make your church, business or home wheelchair accessible.
We offer platform lifting systems, stair lifts, porch lifts and
ramps. References. Free estimates. Get Up & Go Mobility Inc.
724-746-0992 or 814-926-3622.
SPECIAL OFFER — BOTH COOKBOOKS FOR $12. “Country
Cooking,” Volume 2 — $5, including postage. “Recipes
Remembered,” Volume 3 — $7, including postage. Both of
these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men and
women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association,
P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention:
Cookbooks. Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.
BUILDING SUPPLIES
STEEL ROOFING AND SIDING. Over 25 years in business.
Several profiles - cut to length. 29 and 26 gauge best quality
residential roofing – 40-year warranty. Also, seconds, heavy
gauges, accessories, etc. Installation available. Located northwestern Pennsylvania. 814-398-4052.
FACTORY SECONDS of insulation, 4 x 8 sheets, foil back. RValue 6.5 per inch. Great for pole buildings, garages, etc.
Also prime grade A foil bubble wrap insulation. 814-4426032.
CONSULTING FORESTRY SERVICES
NOLL’S FORESTRY SERVICES, INC. performs Timber
Marketing, Timber Appraisals, Forest Management Planning,
and Forest Improvement Work. FREE Timber Land
Recommendations. 30 years experience. Call 814-472-8560.
CENTRE FOREST RESOURCES. Forest Management Services,
Wildlife Habitat Management, Timber Sales, Appraisals.
College educated, professional, ethical foresters working for
you. FREE Timber Consultation. 814-571-7130.
CRANE SERVICE
NEED A LIFT? Crane service for all your lifting needs.
Experienced, fully insured, Owner-Operated and OSHA
Certified. Precision Crane LLC, Linesville, PA 814-282-9133.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
FENCING
PIANO TUNING PAYS — Learn at home with American School
of Piano Tuning home-study course in piano tuning and
repair. Tools included. Diploma granted. Call for free
brochure 800-497-9793.
HYDRAULIC POST DRIVER FOR RENT. Easy hookup and
transportation. Safe, simple operation. Convenient, costeffective alternative for setting wood posts by hand. $200
for first day, $175/additional day. 1-800-KENCOVE.
HAIR SALON EQUIPMENT — 17 hydraulic chairs with styling
stations, mirrors, shampoo chairs, porcelain shampoo bowls,
mobile hair dryers, six leather seats, many other supplies.
Asking $6,000 O.B.O. Call 443-221-4220.
TIRED of the Rat Race? Want to own your own business?
Low cost, high-end leadership company has open positions!
814-603-0231.
20
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
FINANCIAL FREEDOM
Would an extra $3,500 per month make a difference in your life?
I will show you an honest/ethical way that will make that happen.
Jim 314-614-6039. Go to WWW.BLESSEDARETHERICH.COM.
HEALTH AND NUTRITION
Tired of all those medicines ⎯ Still not feeling better? Do you
want to feel better, have more energy, better digestion, less
joint stiffness, healthier heart/circulation and cholesterol
levels? Find out how to empower your own immune system ⎯
start I-26 today! It’s safe, affordable, and it works. Call 800557-8477: ID#528390. 90-day money back on first time orders
or call me 724-454-5586. www.mylegacyforlife.net/believeit.
HEALTH INSURANCE
DO YOU HAVE THE BLUES regarding your Health Insurance?
We cater to rural America's health insurance needs. For
more information, call 800-628-7804 (PA). Call us regarding
Medicare supplements, too.
HUNTING
CUSTOM HAND MADE to order or in-stock wooden turkey
calls of various woods and sizes. 814-267-5489 leave
message for Precision Unlimited Inc., Berlin, PA.
INFRARED SAUNAS
Removes toxins, burns calories, relieves joint pain, relaxes
muscles, increases flexibility, strengthens immune system.
Many more HEALTH BENEFITS with infrared radiant heat
saunas. Economical to operate. Barron’s Furniture,
Somerset, PA. 814-443-3115.
