Co-opConnection
Making life better
PO Box 308
707 South Arant St.
Pageland, SC 29728
Phone (843) 672-6111
or 1-800-922-3486
www.lynchesriver.com
Automated Outage System
675-LREC (5732) or
1-866-675-LREC (5732)
Office Hours
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Monday–Friday
David A. Altman
Chief Executive Officer
Trustees:
Eric L. Horton
President, District 1
Myrtle L. Faile
Vice President, District 2
Steve Chewning
Secretary/Treasurer, District 7
Theresa S. Hicks, District 3
Mike Crawford, District 4
Scott Croxton, District 5
Daryl Faulkenberry, District 6
Randolph Mackey, District 8
John T. Blackwell
Member-At-Large
Remote Payment Sites
Chesterfield
Piggly Wiggly Market of Chesterfield
1303 West Boulevard
(843) 623-6590
Kershaw
Quality Appliance
407 South Hampton Street
(803) 475-2302
Lancaster
The Energy Center, Inc.
667 Lancaster Bypass 9 E
(803) 283-6148
Co-op Connection Editor
Leigh C. Smith
[email protected]
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WHAT WOULD MAKE life better in our
service territory? I’m not talking about
winning the lottery—that only makes
life better for one person
or a small group. But more
jobs? Better health care?
Improved parks? Those are
areas that benefit everyone
in Chesterfield, Kershaw and
Lancaster counties.
Lynches River Electric
Cooperative exists to power
communities and empower you, our
members, to improve your quality of
life. The cooperative business model
offers the perfect tool for tackling
tasks too big for one person to handle
alone. But we need a common
purpose to effectively wield the power
of cooperation.
Think about the impact electricity
made in rural areas 75 years ago.
Women began living longer because
they no longer had to work from
dusk to dawn at backbreaking chores.
Farm production jumped. Things
like running water, lights, and stored
food were possible—and with those
leaps, our ancestors were given new
opportunities.
A few of you may remember our
beginnings from your younger days—
you know full well the power of
neighbors uniting behind a common
purpose. But the vast majority doesn’t
remember when this area rolled up
its sleeves and worked together to
get the lights on. Back when life was
hard—before cooperation changed
the landscape of the communities
we serve.
Does that mean we don’t need
a cooperative any more? Is our job
done? Are there no challenges, no
roadblocks to a brighter future for our
children? What’s next for us? That’s
up to you.
Lynches River Electric Cooperative
is more than a power provider. We’re
proof that when folks unite with a
single focus, we can bring dreams to
reality. Our purpose—powering this
community and empowering you, our
members—can make life better right
here where we work and live.
You, our members, have the power
to enact change—all with a little
cooperation. So think about it—what’s
important to you? What would make
life better?
Please tell us what you’re working
on to improve the quality of life.
We’re here to support your efforts,
and we want to know how we can
help bring people with common needs
and interests together. Remember,
electric co-ops can be a mechanism
you use to make life better. Send your
ideas to Leigh Smith at leigh.smith@
lynchesriver.com or by mail to
P.O. Box 308, Pageland, SC 29728.
We exist today because co-op
members like yourself 74 years ago
believed they could turn darkness
into daylight. Thanks for sharing your
ideas with us—we can’t wait to work
cooperatively with you!
David A. Altman
Chief Executive Officer
Do you remember ‘The Day the Lights Came On’?
Share your stories of “The Day the Lights Came On” with us. Send stories to
[email protected] or mail them to Leigh Smith, Lynches River Electric
Cooperative, P.O. Box 308, Pageland, SC 29728. Call 675-3213 or 1-800-922-3486
ext. 213 if you have questions or need more information.
SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING | march 2013 | scliving.coop
Lynches River News
Home is where the horses are
LREC member hosts premiere equestrian event
By WALTER ALLREAD
most every
Southerner can agree on
is that the quality of life
enjoyed here is unmatched.
Another is that a great
many Northerners who
visit come to believe the
same thing. One such
happy transplant is New
Jersey native, part-time
Connecticut resident
and all-the-time Lynches
River Electric Cooperative
member Brad Turley.
“In New England, forget
talking to you, they don’t
even wave!” says Turley,
who owns Continuum
Performance Systems, Inc.,
with locations in Madison,
Conn., and Cheraw.
Continuum develops software for healthcare companies
that contract with Medicare.
In 2007 he began
purchasing 300-plus acres
near Chesterfield, which
Turley christened Southern
Action at last year’s Heart of the
Carolinas event, which returns
May 1–5 at Southern 8ths Farm, 305
Lucious Davis Road, Chesterfield.
WALTER ALLREAD
ONE THING
8ths Farm. On May 1–5, he’ll
once again serve as host of
the Southern 8ths Farm’s
Heart of the Carolinas
event, the country’s only
Long Format Horse Trial
competition for Beginner
Novice, Novice and Training
level riders. The event is
the equivalent of a horse
triathlon and includes
Dressage, Steeplechase,
Cross Country and Show
Jumping events, which will
bring in some of the nation’s
top amateur riders. It’s open
to the public.
The cooperative worked
closely with Turley to design
DIANA DE ROSA
and build underground
service to his home and
the Southern 8ths facilities,
helping to preserve the
property’s natural beauty.
Turley, who grew up
around Philadelphia and
has worked in Connecticut
for the last 15 years, says
he’s fallen in love with the
Southern way of life and its
people. He employs about
18 people at his farm and
business as both have grown
since he first moved to
Chesterfield.
“Kim Burch jumped
through hoops to help me
set up an office in Cheraw,
Carroll Shoemake has been
doing site work since we
arrived, Kenny Douglas has
done all my metal work,
Mack Phiefer has done all
my outbuildings. While the
land is beautiful, it doesn’t
compare to the people in
this area,” Turley says. His
girlfriend, Pati Martin, a
Connecticut native, has
become something of an
honorary Southerner after
spending time at Southern
8ths. “Both Pati and I have
Brad Turley with his horse, Arnold,
at Southern 8ths. In the background
are his employees, from left,
Spencer Peguea and Don Sellers
with Ratzi and Becky Tucker and Eric
Dusa with Pal.
been surprised by the
genuineness of everybody.
Overall, it’s a much better
lifestyle than up north.”
For now, Turley’s
attention is focused on
the Heart of the Carolinas
event, which he believes
will give the place and its
people a chance to shine.
“The quality of life here
is all about the people,” he
says. “We appreciate that.”
Volunteer Here
Helpers needed
for May 1–5 event
Volunteers are needed for the Southern 8ths
Farm’s Heart of the Carolinas event, May 1–5.
Tasks include helping participants and
visitors find their way around, keeping
records of events, helping with parking and
more. You don’t have to be an equestrian,
but volunteers should be comfortable
around horses.
For more information, visit So8ths.com or
call 623-5005.
scliving.coop | march 2013 | SOUTH CAROLINA LIVING
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