PENNLINESclassified
LANDOWNER INCOME OPPORTUNITY
OUR SPORTSMEN will Pay top $$$ to hunt your land. Call for
a Free Base Camp Leasing info packet & Quote. 866-3091507. www.BaseCampLeasing.com.
EXTREMELY WELL-KEPT 12x60 2BD/1BTH mobile home. Rented
lot. Quiet park, Alum Bank, Bedford County. Chestnut Ridge
SD. Appliances, furniture, televisions, shed included. Near
Blue Knob Shawnee Park. Must see! $15,000. 814-243-7753.
RECIPES AND FOOD
LAWN AND GARDEN EQUIPMENT
HARRINGTONS EQUIPMENT COMPANY, 475 Orchard Rd.,
Fairfield, PA 17320. 717-642-6001 or 410-756-2506. Lawn
& Garden equipment, Sales – Service - Parts.
www.HarringtonsEquipment.com
LIVESTOCK AND PETS
PEMBROKE WELSH CORGI Puppies — AKC, adorable,
intelligent, highly trainable. Excellent family choice.
Reputable licensed breeder guaranteed “Last breed you’ll
ever own.” 814-587-3449.
LOG CABIN RESTORATIONS
VILLAGE RESTORATIONS & CONSULTING specializes in 17th and
18th century log, stone and timber structures. We dismantle,
move, re-erect, restore, construct and consult all over the
country. Period building materials available. Chestnut boards,
hardware, etc. Thirty years experience, fully insured. Call
814-696-1379. www.villagerestorations.com.
MEDICARE INSURANCE
Medicare insurance does not have to be confusing! And one
plan does not fit all! Going on Medicare soon? Already on
Medicare and confused? We have the answers. CATHERINE
BURNS INSURANCE SERVICES offering Medicare Supplements,
Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plans, Pre-Paid
Burial, Life and Final Expense Insurance, Annuities, assistance
qualifying for Pace/Pacenet. No charge, no obligation, no
pressure! Call 877-327-1598 or email: [email protected].
SPECIAL OFFER — BOTH COOKBOOKS FOR $12. “Country
Cooking,” Volume 2 — $5, including postage. “Recipes
Remembered,” Volume 3 — $7, including postage. Both of
these cookbooks are a collection of recipes from men and
women of the electric co-ops of Pennsylvania and New
Jersey. Payable to: Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association,
P. O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA 17108. Write Attention:
Cookbooks. Volume 1 of “Country Cooking” is SOLD OUT.
SAWMILLS
USED PORTABLE Sawmills and COMMERCIAL Sawmill
Equipment! Buy/Sell. Call Sawmill Exchange 800-459-2148.
USA and Canada. www.sawmillexchange.com.
SHAKLEE
FREE SAMPLE Shaklee’s Energy Tea. Combination red, green
and white teas that are natural, delicious, refreshing, safe.
For sample or more information on tea or other Shaklee
Nutrition/Weight Loss Products: 800-403-3381 or
www.sbarton.myshaklee.com.
TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT
1939 BROCKWAY WRECKER, powerful winch, dually flathead
engine, poor condition, have title. Wooden frame doors, bad.
Massey Harris Senior, no hydraulic, 6-cylinder flathead,
needs restoring, tractor is intact. 814-739-2265.
SIMPLICITY 42” snow thrower fits Sovereign tractor. Good
condition. Asking $450. Call 717-642-6016.
MISCELLANEOUS
TRACTOR PARTS – REPAIR/RESTORATION
BECOME AN ORDAINED MINISTER — Correspondence Study.
The harvest truly is great, the laborers are few, Luke 10:2.
Free information. Ministers for Christ Outreach, 7558 West
Thunderbird Rd., Ste. 1 - #114, Peoria, Arizona 85381.
www.ordination.org.
ARTHURS TRACTORS, specializing in vintage Ford tractors,
30-years experience, online parts catalog/prices, Indiana,
PA 15701. Contact us at 877-254-FORD (3673) or
www.arthurstractors.com.
Help with NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS…lose weight, eat
healthier, more energy or extra income. Call to learn about
a clinically proven nutrition that will help you meet your
goals. 814-494-2071. www.weluv.relivinglife.com
NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Florida condo rental. Two bedrooms,
two baths, pool. 200 yards from beach. $500 weekly, $1,800
monthly. NA January – February. Call 814-635-4020.
2015 REMINGTON WILDLIFE ART Calendars, $9.95. Check or
money order to: William A. Chepanoske. Send to 5911
Homeplace Drive, Elizabeth, PA 15037-3217.
MOTORCYCLE-SNOWMOBILE INSURANCE
For the best INSURANCE RATES call R & R Insurance
Associates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800-442-6832 (PA).
YOUR
ELECTRICITY
ISN’T
SOMETHING
WE TAKE
LIGHTLY.
VACATIONS AND CAMPSITES
WANTED TO BUY
CARBIDE – Paying cash/lb. – Some examples of items that
have carbide pieces at their tips for cutting or drilling are:
coal mining machinery – roof bits – road bits – gas/oil/water
well drill bits – machining inserts as well as many others. We
will pick up your materials containing carbide pieces. We will
extract the carbide item from the part in which it is held in
most cases. 814-395-0415.
NURSERY AND GARDEN
CHRISTMAS TREES. Cut your own - $25 all trees 8 ft. tall or
shorter. Taller trees - $35. Blue Spruce, White Spruce, Scotch
Pine, White Pine. 17876 Rigby Rd., Spartansburg 16434. 703862-0104. 321-704-1248.
REAL ESTATE
FROSTY HOLLOW, Bedford County, 5 acres wooded. Borders
State Game lands. Small cabin in need of repair, $150,000.
814-224-4238.
60 ACRE FARM with home and 33,000 square feet of green
houses, presently in bedding plant production. Excellent
location and facility for hydroponic vegetable production.
Expansion up to 12 acres of agricultural buildings is
permissible. Located close to the Maryland/Pennsylvania
line, south of York, PA. 717-235-2421.
LARGE HOUSE in Village of English Center surrounded by
State Forest. Ideal for home or cabin. 9+ rooms, 3 baths, 3car garage. 570-634-2112.
We put up the poles,
connect miles of wire
and flip a few switches
of our own. All to make
sure your life is always
powered. Learn more
about the power of your
co-op membership at
TogetherWeSave.com.
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
21
PUNCHlines
Thoughts from
Earl Pitts,
UHMERIKUN!
Surprise: Kids have
the best deal when it
comes to cereal choices
Social commentary from Earl Pitts —— a.k.a.
GARY BUR BANK , a nationally syndicated
radio personality —— can be heard on the
following radio stations that cover electric
cooperative service territories in Pennsylvania:
WANB-FM 103.1 Pittsburgh; WARM-AM 590
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; WIOO-AM 1000 Carlisle;
WEEO-AM 1480 Shippensburg; WMTZ-FM 96.5
Johnstown; WQBR-FM 99.9/92.7 McElhattan;
WLMI-FM 103.9 Kane; and WVNW-FM 96.7
Burnham-Lewistown. You can also find him at
Earlpittsamerican.com.
22
PENN
LINES • DECEMBER 2014
My little boy, Earl Junior (E.J.), was
moping around the house last weekend.
You know how teenagers get — kind of
like a hunting dog with worms. Moving
around like something’s bugging them
inside, but they don’t know what.
Anyways, he says to me that he can’t
wait to be an adult ‘cause being a kid stinks.
So I sit him down, and I go, “Son,
you’re probably looking at the awesome
and exciting life your old man here
leads. And that might throw you off as
to the true nature of being an adult.
‘Cause let me clue you in — being an
adult ain’t no bed of roses, neither.”
He says, “You don’t got to go to
school. You don’t got homework every
night. You get to drive. Nobody tells you
when you got to be home.”
And I go, “Everythin’ you say there
might be true. But here’s something
nobody ever tells you about being an
adult. Adult cereal stinks.”
I says, “When I was your age, I was up
to my eyeballs in Lucky Charms, Trix,
Coco Crispies, Count Chocula and Fruit
Loops. Every breakfast, I got a sugar buzz
and a toy surprise. And you know the surprise you pull out of a box of adult cereal?
The surprise is — that they can even sell
this stuff. It’s a little biscuit of fiber that
looks like they dried out something the cat
coughed up. And have you ever seen a box
of granola, son? It’s like they sifted yard
waste through a screen — and whatever
fell through — they put in the box.”
When you’re a kid, you choose your
cereal based on the flavor and the toy
surprise inside. When you’re an adult,
you choose your cereal based on
whether you need your cholesterol lowered or your pipes flushed out.
Wake up, America! I know how to
get below the surface and have a deep
father-son talk. This is a bondin’
moment E.J.’s not likely to forget.
Here’s the deal. No real man
wants to stand in no stupid line. End of
story. See, my better half, Pearl, and the
neighbor-lady, Naomi, was talkin’ about
what discount store they wanted to
stand in line for on Thanksgiving night.
Then my boy and a couple a’ his buddies said they were gonna stand in line
at the video game store for some dimwit
new video game they got coming out.
That’s when I decided to come up
with a list of things I WILL NEVER
stand in line for. And it’s a pretty big
list. I will not stand in line for a stupid
new phone, a stupid new movie, a stupid sale, some stupid government handout, to see some stupid bansheescreamin’ idiot singer an’ her stupid
loser band. Why? Because that’s stupid.
I will not stand in line to be the first
to buy anything, see anything or go anywhere. And I sure as heck ain’t gonna
stand in line for a chance to see some
high-horse political nitwit, even if he is
shakin’ hands. I will not stand in line to
go to the bathroom — that is, if the line
is outside and there is a tree, an alley or
a parked car nearby.
People ask me all the time, “Earl,
how come you don’t fly?”
Well, No. 1, because there’s no place I
want to go. And, you guessed right; No. 2
is that I don’t want to stand in line. I
don’t want to stand in line at the bank,
at the grocery store and especially not at
the DMV. I know guys still in line at the
DMV — that got in the line back in May.
I’d rather pay the fine and court fees.
And possibly a small amount of jail
time, if it comes to that.
In fact, I hate lines so much that if the
Good Lord pulled my number right now
and there was a line at the Pearly Gates, I
might think twice. Of course the way this
world’s going, I’m thinking the line down
below is a lot longer. So, then again, I
might think twice about thinking twice.
I’m Earl Pitts, Uhmerikun. Check out
my YouTube channel Earl Pitts — by
Earl Pitts. Buy my book at earlpittsamerican.com. Like me on Facebook. And
you can catch my new blog at Earlpittsamerican.com. l
RURALreflections
Let it snow …
MANY OF US have already experienced the season’s
first snowfall even though the official arrival of winter
isn’t until later this month. The season’s change brings
with it new activities and wintry scenes, along with the
opportunity to get creative and shoot some great photos
of people and animals.
Our 2014 “Rural Reflections” photo contest has ended
and the winning photos in the categories of most artistic,
best landscape, best human subject, best animal and editor’s choice will be printed in next month’s issue of Penn
Lines. Winners will receive a $75 prize.
It’s time to submit your photos for the 2015 “Rural
Reflections” contest. To be eligible, send photos (no digital
files) to: Penn Lines Photos, P.O. Box 1266, Harrisburg, PA
17108-1266. On the back of each photo, include your name,
address, phone number and the name of the electric
cooperative that serves your home, business or seasonal
residence. The best way to include that information is by
affixing an address label to the back of the photo (do not
use ink gel or roller pens to write on the photo).
Remember, our publication deadlines require that we
work ahead, so send your seasonal photos in early. We
need spring photos before mid-January, summer photos
before mid-April, fall photos before mid-July and winter
photos before mid-September. Photos that do not reflect
any specific season may be sent at any time. Please note:
photos will be returned at the end of each contest year if
a self-addressed, stamped envelope is included. l
Hal Hoover
REA Energy
Ron Blake
REA Energy
Kathy Benedict
Warren EC
Barbara Buchanan
Tri-County REC
DECEMBER 2014 • PENN
LINES
23